Cranberry Nanaimo Bars Recipes

NANAIMO BARS I

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.

CRANBERRY NANAIMO BARS

Steps:

• Base: Melt butter with chocolate and remove from heat. Stir in sugar and egg. Add crumbs, coconut and orange rind; mix well. Press into 9" square pan. Chill.
• Cranberry Layer: Combine cranberry sauce and liqueur. Spread evenly over base. Custard Layer: Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread over base. Chill.
• Chocolate Layer: Melt chocolate and butter over low heat or in microwave on med. power for 2 minutes, stir until melted. Spread evenly over filling. Chill. Let stand at room temperature for fifteen minutes before cutting into bars.
• To store: Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks before cutting.
• To freeze: For longer storage, freeze bars before topping with chocolate and cutting. Thaw and spread with melted chocolate.

CALGARY NANAIMO BARS

Steps:

• Line an 8-in. square baking pan with foil, letting ends extend over sides by 1 in. In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar and cocoa; add butter. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into eggs. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Cook and stir until mixture reaches 160°. Remove from heat., Stir in cracker crumbs, coconut and, if desired, almonds. Press into prepared pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set., For filling, in a small bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, pudding mix, butter and milk until smooth; spread over crust., In a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Spread over top. Refrigerate until set. Using foil, lift bars out of pan. Discard foil; cut into bars.

DECADENT NANAIMO BARS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine ginger and rum; set aside., In a large heavy saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa and sugar. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture reaches 160°., Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Stir in the cracker crumbs, coconut, walnuts, cherries and ginger mixture. Press into a foil-lined 9-in. square baking pan., For filling, in a large bowl, beat the butter, milk and pudding mix until blended. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth; spread over crust. Freeze for 15 minutes or until set., In a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Spread over top. Combine confectioners' sugar and milk; drizzle over top. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set. Cut into bars.

CHERRY NANAIMO BARS

Steps:

• Heat 1/2 cup butter, white sugar, and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir just until butter melts, about 2 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in beaten egg. Return pan to stove; cook and stir until cocoa mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat.
• Stir graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and walnuts into cocoa mixture. Press mixture firmly into an ungreased 9x9-inch baking pan.
• Beat 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, cherry juice, and almond extract in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth; stir in cherries. Drop cherry mixture by spoonfuls over base layer, then spread evenly. Let cherry mixture layer stand until slightly firm, about 10 minutes. Using your hand, pat cherry mixture layer to smooth.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over low heat; stir in chocolate chips. Cook and stir mixture until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour chocolate mixture over middle layer. Working quickly, smooth chocolate with the back of a spoon. Chill before cutting into bars, about 30 minutes.

NANAIMO BARS

Steps:

• Start by making the biscuit base. In a bowl, over a pan of simmering water, melt the butter with the sugar and cocoa powder, stirring occasionally until smooth. Whisk in the egg for 2 to 3 mins until the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and mix in the biscuit crumbs, coconut and almonds if using, then press into the base of a lined 20cm square tin. Chill for 10 mins.
• For the middle layer, make the custard icing; whisk together the butter, cream and custard powder until light and fluffy, then gradually add the icing sugar until fully incorporated. Spread over the bottom layer and chill in the fridge for at least 10 mins until the custard is no longer soft.
• Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave, then spread over the chilled bars and put back in the fridge. Leave until the chocolate has fully set (about 2 hrs). Take the mixture out of the tin and slice into squares to serve.