always learning

tonight, ella (the selfie master) is attending activity days at our church. 

it's for the 8-12 yr old girls.  

they are having "international night", which consists of each girl sharing a fact about a different country and bringing a food from that country. 

here's what ella is sharing:

Nanaimo is a city on an island in Canada, near Vancouver.  It is famous for its bathtub racing. According to Wikipedia nearly 83,810 people live in the city, Nanaimo. The island is called Vancouver Island. Nanaimo has some cool art galleries. Also some sports that they play are paintball, Canadian football, and a Vancouver Island soccer league.

Nanaimo Bars, (pronounced nuh-nigh-mo) is a dessert named for this area of Canada. 

Here's the recipe we found on

King Arthur's Flour blog:

Crust

• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process cocoa preferred
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sweetened or unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (made from about 13 whole crackers)

Filling

• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if you use salted butter)
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar or glazing sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/8 teaspoon coconut flavor
• 2 tablespoons Pastry Cream Filling mix or instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 tablespoons milk

Icing

• 1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate (Belcolade bittersweet disks are good) or semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2 tablespoons butter

Crust

• 4 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• 1 3/4 ounces granulated sugar
• 1 ounce unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process cocoa preferred
• 1 large egg
• 3 ounces sweetened or unsweetened coconut
• 2 ounces chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 7 ounces graham cracker crumbs (made from about 13 whole crackers)

Filling

• 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if you use salted butter)
• 8 ounces confectioners' sugar or glazing sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/8 teaspoon coconut flavor
• 3/4 ounce pastry cream mix or instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 ounce milk

Icing

• 6 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (Belcolade bittersweet disks are good) or semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 ounces heavy cream or 1 ounce butter

 

Crust

• 113g unsalted butter, melted
• 50g granulated sugar
• 28g unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process cocoa preferred
• 1 large egg
• 85g sweetened or unsweetened coconut
• 57g chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 198g graham cracker crumbs (made from about 13 whole crackers)

Filling

• 113g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if you use salted butter)
• 227g confectioners' sugar or glazing sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/8 teaspoon coconut flavor
• 21g pastry cream mix or instant vanilla pudding mix
• 28g milk

Icing

• 170g chopped bittersweet chocolate (Belcolade bittersweet disks are good) or semisweet chocolate chips
• 57g heavy cream or 1 ounce butter

 

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 9" or 11" x 7" pan.

2) To make the crust: Place all of the crust ingredients in a mixing bowl, and beat at medium speed just until thoroughly combined.

3) Press the mixture into the prepared pan, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and set it aside to cool.

4) To make the filling: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, 1 cup of the sugar, and the vanilla, beating until smooth.

5) In a small bowl, combine the pastry cream filling mix or instant vanilla pudding mix with the milk, stirring until thick and smooth.

6) Add the pudding mix to the butter/sugar mixture, stirring to combine.

7) Add the remaining sugar, and beat until the filling is smooth. Spread it over the cooled crust, cover, and refrigerate until chilled.

8) To make the icing: Combine the chocolate and cream (or butter) in a saucepan or microwave-safe bowl. Heat until the cream is steaming. Stir until smooth.

9) Spread the frosting onto the bars. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set.

10) Cut into small bars or rectangles to serve. The bars will be very stiff when cold, but will soften quickly at room temperature.

Yield: about 25 small, rich bars.