it’s my
♥100th post♥
time for
a celebration
(of sorts)
so I’ve made my first recipe slideshow!
it’s a traditional Canadian Christmas treat
and a cherished song
♥
♥
Let the Christmas Baking Begin!
♥
Mabel’s Nanaimo Bars
created by Joyce Hardcastle
(award winning version)
Mabel’s Nanaimo Bars
Ingredients
Bottom Layer
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (European style cultured)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 5 tbsp. cocoa
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 1/4 cups graham wafer crumbs (I used 1 3/4 cups)
- 1/2 c. finely chopped almonds?1 cup coconut
Middle Layer
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp. and 2 Tsp. cream
- 2 Tbsp. vanilla custard powder
- 2 cups icing sugar
Top Layer
- 4 squares semi-sweet chocolate (1 oz. each)
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Instructions
Bottom Layer
- Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler or on very low heat in a large saucepan. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut, and nuts. Press firmly into an ungreased 8? x 8? pan.
Middle Layer
- Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer.
Top Layer
- Melt chocolate and butter overlow heat. Cool. Once cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator.
Congratulation on your 100th post. These Nanaimo look and sound divine.
Thanks, glad you could stop by:)
I’m definitely going to try them! Going to the store right now to get the ingredients.
This recipe is sooo old, it’s everywhere on the internet as “the” recipe. My version had more graham crumbs… maybe they’re more finely crushed now in the boxes? Good luck!
Congratulations on your 100th post – I am looking forward to the next 100. Awesome slide show and great recipe!
🙂 Mandy
Thanks Mandy! I think I might make a real Christmas photo slideshow for my family for Christmas.
Congratulations on the 100th post! Such a fun milestone! I love the idea of a recipe slideshow – very clever. And your little pup is just so adorable. 🙂 Congratulations!
Thanks Kristy! I doubt if I shall ever be brave enough to actually videotape myself cooking.. way too shy for that! Lol! So this is the next best thing. Lucky says thanks:)
Very impressive. Love the slideshow and a fitting 100th post, congratulations! Those bars look absolutely decadent!
Love your poem, too, you’re so very talented!
Thanks so much.. can’t decide which I love more writing, baking, photography, music… as a fellow blogger wrote, there’s no reason to choose only one:)
Another lovely post and these bars look delicious! Loved the music accompanying your video. And that pupster!!!! How cute is he!
Thanks.. a fav song and a fav dog:P I laughed when I got home and saw his tongue hanging out in almost all the photos:)
Congrats on 100! What a way to celebrate too!
Hey, thanks! Love seeing all of your recipes too.. just keeps inspiring me to cook:)
Congrats on your 100th post. You’re way ahead of me! Great post. Being from Sydney we don’t get any snow. My children lament that they have never seen snow! We would all love to experience a white Christmas.
It is strange and I wonder how is it possible… but the “blog” machine doesn’t lie… some people have blogged every day for a year… amazing accomplishment that would be! I will wish for some snow for you… just one day’s worth:)
congrats on 100!!! Well done Smidge.. What fun a poem and a feast.. your recipe looks decadent! have a lovely day and I WANT A ONESIE.. what IS it? c
Well thanks… have lots of inspiration here at WordPress.. I love your blog too.
A “onesie”, they’re still around, bought my daughter one for Christmas (shhh), here’s a weblink: http://tiny.cc/mhofy
Happy 100th post, that’s so exciting! Great milestone. Oh, how I love Christmas baking. I can’t wait to start. 🙂
Haha, if I live to be 100, wonder how many blog posts I’d have:) Good luck with your baking!
100 cheers to you, my lovely! It’s amazing to look back and see how they fly by, isn’t it–kind of like, oh, the seasons, the years, and (I’m told) youth!! 😉
Nanaimo bars are truly delicious, and this looks like a stellar version to be sure.
I love the reminiscences most of all; you know how quickly one leads to another, and even hearing someone else’s recitation (even if very different from one’s own) starts the cascade of daydreaming!
Nah… youth hasn’t flown by… has it? My memory seems to be slipping these days! Lol!
Glad to hear you were remembering your own daydreams:)
So fun! Love the memories you brought up. Happy, happy 100th! Yay!
