Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Get ready to indulge this holiday season with my Canadian Nanaimo Bars, a classic for our family at Christmas.

Nanaimo Bars are the national dessert of Canada and are a no-bake recipe perfect for Christmas, New Year’s, Birthday, Funeral, Bar Mitzvah, etc.

Canada’s National Dessert – The Nanaimo Bar

Nanaimo Bars first came to life in 1952 in a Woman’s Auxiliary cookbook at the Nanaimo Hospital, and it was named Chocolate Squares.

According to the Food Network Canada history of the Nanaimo bar, it later popped up in Vancouver in a cookbook by Edith Adams.

Edith called the chocolate squares Nanaimo bars, which were fitting since that’s where they were first created.

But before Edith named the Nanaimo bar, the recipe appeared in The Sun called the London Fog Bar.

The bar itself was named after the city of invention, Nanaimo, British Columbia, and is coined Canada’s national dessert.

Some of you may be familiar with these types of cookbooks, and they are still made today in hospitals and schools to raise money.

Our son’s school has them for sale once a year, where parents send in their recipes and photos for the cookbook. 

It’s a great way to showcase traditional recipes that are part of your family.

Before we get into the Nanaimo Bar recipe, I want to thank Christine Weadick for the photos and recipe.

These Nanaimo Bars are a Christmas tradition in her house, and I’ve been holding on to the recipe for two years.

Finally, we can say that it’s up on the blog, and it’s truly an easy Nanaimo bar recipe that is hard to resist.

Nanaimo Bars Are Easy To Make

Besides its fantastic taste, one of the reasons it’s so popular is that Nanaimo Bars are a no-bake recipe.

You’ll start to see Nanaimo bar recipes pop up around the Christmas holidays for family gatherings as a sweet treat.

Most grocery stores, including Costco in Canada, offer pre-made Nanaimo bars, but homemade bars are always the best.

Besides, making Nanaimo bars at home is far cheaper than buying them at the store or a bakery.

What Is A Nanaimo Bar?

Let’s break down the Nanaimo Bar into three layers since that’s what you’ll get when you bite into one.

Layer 1

C0conut and graham cracker and chocolate layer pressed into a lined baking pan

Layer 2

Custard or Vanilla icing filling for the center (this is where you can create new flavors of Nanaimo bars such as mint or cherry.

Layer 3

The top layer is a thick chocolate coating similar to ganache so that the chocolate cracks in your mouth when you bite into it.

Adding a teaspoon of coconut oil to your chocolate layer while the chocolate is melting will also give it a glossy effect.

It’s so good and customarily you would find them out for Christmas, New Year’s, Birthday, Weddings, Funerals, etc. 

At my father-in-law’s funeral luncheon, I first had a Nanaimo bar from the dessert table.

Cutting Nanaimo Bars

This is the part of the recipe where you want to be mindful and gentle with your Nanaimo bars.

The thick top layer of chocolate can crack if you make the wrong move.

Once the Nanaimo bars are done, please put them in the refrigerator for about an hour to let the chocolate firm up.

This also will prevent the layers of your Nanaimo bars from melting or the layers bleeding into each other.

As they begin to firm up, take a sharp knife and score the Nanaimo bars where you want to cut them into squares.

You don’t have to be perfect, but if you want your bar uniform, you can use a ruler to guide your knife.

Once they are firmed up, remove the parchment paper with the Nanaimo bars to a cutting board.

Cut the lines where you scored to the bottom using your sharp knife to get lovely, clean squares.

If, for some reason, you put the Nanaimo bars in the freezer instead of the refrigerator, put them in the fridge for 30-40 minutes.

By doing this, the bars will defrost, and then you can cut them.

Freezing Nanaimo Bars

Can you freeze Nanaimo Bars?

You can freeze Nanaimo bars, but I would score and cut them before I froze them.

It will save you the headache of trying to cut them afterward.

Once cut into bars, place parchment or wax paper at the bottom of your tin and store them for up to 3 months.

This gives you ample time to make them for the Christmas holidays as gifts for friends and family or to set out on the treat table.

How Do You Pronounce Nanaimo?

This can be tricky for some people, just like the name Edinburgh always gets pronounced wrong in Canada.

At least the people I encounter can’t pronounce it, but we all still know what it means.

So, let’s break it down. Nuh-Neye- Mo. 

How does that sound?

I just made that up, so take it, leave it, or comment below how you would break it down.

How To Make Nanaimo Bars

The first one is the almonds, coconut, and graham cracker crumbs waiting to be added to the base.

The second photo contains the eggs, cocoa, sugar, and butter before cooking.

