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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Nanaimo Bars

I have run into variations of this recipe here and there, and finally decided to try them. Yeah, OK, now I see why they're in so many books and magazines. Total sweet deliciousness. And not too much work or trouble. Bar cookies are awesome because you get like 3 dozen for not that much work.

The variation I chose comes from a Betty Crocker cookie magazine so of course it uses Betty Crocker cookie mix in the crust. A shameless marketing gimick, but sometimes I'm OK with that. These cookie mixes are available in most stores near me, so I assume they're near you too. They look like this:Now, what's up with the name? It's pronounced "na-NY-mo" and it's their city of origin in British Columbia, Canada. Reportedly these cookies were invented and named by an anonymous housewife who submitted the recipe to a magazine. According to my Field Guide to Cookies, the city is so proud of the bar that the town's mascot is a giant Nanaimo bar named - what else? - "Nanaimo Barney." (But I couldn't find a Google image of him so I have my doubts.)Nanaimo Bars
Cookie base:
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker double chocolate chunk cookie mix
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup chopped nut topping or chopped walnuts
1/2 cup coconut
1 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten

Filling:
4 cups powdered sugar
4 T vanilla instant pudding mix
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup milk

Topping:
1 bag (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
1/4 cup butter

1. Heat oven to 350. Line bottom and sides of 9x13 pan with foil, leaving foil hanging over 2 opposite sides of pan. In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until well mixed. Spread into pan; press lightly. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

2. In large bowl of electric mixer, stir together powdered sugar and pudding mix. Add 1/3 cup butter and the milk; beat with mixer on medium until smooth (filling will be very thick.) Spoon over cookie base; press evenly to cover. Refrigerate while making topping. *I found the filling so thick that I patted handfuls flat in my hands and laid them on the cookie base until it was mostly covered, then I evened it out with an offset spatula.

3. In small microwavable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on HIGH 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Spread over filling. Refrigerate uncovered until set, about 30 minutes.

4. Use foil to lift bars from pan; pull foil from sides of bars. Cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in fridge.

Recipe from Betty Crocker's Christmas Cookies, December 2009

3 comments:

Shells said...

These look awesome, I want to eat one right now.

Kelsey Carreon said...

wow Kari, those are very decadent... they would be great for Valentines cut into cute heart shapes! (then you could eat the left over parts...

Erica said...

I tried these. They are good, but they are also very rich! Definitely cut into small pieces!...maybe about 1 1/2" squares or smaller.

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