Yay! It is hard to believe… 100! If I set that as a goal I think I would have been too afraid to try!
Your food styling is impeccable…so beautiful. I love your dog. It’s a good thing we don’t live close by, I would have to dognap him for a day here or there. Just so adorable in the little blue coat. These bars look crazy good.
He would let anyone dognap him… simply need some sort of treat or handful of food:)
Congratulations on your 100 post…a nice milestone and I’m happy that you shared this recipe as a way to celebrate your special post. What a great sounding recipe.
Thanks so much, Karen!
What a beautiful post for celebrating your 100th! I was so touched reading your holiday memories and it brought back so many of mine that were similar. You have a beautiful blog, your photos are stunning and it feels so homey and welcoming to visit you. And that recipe is heaven in a bite!
You are always sooo kind! I enjoyed writing this one, have to admit I had a few tears when thinking about my Gran and Christmases as a child.
Congratulations on your hundredth post. I’ve been wanting to try Nanaimo Bars — yours might be the ones.
I wish I could take credit, these really are the internet acknowledge “award winners” from a woman in British Columbia. I figured if she had it all worked out it must be the best recipe to try:)
I ADORE Nannaimo bars!!! When we were on our honeymoon we went to Victoria, BC, then, for our tenth anniversary, we returned and stayed at a bed and breakfast that served Nanaimo bars for tea. I fell in love! I didn’t k now what they were, though, and when I described them to my mom she said, “Nanaimo bars!” I’ve made them a few times – once successfully! The problem is, it’s almost impossible to find custard powder in the States so I ordered it online and got this HUGE container…then forgot about it in the cupboard and felt like I wasted money when I re-discovered it. Bother. I know I’ve heard you can use vanilla pudding powder, but I didn’t think it was as good….
Oh, I love Victoria. We had our tenth anniversary at a bed and breakfast there. I think that inspired me to become more interested in food, decorating, etc. She even published a cookbook (that I should blog about some time). It was called the Fairholme Manor. Where was your bed and breakfast? Glad you liked this recipe, very strange how different ingredients are hard to find in other countries.. The only type we have here is Bird’s Eye brand.
I can’t remember the name! I was trying to remember yesterday…it’s been five years so I guess I’m losing my memory. 🙂 “Bird’s” sounds right to me for what I bought on-line, too – it was in a yellow and blue canister. I definitely will buy some again someday because they’re so fabulous!!!!! (Actually, I’ll be in Vancouver, BC right after Christmas, so maybe I’ll have to stop into a grocery store!!!) Oh, I’m suddenly so excited!)
Happy 100th post! I love your poem and your Nannaimo bars are scrumptious. Take care
Thanks so much! It was a fun one to write:) You take care as well!
Oh my, I need to use this for my niece’s Penguin themed Baby Shower. I love the black and white. So sweet.
Awww, I hope you write up a post about your niece’s Baby Shower. It would be so cute with penguins as the theme:)
Congrats on your 100th post! I know you feel amazing and I can’t wait to view 100 more of your amazing thoughts and recipes 🙂
Thank you so much.. I’m so lucky to have fellow bloggers/readers like you!
Congrats on the first 100! Here’s to 1,000 more!
Thanks! That’s the plan:)
Congratulations on your 100th post!! And I think this is a very suitable post to dance you in to your first century. And I like your new background too 😉 I have to say, I’m often quite jealous of your more ‘traditional’ American Christmas. In Australia, we are at least 86 Degrees Fahrenheit (I converted it!) and the idea of snow angels are so, so far away. The slice looks yum too!
I’ve never heard of anything like this but it looks absolutely divine. I LOVE bars…layering things up only makes things better, in my opinion.
Probs because it’s Canadian, eh? Lol, yes, the layers are wonderful, a bite of chocolate, the silky center and chewy cookie crust.. mmmm!
Congratuliatons dear Smidgen, This is one of my best post in all of them… I loved your video, this is so lovely, “My noise is cold”… 🙂 Blessing her. And this recipe is great, I want to try too, it seems so delicious.Thank you so much, Have a nice weekend, with my love, nia
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