March 4: Nanaimo Bars

I am a long-time fan of Nanaimo Bars, but a first time baker (and I use the term loosely, as these are no-bake bars). I've only made them once before, ages ago, and used a box mix (ew). I have since come to see the error of my ways.

The Nanaimo bar originated in Ladysmith, British Columbia (south of Nanaimo) in the early 1950s. A local housewife named Mabel Jenkins submitted the recipe to the annual Ladysmith and Cowichan Womens Institute Cookbook fundraiser. It became popular, especially in company towns, and was sold in many of the coffee shops on Nanaimo's Commercial Street. Tourists in the region came to refer to these as "Nanaimo Bars".

Not knowing which recipe to use, I defaulted to my go-to website, Joy of Baking. The recipe went rather smoothly, save for the fact that I don't own a 9x9 pan. However, upon looking in my cupboard for a 9x9 pan, I discovered that I own six (count 'em, 6) 8x8 pans, including my latest and greatest addition which I won for free: the Le Crueset square baker in kiwi!! But I digress...

Mise en plus. Most of my baked goods are stuffed into Mason Jars and labelled with a Sharpie. I also got to use the vanilla I picked up in Mexico (the best I've ever used) and the cocoa I bought in the Dominican.

I could have squished the recipe into an 8x8 pan, but this would have resulted in thicker-than-usual bars (desirable for some, not for others), but instead I doubled the recipe knowing the recipe wouldn't pan out (har har) properly, resulting in THREE batches of Nanaimo bars: one for work and two for freezing/selling (Nanaimo Bars freeze very well, as evidenced by the fact that you can purchase them frozen at M&M Meats). YUM!

The harsh light of day. Easier to face with Nanaimos for breakfast!

The recipe turned out well; sweet without being cloying, and though I feel the base crust could have been less crumbly. My suggestion would be to add a bit more melted butter in order to bind it together. Also, I didn't feel like chopping walnuts last night, and since I already had chopped hazelnuts ready to go, I swapped them out, to the recipe's benefit I'd say. It's like a Ferrero Rocher...in Nanaimo form!

Zoom...

More zoom...

MAXIMUM DELICIOUSNESS ACHIEVED.

Final grade: A-. Points lost for crumbly crust (just add more melted butter and you'll be fine!) but overall, a great bar cookie. See the Nanaimo Bar recipe, including my comments and suggestions on my Recipes Page.

To order these "Cookies for a Cause" please click this link to donate at my Daily Bread Food Bank fundraising page.