Chocolate Cookie Nanaimo Bars Recipes

NANAIMO COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with foil, leaving foil overhanging at 2 opposite sides of pan. In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until well mixed. Spread into pan; press lightly. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In another large bowl, stir together powdered sugar and pudding mix. Add 1/3 cup butter and the milk; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth (filling will be very thick). Spoon over cookie base; press evenly to cover. Refrigerate while making topping.
• In small microwaveable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Spread over filling. Refrigerate uncovered until set, about 30 minutes.
• Use foil to lift bars from pan; pull foil from sides of bars. Cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

CHOCOLATY NANAIMO BARS

Steps:

• Line bottom of a 9-in. square baking pan with parchment. In a small heavy saucepan, cook and stir butter, sugar and cocoa over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat., In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Cook 2-3 minutes or until mixture is just thick enough to coat a metal spoon and a thermometer reads at least 160°, stirring constantly. Remove from heat., Stir in cracker crumbs, coconut and pecans. Press into prepared pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until cold., For filling, in a large bowl, beat butter and custard powder until blended. Beat in confectioners' sugar and half-and-half until smooth. Spread over crust. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour or until firm., For topping, fill a small resealable bag with melted white chocolate; set aside, keeping warm. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over filling. , Cut a small corner in bag with white chocolate. Working quickly, pipe parallel lines over chocolate layer, spacing lines 1/4 to 1/2 in. apart. Working at right angles to the white chocolate lines, pull a toothpick back and forth across the pan, cutting through the piped lines to create a feather design. , Refrigerate 10 minutes or until topping is just set (do not allow the chocolate to harden completely). Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE COOKIE NANAIMO BARS

Steps:

• Line a 9x9-inch square pan with parchment paper. Place 1/2 cup of butter into the top half of a double boiler, and melt over simmering water. Stir in the sugar and cocoa powder until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the beaten egg and gently cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens up, about 1 minute. Remove the double boiler top from the heat, and stir in the cookie crumbs until very well mixed. Press the crust into the prepared dish, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.
• In a mixing bowl, beat together 1/2 cup of butter with the vanilla pudding powder and cream with an electric mixer until the mixture is fluffy. Slowly beat in the confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until the mixture is very creamy and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Spread the filling over the crust, and return to the refrigerator for at least 30 more minutes.
• Melt semisweet chocolate chips with vegetable oil in the top of a double boiler over hot water, and stir until the mixture is very smooth. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat, allow to cool slightly, and pour over the vanilla layer. Use a spatula to spread the chocolate completely over the vanilla layer. Place the dish in the refrigerator to cool until the chocolate loses its gloss but is not completely hard, about 30 minutes.
• With a sharp knife, cut into 5 rows by 5 rows (25 squares), return to refrigerator, and chill at least 15 minutes to overnight. Serve cold.

CHERRY NANAIMO BARS

Steps:

• Heat 1/2 cup butter, white sugar, and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir just until butter melts, about 2 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in beaten egg. Return pan to stove; cook and stir until cocoa mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat.
• Stir graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and walnuts into cocoa mixture. Press mixture firmly into an ungreased 9x9-inch baking pan.
• Beat 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, cherry juice, and almond extract in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth; stir in cherries. Drop cherry mixture by spoonfuls over base layer, then spread evenly. Let cherry mixture layer stand until slightly firm, about 10 minutes. Using your hand, pat cherry mixture layer to smooth.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over low heat; stir in chocolate chips. Cook and stir mixture until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour chocolate mixture over middle layer. Working quickly, smooth chocolate with the back of a spoon. Chill before cutting into bars, about 30 minutes.

