My first challenge as a "Daring Baker" was "Nananimo Bars"!
What???
Yup, I had never heard of them either! It is pronounced "Na-Ni-Mo".
They are a Canadian confection, that according to Wikipedia (my source for all important information, NOT!) originated in Ladysmith south of Nanaimo in the early 1950s. A local housewife from Cowichan Bay, by the name of Mabel Jenkins, submitted the recipe to the annual Ladysmith and Cowichan Womens Institute Cookbook.
The Nanaimo Bar is a no-bake chocolate-based bar cookie. It is named after the West-Coast city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. It consists of a graham cracker crumb-base enhanced with nuts and coconut then topped by a layer of light vanilla or custard flavored butter cream icing, which is then covered in chocolate made from melted chocolate squares.
Now that may seem really simple to most people who have made Magic Cookie Bars. HOWEVER, this is where the "challenge" part comes in to play. You HAD to make your own Graham Crackers!!! The other part, was to try and make the crackers gluten-free. I chose not do that because of the expense of all the different flours one would need to buy. But I did buy graham flour at AJ's.
Oh my goodness! I loved making the crackers. I learned so much! The butter has to be frozen, the dough well chilled. Parchment or wax paper was a must when rolling them out, and then you HAD to chill them again before baking. But the most important thing was...they tasted FABULOUS...and they made the best graham cracker crumbs I have ever had. I will make a couple of batches of these from now on, and process them into crumbs, whenever I need a graham cracker crust! Big Big difference!
Graham Crackers by Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea
Makes 48 2-inch squares
Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (I used half AP and half graham flour)
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tablespoons milk, full-fat is best
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
Make the dough: Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate.
Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, and then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
Roll out the crackers: Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8“ thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers.
Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.
Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Truth be told. I burnt a batch...no, I didn't take a picture of that! But fortunately, Doug will eat most anything I make. Sooo....after the crackers are cooled, pulse in food processor to make lots of crumbs. You can freeze them in a tupperware at this point for quite a while.
The hardest part about making the bars, was the fact that I couldn't find the English product; Bird's Custard Powder. All the other Daring Baker's in Tucson must have cleaned World Market out of their supply. So I had to substitute with Dr. Oetker Original Vanilla Pudding. Basically, it seems to be cornstarch and flavoring??? Anyway, this worked well for me!
Nanaimo Bars
Bottom Layer
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 cup Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 cup Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)
Middle Layer
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s)
2 cups Powdered Sugar
Top Layer
4 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
Directions:
1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.
2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.
3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.
Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars
After reading the Daring Baker blog, with all the other baker's ideas (so many incredible variations for inspiration), I came up with my own version of a Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bar...It was a hit at our quilt class...sort of like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookie.
The peanut butter version was simple! In the cookie base I substituted peanuts for the almonds, and rice krispees for the coconut. Next time, I think I will cut back on the butter just a bit.. For the creme filling in the middle, I substituted peanut butter for the butter. I also added extra custard powder just to make sure it was stiff enough. And for the chocolate top, I substituted peanut butter for the butter! They were a big hit!
This has made me hungry...I think I will go make some more!