Once that is cooked, I dump the almond, coconut, and cracker mix in and stir fast before leaving in the lined pan.

The third is the base pressed into the lined pan.

Number 4 is the custard powder, water, butter, and lemon peel before I start making the middle layer.

The fifth photo is the middle layer spread in the pan.

Lastly, the top layer is the melted chocolate I scored once chilled in the refrigerator.

The recipe calls for a 9X9 pan, but I have this 7X11 pan I got in a setback when I got married, so it’s over 40 years old.

3 Different Varieties Of Nanaimo Bars

Cherry Nanaimo Squares

How To Make Cherry Nanaimo Bars

Omit the lemon zest.

Add chopped up 12-15 well-drained maraschino cherries with the sugar and replace the water with 2 Tablespoons juice from the cherry jar.

Follow with custard powder, butter, drained chopped maraschino cherries, and some juice from the cherry jar in place of the water. 

The second shot is the cherry filling before the melted chocolate is poured.

Lastly, we have cherry squares with the chocolate scored, so it hopefully doesn’t crack when you cut it.

Mint Nanaimo Squares

How to make Mint Nanaimo Bars

Omit the lemon zest. Add peppermint extract to taste and a few drops of green food coloring. 

The mint squares were lifted from the pan with the wax paper ready to be scored, cut, and placed in the tin for the freezer.

The Ultimate Nanaimo Bar Recipe

Printable version below

Base Layer

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 Tablespoons cocoa
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

In a saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and eggs; cook over medium heat, stirring until smooth and starting to thicken.

Add vanilla. Add the cracker crumbs, coconut, and almonds and stir to combine everything thoroughly. 

Press into a lined 9 X 9 pan. Wax paper or parchment paper both work to line the pan. 

Middle Layer

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 Tablespoons custard powder
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Cream the butter and add sugar, custard powder, water, and lemon zest.

When smooth and well-blended, spread over the base as smoothly as possible. 

Top Layer

• 1 Tablespoon butter or coconut oil
• 2-4 squares of unsweetened chocolate, chopped up

Melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring as it melts.

Pour over the middle and quickly tilt the pan in all directions to spread it over the top. 

Refrigerate until set, 2-3 hours or longer.

When ready to cut and serve, let the pan sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes to warm the chocolate.

This helps prevent the chocolate from cracking as you cut it. Lift out of the pan using the edges of the paper.

I score the chocolate carefully before cutting it all the way through.

How many squares of chocolate is up to you; I split the difference and use 3. 

Printable Nanaimo Bar Recipe

This is a Nanaimo bar recipe that you can have fun with by changing the flavor of the middle layer.

I have a pan I got in a set many years ago that is 7 X 11, and it works well as a replacement for a 9 X 9 pan.

• Recipe Type: Desserts
• Author: Christine Weadick
• Prep time: 30 mins
• Cook time: 2 hours 30 mins
• Total time: 3 hours
• Serves: 20

These easy Nanaimo bars are a hit every year at Christmas, and I pack away a few for any company.

You can freeze them for up to 3 months to make them ahead of time. Adding peppermint or cherry Nanaimo bars can also switch up the flavor.

Ingredients

• Base
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 Tablespoons cocoa
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• Middle
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 Tablespoons custard powder
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• Top
• 1 Tablespoon butter or coconut oil
• 2-4 squares of unsweetened chocolate, chopped up

Instructions

1. Base
2. Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and eggs in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until smooth and starting to thicken. Add vanilla.
3. Add the cracker crumbs, coconut, and almonds and stir to combine everything. Press into a lined 9 X 9 pan. Wax paper or parchment paper both work to line the pan.
4. Middle
5. Cream the butter and add sugar, custard powder, water, and lemon zest. When smooth and well-blended, spread over the base as smoothly as possible.
6. Top
7. Melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring as it melts.
8. Pour over the middle and quickly tilt the pan in all directions to spread it over the top.
9. Refrigerate until set, 2-3 hours or longer. When ready to cut and serve, let the pan sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes to warm the chocolate.
10. This helps prevent the chocolate from cracking as you cut it. Lift out of the pan using the edges of the paper.
11. I score the chocolate carefully before cutting it all the way through.
12. How many squares of chocolate is up to you; I split the difference and use 3.

Have fun!!!

Christine W.

Thanks, Christine, for sending me your recipe. It only took two years to get it up, but now I’m happy to showcase it.

To view all recipes on Canadian Budget Binder, please read The Free Recipe Depot—tonnes of recipes to try.

Mr.CBB

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