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.