Hazelnut Nanaimo Bars
These delicious no-bake treats are made with a crumbly chocolate cookie and hazelnut crust, a creamy hazelnut-flavoured custard centre, and a rich chocolate ganache top layer. To add a festive touch, the bars are decorated with white chocolate in the shape of Christmas trees.
Servings: 28 bars
Ingredients
Base Layer:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (diced into pieces) 227g
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder 65g
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 3 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs 420g
- 1 cup hazelnuts finely chopped (I use a blender)
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut 200g
Filling:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened) 227g
- 1/4 cup heavy cream 35%
- 1/4 cup Bird's custard powder
- 3 cups icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon hazelnut emulsion
Top Layer:
- 225 g semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 55 g about 1/4 cup unsalted butter
Decor:
- 1/4 cup white chocolate melting wafers
Instructions
- Prepare a 9x13 baking dish by lining with parchment paper and spraying with cook spray.
Base Layer:
- Melt butter together with sugar in large heat proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water on medium heat.
- Remove from heat, add in cocoa powder, salt, hazelnuts, and eggs. Whisk until well combined.
- Return mixture to heat and cook until mixture has just thickened.
- Remove from heat and add in graham cracker crumbs and coconut, mixing until fully combined.
- Press mixture into prepared baking dish. Place in the fridge to chill while preparing the filling.
Filling:
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), beat the butter until it lightens in colour. Slowly add in the icing sugar, beating after each addition.
- Add the custard powder, cream, and hazelnut emulsion. Beat until fully combined, and the mixture is light and fluffy. The custard powder will turn yellow when it is incorporated.
- Spread filling into an even layer over chilled bottom layer. Place baking dish back into the fridge while preparing the topping.
Top layer:
- Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips along with butter in a heat proof bowl in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until chocolate chips are fully melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Spread the melted chocolate mixture into an even layer over the filling layer - I like to use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate. Try to do this quickly, as the chilled filling will cause the chocolate to set fairly rapidly.
Optional decor:
- Melt white chocolate melting wafers in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each. Pour into a plastic bag or piping bag, and snip off the corner to create a small hole. Pipe little zig zags in the rough shape of a Christmas tree, then use a toothpick to swipe up the centre of the squiggles. *See the video for a demonstration.
To serve:
- Once fully chilled, cut the bars into squares. Wipe your knife in between cuts for the cleanest looking squares. Bars should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, but taste best at room temperature - remove from fridge approximately 1 hour before digging in to allow them to come to room temperature.