Canadian Bars

Today is National Good Neighbor Day.

It’s a day set aside to recognize and appreciate our good neighbors and to be one our selves. There are infinite ideas for celebrating this meaningful day — ranging from simply smiling and greeting our neighbors to organizing a block party for the whole neighborhood.

Simple or grandiose, it’s a time to get to know our neighbors a little better, perhaps to have them over for a meal or help them out in a special way. Wait — shouldn’t every day be a “good neighbor day”?

Contemplating this occasion prompted me to take the concept to a larger scale including our nation’s great neighbor — Canada. I fondly remember the Canadian Bars my mom used to make when we were growing up. From their rich, buttery, chocolate crust full of coconut and walnuts to an exquisite custard buttercream filling crowned by more chocolate, they are what confection dreams are made of.

In researching I learned their true name is Nanaimo Bars. What a fantastic “gift” from our neighbors to the north! CJK

Canadian Bars

(Carol Jessen-Klixbull)

Crust:

1/2 cup butter, melted

5 tbsp. sugar

5 tbsp. cocoa

(Photo by Nikki Rajala)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup sweetened coconut (flaked or shredded)

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Filling:

4 tbsp. butter, softened

3 tbsp. milk

2 tbsp. instant vanilla pudding mix

2 cups powdered sugar

*Topping:

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 tbsp. butter

Crust: Mix together melted butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and egg. Add crumbs, coconut and nuts. Place in 9-inch square pan and pack firmly.

Filling: In a separate bowl, blend butter, milk, pudding mix and powdered sugar. Spread over first layer. Cool at least 1 hour in refrigerator.

Topping: Microwave chocolate chips and butter uncovered in a small bowl (on medium-high power) for 30 seconds. Stir. If necessary, microwave an additional 10 to 15 seconds. Stir. (Or melt chocolate and butter in double boiler over hot, not boiling, water.)

Spread topping over filling, refrigerate until set (about 10 minutes). Score bars into 18 pieces. Return to refrigerator until chocolate is set (about 30 to 45 minutes). Cut into squares.

Yield: 18-25 bars

*A note from Carol: I deviated from the original recipe recently when I made these bars and used prepared Creamy Supreme Chocolate Fudge frosting for the topping instead of melting the chocolate and butter together. (Scrumptious!)

Also, this particular recipe contains a raw egg, which people in at-risk groups should avoid eating. In my research I’ve seen many other recipes for these distinctive bars including a couple in which the crust ingredients are cooked in a saucepan or double boiler and another where the crust is baked in the oven.