NEXT-LEVEL NANAIMO BARS

Steps:

• 1. GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST: Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment. 2. Place Graham crackers (in batches if necessary) in a food processor, and short-pulse until you have coarse cookie crumbs. You can also crush the crackers by placing them inside a plastic bag and using a rolling pin. Place crumbs in a medium bowl. Next, add toasted pecans to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped but still a bit coarser than the cookie crumbs. You can also chop the pecans with a knife. Add chopped pecans to the bowl of cookie crumbs, along with unsweetened shredded coconut. Mix well. 3. Using a double boiler or a heat-safe bowl set over a saucepan with a few inches of simmering water, melt butter, sugar, and sifted cocoa powder. Add the beaten egg in a stream as you whisk the mixture. Cook until thickened like pudding. Remove from heat and stir into the dry mixture. Stir until well-combined and while still warm, press into the lined baking pan as evenly as possible. Chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the next layer. 4. VANILLA CUSTARD LAYER: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream all the ingredients together at medium speed for about 3 to 5 minutes or until light. The mixture should be thick but spreadable. Add extra splashes of milk if too thick. 5. Spread onto the bottom crust layer in the pan. Put back into the refrigerator to chill. 6. CHOCOLATE LAYER: Use the double boiler method again (with a clean bowl) to melt the chocolate and butter. Let cool slightly. 7. While it is still runny, spread over the custard layer. Smooth out with a spatula. Chill in the refrigerator at least an hour or until firm. 8. Cut with a sharp knife into squares or bars and enjoy! 9. Substitutions: Gluten-free version: Simply use gluten-free Graham crackers in the base layer. Sonia recommends Pamela's Gluten-Free Honey Graham Crackers for their high-quality ingredients. Note: this brand contains butter. For a gluten-free and dairy-free version, try brands like Kinnikinnick or Schär. 10. Substitutions: Dairy-free version: At a one-to-one ratio, substitute regular butter with vegan butter, and use dairy-free milk in place of cow's milk. Sonia says Earth Balance is a great vegan, dairy-free butter for baking. She also uses Earth's Own organic unsweetened almond milk or oat milk. 11. Substitutions: Vanilla custard powder: This is an ingredient traditionally called for in Nanaimo bars. Contrary to the name, custard powder is not custard at all. It's a dairy-free powder made primarily of cornstarch, sugar, vanilla flavouring and artificial yellow colour that mimics the appearance of custard. If you're unable to find vanilla custard powder or would prefer to avoid the additives, you can easily substitute one-for-one with cornstarch or arrowroot starch (Bob's Red Mill is Sonia's go-to). To maintain the yellow colour, add a pinch (¼ tsp) of turmeric powder. And don't worry, you won't taste the turmeric in the bars! Or feel free to mix it up and keep the middle layer white.

THE ORIGINAL NANAIMO BAR

Steps:

• Melt first 3 ingredients in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut and nuts. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 X 8 pan.
• Cream butter, cream, custard powder and icing sugar together well. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer.
• Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Cool When cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator.

BEST NANAIMO BARS RECIPE

Steps:

• Butter and line a 9×9″ square pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of very gently simmering water. Whisk in the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Remove from heat and slowly add in the egg while whisking vigorously. Return to heat and cook for 1-2 more minutes until the mixture is smooth and resembles hot fudge.
• Add in the graham cracker crumbs, shredded coconut, and chopped nuts.
• Stir until well combined. The mixture might appear dry at first, but keep mixing and it will come together.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Press it firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan and place in the fridge to chill while preparing the next layer.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, custard powder, and vanilla until combined. Mix in 1 cup of powdered sugar along with 1 tablespoon of cream at a time, mixing in between until smooth. Add 1-2 more teaspoons of cream, ONLY if needed, to reach a thick and spreadable consistency.
• Spread the buttercream evenly on top of the base layer using an offset spatula. Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up while preparing the next layer.
• Melt the chocolate with the cream in a medium heatproof bowl over a saucepan of very gently simmering water, stirring frequently, until completely melted and smooth.
• Pour over the cold buttercream and quickly spread it all over using an offset spatula. Place back in the fridge until ready to cut into squares. See expert tips on how to cut below.