Have you been following the Olympics? It’s been a wonderful one to watch, the Canadian’s really did a wonderful job welcoming the world to their amazing country. Even though we share a lot in common with our neighbors to our north, Canada is it own distinct country with its own distinct culture—and in some cases, distinct desserts. Take the Nanaimo bar, for instance. It’s a triple layer no-bake bar that was created in a town in British Columbia. I can’t think of an equivalent in the US, if anything, it reminds me of sweets I’ve had in the UK. Here is my version of the Nanaimo Bar for an article I did for a classically Canadian meal for education.com. It might be a fun meal to make the night of the closing ceremonies.

Here is a link to the article:

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/serve-classically-canadian-meal-olympics/

And here is just the Nanaimo Bar recipe:

Nanaimo Bars

Makes 18 mini -bars.

If you haven’t heard of these super sweet treats yet, odds are you’ll be hearing more about them in the upcoming weeks, as they are the point of pride of the town of Nanaimo, British Columbia. Though not traditionally in the recipe, we’ve added a little cream cheese to help balance the powdered sugar of the filling. Just omit the cream cheese if your sweet tooth prefers the real deal.

These dessert bars are extremely sweet, so it’s best to cut the pan into 9 bars, and then halve those for a total of 18 petite bars.

What You Need:

For the base layer

• 4 ounces unsalted butter
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• ½ cup toasted almonds, chopped
• ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut

For the filling

• 4 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons vanilla pudding mix powder
• 1  2/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

For the top layer

• 8 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

What You Do:

1. Set up a bain marie. (Take a saucepan and pour in about two inches water. Find a heat proof bowl that will fit snuggly on top of the saucepan. The base of the bowl should not touch the water.)  Melt the butter in the bowl, and then add the sugar and cocoa, stirring to dissolve. Add the egg and stir constantly as the mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
2. Pour in the crumbs, almonds and coconut and stir to combine. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 brownie pan. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.
3. To make the filling, set up a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Add the softened butter, cream, pudding mix powder, powdered sugar and cream cheese and beat on medium speed until light and well combined.
4. Using a small offset spatula, spread  the filling over the base layer. Refrigerate while preparing the chocolate topping.
5. To make the topping set up a bain marie over medium low heat and add the chopped chocolate and butter to the bowl. Melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly so that it is not hot to the touch but still fluid.
6. Pour the cooled chocolate over the filling. Working again with a small offset spatula, quickly spread the glaze to entirely cover the layer of filling.
7. Refrigerate until hardened, cut into bars, and serve.