Ginger Nanaimo

If you've never had ginger and chocolate together you're missing out, try this spicy twist on a Canadian classic.

5 from 1 vote

In a medium bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, shredded coconut, coarsely chopped walnuts, and candied ginger. We prefer our nuts to be coarsely chopped (¼ of an inch pieces) so we can taste them when we take a bite, but a lot of recipes for Nanaimo bar call for finely chopped nuts. Either way works but we do recommend that you coarsely chop the candied ginger. Any smaller and you may not notice when you get a piece.
Melt butter on low heat in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and add sugar and cocoa powder whisking until combined.
Quickly whisk the egg into the butter mixture to keep the egg from scrambling and return to heat. Turn the heat up to medium and whisk continuously for 2 minutes until the mixture thickens and becomes glossy. Remove from heat.
Add the dry ingredients to the sauce pan, stir quickly until combined and pour into a prepared 8 inch square pan. We recommend lining your square pan with parchment paper, you will see why in the last few steps.
Evenly spread the mixture in the pan and then press down. You can use your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup to obtain an even and flat surface. Set aside until completely cooled, approximately 20 mins.

In a bowl sift together the icing sugar and ginger powder, set aside. Cream the butter with a hand mixer until fluffy then add the vanilla extract and custard powder. Next add 1 cup of the ginger icing sugar, once incorporated add a tablespoon of milk and repeat finishing with the last cup of icing sugar. The icing may seem thick but it sets nicely making it easy to cut the Nanaimo bar once finished.
Ensuring the layers are even in a Nanaimo Bar is not easy. For the icing mom came up with this useful trick. Using a cookie scoop we place 9 scoops of icing, 3 across, 3 down over the base.
Slowly spread each scoop until the icing evenly coats the base. Set aside for at least 10 minutes, this allows for the icing to set and will make it easy for us to spread the chocolate layer over top.

Add chocolate and butter into a microwavable wet measuring cup. On 50% power, heat the chocolate and butter in the microwave for 30 second intervals stirring in between until chips are fully melted.
Pour over the middle layer spreading evenly with a offset spatula. If you do not have an offset spatula, you can use the back of a spoon. Cover and place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
Our next step is to score the chocolate before it fully sets, this will prevent cracking when cutting the Nanaimo bar. Lining the pan with parchment paper allows you to remove the bar from the pan. This will give you more room to work with. Our pan is slightly smaller then 8” so we scored the bar in 1½” squares using a ruler to guide us. Drag the knife through the chocolate layer cleaning the knife after each score. Make sure the knife goes all the way through the chocolate layer. Cover and refrigerate until the chocolate has fully set.
Remove the Nanaimo bar from the fridge and allow it to warm up for 10-15 minutes. We do not have a knife that can cut all the way across the bar, so I make the first cut in the second row. This way I only need to cut the remaining pieces over the length of 2 or 3 bars. Store the bar in the refrigerator.

Keyword Bar, Chocolate, Ginger, Nanaimo, No Bake, Squares and Bars