Canadian Nanaimo Bars: No-Bake Chocolate Custard Squares for Lunchboxes

Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides so you can lift the slab out later.

Serves 16

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, for the base
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, for the custard layer
• 3 tablespoons whole milk
• 2 tablespoons custard powder (or instant vanilla pudding mix)
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 4 ounces (115g) semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 teaspoons neutral oil

Instructions

1. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides so you can lift the slab out later.
2. For the base, melt the 1/2 cup butter with the sugar and cocoa in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth.
3. Whisk in the beaten egg and keep stirring over the water for about 2 minutes, until the mixture thickens noticeably and coats the spoon. This cooks the egg and is what sets the base without baking.
4. Off the heat, stir in the graham crumbs, coconut and nuts. Press the mixture very firmly and evenly into the lined pan, using the flat bottom of a glass. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
5. For the middle layer, beat the softened butter with the milk, custard powder and powdered sugar until pale, light and completely smooth. Spread it over the chilled base in an even sheet and return to the fridge for 20 minutes.
6. Melt the chocolate with the oil gently, either over the same water bath or in short microwave bursts, stirring between each. Let it cool for 3 minutes so it is fluid but no longer hot.
7. Pour the chocolate over the firm custard layer and tilt the pan to spread it thin. Refrigerate 15 minutes only, until just set but not brittle.
8. Lift the slab out by the parchment and cut into 16 squares with a large knife warmed under hot water and wiped dry between cuts. Chilling the chocolate hard before cutting is what makes it crack.
9. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for three months. They pack into a lunchbox straight from the fridge and firm up again by lunchtime.
10. Named for the city on Vancouver Island where they first appeared in community cookbooks in the 1950s, Nanaimo bars are Canada's contribution to the no-bake dessert canon. The three layers are deliberately engineered around a hot kitchen: nothing goes in the oven, everything sets in the refrigerator, and the custard powder in the middle layer gives that distinctive pale gold color and soft bite that plain buttercream never quite matches.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 290 kcal
• Protein: 3g
• Fat: 18g
• Carbohydrates: 32g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 24g
• Sodium: 95mg