The Best… Bar None

Like killer bees, mutant Nanaimo bars have crossed the Canadian border and are proliferating across the Pacific Northwest. Will the mutant, like the killer bee, mellow by interbreeding with native brownies, or will it retain its uniquely sweet sting?

I first learned about Nanaimo bars more than a decade ago from a Vancouver, B.C. transplant who was futilely searching Spokane for the distinctive cookies with their chewy chocolate base, creamy middle and delicate chocolate topping. Intrigued, I sought them out on my next visit to Vancouver, and found them in every pastry shop.

Soon several versions began popping up here, at tea rooms, restaurants, supermarkets and, now, espresso stands everywhere. These facsimiles didn’t quite look nor taste like the bars I had sampled in Vancouver.

Some were redolent of coconut and nuts, but hit the tummy with a thud. Some were thin and tooth-achy sweet. Some resembled brownies with frosting, some had mintflavored, green-tinted filling, and some had heavy fudge frosting over the top. It was the rocky road Nanaimo bar that sent me on a trip to Nanaimo in search of the definitive version.

Nanaimo (pronounced na-NYmo) is a pretty city on Vancouver Island, due west across the Strait of Georgia from Vancouver. The Salish Indians were the original inhabitants, and they called it Nanaimo, or “gathering place.” The Spanish charted the coastal waters, then the British took over, finding and exploiting rich coal deposits.

Nanaimo was virtually a coal “company town” until about 1940, when demand declined.

Next, the Vancouver Island forests were cut for lumber. When the forests were nearly gone, the city had to find yet another source of prosperity.

After cleaning off the coal dust and sawdust, Nanaimo residents discovered a very attractive shoreline, lush, green rolling hills, and a unique, already provincially famous confection: the Nanaimo bar. Tourism was born.

The natives are mystified by the origin and fame of the Nanaimo bar. Some say it was constructed to commemorate the coal fields under Nanaimo and the sunny Vancouver Island coast above, with frosting like the midnight sky.

According to Faustina Gilbey in “A Little Canadian Cookbook,” Capt. Vancouver arrived in Nanaimo Bay in 1792, when the region was inhabited by five native tribes. Because his log doesn’t mention Nanaimo bars, the time of invention can be narrowed to the last 200 years.

In downtown Nanaimo, I found the Scotch Bakery, operated by the Wilson family since 1892. I decided that if they didn’t know the true Nanaimo bar, no one would.

Theirs was certainly the best looking bar I had seen. It was about 1-1/2 inches thick. Its base layer was very dark and moist, with big chunks of nuts as well as coconut. The middle custard layer was at least twice as thick as the chocolate base and was very light and fluffy. The topping was dark chocolate and thin, like the coating of an ice cream bar. Although the major taste sensation was sweet, I’d like to go back for a few more.

Back in Spokane, I encountered a minicontroversy. Was coconut necessary? What kind of nuts? There were as many opinions as there were Nanaimo bars.

I telephoned the Nanaimo Tourist and Convention Bureau for information and, hopefully, a recipe. The travel counselor sent The Ultimate Nanaimo Bar Recipe that “had been discovered in the back of a drawer in a Nanaimo kitchen,” along with a stern warning that if I didn’t use Bird’s Custard Powder in the filling, it would not be a true Nanaimo bar. (While almonds were recommended, other nuts would do.)

The Nanaimo bars I made following that recipe were so good I finally understood what all the fuss was about. Although the mutants are tasty, the best Nanaimo bars will be the ones you make yourself.

Here is The Ultimate Nanaimo Bar Recipe, as sent from Tourism Nanaimo. I can’t seem to stop tinkering with recipes to make them “better,” so I’ve offered some suggestions following this recipe.

Finally, I’ll include an incredibly extravagant version that might have resulted if the French had settled Nanaimo.

The Ultimate Nanaimo Bar Recipe

By Joyce Hardcastle, courtesy of Tourism Nanaimo.

Bottom Layer:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar

5 tablespoons cocoa

1 egg, beaten

1-3/4 cup graham wafer (cracker) crumbs

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

1 cup coconut

Second Layer:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cream

2 tablespoons Bird’s vanilla custard powder (available in some supermarkets)

2 cups icing (powdered) sugar

Third Layer:

4 1-ounce squares semisweet chocolate

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For bottom layer, melt butter, sugar and cocoa in the top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken; remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut and nuts. Press firmly into an ungreased 8- by 8-inch pan.

For second layer, cream butter, cream, custard powder and icing sugar together well. Beat until light. Spread on bottom layer.

For top layer, melt chocolate and butter over low heat; cool. When cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator. Cut into squares.

Yield: About 2 dozen bars.

Billie’s Version: To The Ultimate Nanaimo Bar Recipe, add:

Bottom layer: Toast almonds lightly and chop more coarsely. Add 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Chill slightly before adding second layer.

Second layer: Cream butter well with cream and custard powder before gradually beating in powdered sugar. Add 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract and drops of lemon juice, up to 1/2 teaspoon, to cut the sweetness. Almond extract to taste (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) is a nice addition. Beat until very light and fluffy. Spread on bottom layer and chill well before adding third layer.

Third layer: Melt chocolate in 1 tablespoon of coffee. When chocolate is barely liquid, beat in the butter. Spread on second layer and score before the chocolate hardens. Chill.

The Super-Ultimate Nanaimo Bar Recipe

If the French had settled Nanaimo.

Bottom Layer:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar

2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

1 egg, beaten

1-3/4 cup Petits Beurre (butter cookie) crumbs

1/2 cup chopped, blanched, toasted almonds

1 cup flaked coconut

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Second Layer:

2/3 cup granulated sugar

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup boiling milk

1/2 pound (2 sticks) softened, unsalted butter (more if needed)

2 to 3 tablespoons kirsch, rum, Morange liqueur, or strong coffee (or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract)

Third Layer:

2 1-ounce squares semisweet chocolate

2 tablespoons rum or coffee

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

For bottom layer, melt butter, sugar and chocolate in the top of a double boiler, or in a heavy saucepan. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in cookie crumbs, coconut, almonds, vanilla and almond extract. Press firmly into an ungreased 8- by 8-inch pan. Chill.

For second layer, gradually beat the sugar into the egg yolks until mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a ribbon. Then beat in the boiling milk by droplets. Pour mixture into a saucepan and stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat a spoon with a light cream. Set the saucepan in cold water and beat until the custard has cooled to barely tepid.

Beat the softened butter into the custard by spoonfuls. Beat in the flavoring. If cream looks grainy or has a tendency to curdle, beat in more softened butter by tablespoons until the cream is smooth, thick, homogenous, and very light and fluffy.

Spread on bottom layer and chill thoroughly.

For the third layer, stir the chocolate and rum or coffee in a saucepan over hot water until chocolate has melted into a very smooth cream. Remove saucepan from hot water and beat the butter into the chocolate, a tablespoon at a time. When chocolate is cool but still spreadable, spread over the well-chilled second layer; chill. (These bars must be kept cool or they will get soft and very messy.)

Yield: About 2 dozen bars.