Hazelnut Nanaimo
Try this decadent twist on a Canadian Classic. Rich, nutty, and bursting with chocolate it may become your favourite version of a Nanaimo bar.
Ingredients
Base
- ½ cup salted butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- ⅓ cup roasted hazelnuts
Middle
- ¼ cup hazelnut butter
- ⅓ cup hazelnut chocolate spread
- 2 tbsp custard powder
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 cups icing sugar
Chocolate Topping
- 4 oz milk chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup finely chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
Base
- Measure out 1/3 of a cup of hazelnuts for the bottom layer and 1/4 of a cup for the chocolate topping. In a 257°F oven place the hazelnuts on a pan and roast for 5-10 mins watching closely as nuts can quickly go from roasted to burnt. Some suggest a higher temperature oven but we prefer low and slow.
- Let the nuts cool before pouring them into a tea towel and rubbing it together to remove as much of the brown skin as you can.
- Set aside ¼ cup of the hazelnuts to finely chop for the chocolate topping.
- In a medium bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, shredded coconut, coarsely chopped hazelnuts. 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.
- Melt butter on low heat in a medium to large 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.
Middle
- This middle layer has a different texture from most Nanaimo bars. The nut butter and spread change the consistency from an icing to a soft nougat texture. We used a handheld mixer, but you may want to consider using a stand mixer as it is a very stiff icing.
- In a medium bowl combine the hazelnut butter, hazelnut chocolate spread and custard powder. If you do not have hazelnut butter you can substitute that ingredient for the hazelnut chocolate spread. Mix the three ingredients together and add half a cup of icing sugar and one tablespoon of the milk. The icing will lump together at first, the icing will smooth out.
- Continue alternating between adding ½ cup of icing sugar and a tablespoon of milk until both ingredients are done. Beat the icing on high for 2-3 mins until it lightens slightly in colour.
- 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. We noticed that this icing pulled up occasionally as we spread it. Take your time, it will spread it just needs a little work.
- 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.
Chocolate Topping
- 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.
- Add the finely chopped hazelnuts and 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.
- 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. If the chocolate topping starts to crack when you are cutting the bar let it warm up for a little bit longer and try again. Store the bar in the refrigerator. Enjoy.