Too good to wait until Sunday.

Because I couldn't wait until Sunday (and because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to find the *time* to make it on Sunday when George wouldn't catch me), I made George's Father's Day gift this afternoon. And it was gooooooood.



Nanaimo bars are George's favorite dessert, and they're hard to find here in the States, being a mainly Canadian treat (like poutine. yuuuum.). Our local grocery store carried them for a while in their bakery, then suddenly stopped. Every time he's there George goes and checks to see if they have any available, but since Christmas time there hasn't been anything. So I looked up some recipes online, found one that didn't look too daunting, and tried my hand at making them myself.

They were surprisingly easy!

And, of course, uber yummy. :o9

Here's the recipe:

Nanaimo Bars

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup white sugar
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder (or instant vanilla pudding powder)
3 tablespoons milk
4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped (I doubled this)
1 tablespoon butter (and this)

Mix 1/2 cup butter or margarine, white sugar, cocoa, egg and vanilla in a heavy sauce pan or double boiler. Stir over low heat until mixture is of custard like consistency.

Combine graham crackers, coconut and walnuts and add to the melted mixture. Mix well and pack into buttered 9 inch square cake pan. (I had these all mixed together before I started making the chocolate concoction. made it easier)

Cream 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla custard powder and milk. Beat until creamy and spread over melted base.

Refrigerate till hardened.

Melt semi-sweet chocolate with 1 tablespoon butter and drizzle over custard icing. Refrigerate. When totally hard cut into square bars.