A Nanaimo Bar is a soft layer of yellow custard sandwiched between rich chocolate ganache and a coconut-graham crust. The first known recipe was published in the 1952 Women’s Auxiliary of the Nanaimo Hospital Cookbook on the eastern shore of Vancouver Island, Nanaimo, B.C. It was firstly called “chocolate square”. One year later, a similar recipe was published in Vancouver’s Edith Adams’ Cookbook. This time it was called a “Nanaimo Bar.”

Ingredients:
– 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
– 3 tbsp cocoa powder
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
– 1/2 cup walnut pieces
– 6 tbsp unsalted butter
– 1 large egg
– 1/2 cup unsalted butter
– 2 cups icing sugar
– 2 tbsp vanilla custard powder
– Pinch of salt
– 3 tbsp milk
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 4 oz semisweet chocolate
– 2 tbsp unsalted butter
– Sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Cooking Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Lightly grease an 20 cm square pan and line it with parchment paper.
2. For the crust, combine the graham crumbs with the cocoa powder and salt, then, add the coconut and walnut pieces.
3. Add the melted butter and the egg and stir until blended.
4. Press this into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes.
5. Cool the crust completely before preparing the filling.
6. Beat the butter with 1 cup of the icing sugar, the custard powder and a pinch of salt until smooth.
7. Add the milk and vanilla and beat in the remaining 1 cup of icing sugar.
8. Spread this evenly over the cooled crust.
9. For the topping, melt the chocolate and butter.
10. Cool the chocolate slightly and then pour this over the filling, spreading to cover it.
11. Optionally, sprinkle the top with a little sea salt.
12. Chill the pan for about 2 hours before slicing into bars.

A Butter Tart is an iconic and very popular dessert in Canada. It consists of a filling made of butter, sugar, syrup and eggs, baked in a pastry shell.

Ingredients:
– 50g butter
– 90g brown sugar
– 170g corn syrup
– pinch of salt
– 1 egg
– 1/2 tsp vanilla
– 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
– pinch sugar
– 150g butter
– 4-5 tbsp cold water

Cooking Instructions:
1. Sift flour, salt and sugar into a large bowl, add cold butter and cut into the flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, just until dough starts to come together.
3. Then knead lightly on a lightly floured surface.
4. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.
5. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
6. Grease and flour a muffin tin.
7. Roll the dough out to 1/8″ thickness and cut out 12 rounds.
8. Put rounds into a muffin tin.
9. Melt the butter, let cool slightly, then add the beaten egg, vanilla, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup. Stir to combine well.
10. Pour the filling into the prepared tart shells and bake for 15 minutes at 400°F, reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking for approximately 10-15 minutes.
11. Let cool before serving.