Imagine a chewy, brownie-like crust covered in creamy custard and then doused in a layer of smooth chocolate. No need to dream about this confection, it’s a Canadian favorite that’s easy to make at home.

Tucked on the far western side of Canada on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, the city of Nanaimo is undoubtedly the birthplace of the namesake bars. But just how the recipe came to be is anyone’s guess. The folks in Nanaimo say that the “creamy, chocolatey treat's origin is elusive, shrouded in mystery.” The mayor of Nanaimo even went so far as to sponsor a contest in 1986 to try to track down the definitive Nanaimo bar recipe. The result? Around 100 versions of the bars were submitted.

The city of Nanaimo has embraced their connection to this “slice of heaven” (their words—and I agree), by offering visitors a map to the Nanaimo Bar Trail where you can work your way through town sampling everything from “Traditional Nanaimo Bars” to all sorts of other varieties such as peanut butter, deep fried, organic, vegan, coffee, lime, cupcake, cheesecake—and that’s just a partial list.

But you don’t have to travel all the way to Nanaimo to try the bars—here is the “official” recipe from the City of Nanaimo.

*Note: Vanilla custard powder can be difficult to find outside of Canada. I made mine with white chocolate instant pudding powder. While it’s not exactly the same flavor as when my friend from Canada makes her version, it’s very close.

Nanaimo Bar Recipe

Bottom Layer
½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup sugar
5 tbsp. cocoa
1 egg, beaten
1 ¼ cups graham wafer crumbs
½ c. finely chopped almonds
1 cup coconut

Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler (I melted mine in a large, glass bowl in the microwave instead). 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.

Second Layer
½ cup unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. and 2 Tsp. cream
2 Tbsp. vanilla custard powder (or instant pudding powder)
2 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer.

Third Layer
4 squares semi-sweet chocolate (1 oz. each)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator.

Refrigerate the Nanaimo bars at least an hour before cutting (I would recommend even letting them sit in the fridge overnight). Cut into small pieces using a sharp knife. A little bit goes a long way with these rich confections.

Kristen J. Gough is the Global Cuisines & Kids Editor for Wandering
Educators. She shares her family's adventurous food experiences--and recipes--at MyKidsEatSquid.com.

Photo courtesy and copyright Kristen J. Gough