What's a Nanaimo Bar?

This easy no-bake dessert bar is a source of Canadian pride which may or may not have originated in British Columbia is the 1930’s (or 50’s).  In any case, it is sweet, chocolately, sweet, easy to make, sweet, and quite tasty.  My son actually asked for this for his birthday treat instead of a cake – then proceeded to eat most of it himself. I only wish I knew the recipe for the Nanaimo-style Saskatchewan bars from Dog River, but Emma doesn’t share her secrets. Try this one it’s well worth it. 

 

Bottom Layer
½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup sugar
5 tbsp. cocoa
1 egg beaten
1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ c. finely chopped almonds
1 cup shredded coconut

Heat the first 3 ingredients in microwave until just melted. Temper the egg with a few spoonfuls of the melted chocolate then add it into the rest of the mixture. Stir over low heat to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut, and nuts. Press firmly into an ungreased 8" x 8" pan.

Second Layer
½ cup unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. heavy cream
2 ½  Tbsp. vanilla instant pudding powder
2 cups powdered sugar

Cream all of the above together well. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer.

Third Layer
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator.

Fast (and Easy) Fudge

I love chocolate fudge.  This is the easiest recipe EVER. I use it for demonstration in class during our annual Chocolate Week in 4th grade.  It takes five minutes to make and less than an hour to harden and the class LOVES it!

3 Cups - semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 can (14 oz.) - sweetened condensed milk. 

Melt the chips is a medium saucepan then pour in the can of milk and stir until combined.  Spread into a 8x8 pan sprayed with cooking spray then cool for one hour.  Cut and serve.  (Told you it was easy!)

Bruce Bogtrotter's Over-the-top Decedent Chocolate Cake

Bruce Bogtrotter was the little boy that stole a piece of chocolate cake from the Trunchbull in Roald Dahl’s book, Matilda. As punishment, he then had to consume an entire cake in front of the whole school! This is that delicious cake – a sinfully sweet, ‘flourless’ chocolate cake coated in a thick, rich, semisweet chocolate ganache icing that puts this dessert way-over-the-top as a decedent indulgence. From the cookbook - Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes

- 8 ounces good–quality semisweet chocolate
- 1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup all–purpose flour
- 6 eggs, separated, yolks lightly beaten

Ganache icing:
- 8 ounces good–quality semisweet chocolate (I always use Ghirardelli)
- 8 ounces heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line the cake pan with wax paper and butter the bottom and sides of the paper.
3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on low heat. Mix in the butter and stir until melted.
4. Transfer to a large bowl and add the sugar, flour, and lightly beaten egg yolks.
5. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold half of the whites into the chocolate mixture, blending thoroughly, then fold in the remaining whites.
6. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 35 minutes. There will be a thin crust on top of the cake, and if tested with a toothpick the inside will appear undercooked (don't worry, the cake will get firmer as it cools). Remove from the oven, and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.
7. While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Melt the chocolate with the cream in a heavy–bottomed saucepan over lowest heat, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is fully melted and blended with the cream. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
8. When the cake is cool enough to handle, remove it from the pan and discard the wax paper. The cake is prone to sinking slightly in the middle, so flip it upside down before icing by placing a plate on top and carefully turning over the cake pan and plate together.
9. Carefully spread the chocolate icing all over the cake with a spatula.

Chocolate-dipped Triple Coconut Macaroons

People either love coconut or they hate it. These cookies are for those who LOVE coconut - like my wife.  The chocolate dip at the end is an added plus (especially if you enjoy a Mounds candy bar). - From Cook's Illustrated.

 - 1 cup cream of coconut (sweetened cream of coconut, not coconut milk)
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 4 large egg whites
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups unsweetened shredded desiccated coconut
- 3 cups sweetened flaked coconut (about 8 ounces)
- 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (optional)


Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray parchment with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.
Whisk together cream of coconut, corn syrup, egg whites, vanilla, and salt in small bowl; set aside. Combine unsweetened and sweetened coconuts in large bowl; toss together, breaking up clumps with fingertips. Pour liquid ingredients into coconut and mix with rubber spatula until evenly moistened. Chill dough for 15 minutes.
Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Form cookies into loose haystacks with fingertips, moistening hands with water as necessary to prevent sticking. Bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes, turning cookie sheets from front to back and switching from top to bottom racks halfway through baking.
Cool cookies on cookie sheets until slightly set, about 2 minutes; remove to wire rack with metal spatula.
Cool cookies to room temperature on wire rack, about 30 minutes.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Melt 8 ounces of chocolate in microwave, heat at 50 percent power for 3 minutes and stir. If chocolate is not yet entirely melted, heat an additional 30 seconds at 50 percent power.) Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 ounces chocolate until smooth. Holding macaroon by pointed top, dip bottom and ½ inch up sides of each cookie in chocolate, scrape off excess with the edge of the bowl and place on cookie sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate sets, about 15 minutes.