I will never outgrow Easter egg hunts. Nor will I ever tire of Nanaimo bars, even though their sweetness level is high enough to turn off a lot of grown ups. How to bump them up a notch? combine the two – hide a few Cadbury’s Easter Creme Eggs in the middle frosting layer. I did this for the Eyeopener this week. Oh yes.

I love how most Canadians lose their minds when they see a Nanaimo bar. Are those NANAIMO BARS?! And yet I don’t know many people who actually make them, despite the fact that they require no oven time, can be made vegan (or gluten-free, for that matter) and (almost) everyone adores them. Even without chocolate eggs hidden inside – next time I’ll add Mini Eggs, and someone suggested I bash them up first for easier slicing and to get flecks of coloured shell throughout the filling – a Nanaimo bar is reminiscent of an Easter Creme Egg. Only – and this is likely the only comparison in which Nanaimo bars win out in this way – not quite as sweet.

I admit I’m a Nanaimo bar purist – I don’t love the mint kind, or the peanut butter kind, or the Oreo kind. I love the Bird’s custard powder in the filling kind, and try to always stay close to the city of Nanaimo’s official Nanaimo bar recipe, but I do like using less crumbs… I sometimes use chocolate crumbs (or a mixture of chocolate + graham, if I have the dregs of both in my baking drawer), which also happen to be vegan. (For gluten free Nanaimo bars, pick up gluten free graham crackers.) Hiding the eggs is easy – no matter what recipe you use, cut the eggs in half lengthwise and set them cut side down on the bottom layer, and spread the frosting over and between. To make them vegan, use Earth Balance or another plant-based spread in place of the butter (and a bit of water in the frosting instead of the cream-you’ll only need 1 Tbsp, depending on which spread you use), and instead of the egg in the base, add a couple tablespoons of Roger’s Golden syrup and/or a spoonful of date puree to help bind it together. For the chocolate top, use dark chocolate (without milk solids) and another spoonful or two of Earth Balance so that it doesn’t crack when you cut it chilled.

Easter Creme Egg Nanaimo Bars

AuthorJulie

Yields1 Serving

Bottom Layer:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups graham wafer crumbs

1 cup shredded or flaked coconut

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds (optional)

3 Cadbury’s Easter Creme Eggs

Second Layer:

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 Tbsp + 2 tsp cream or milk

2 Tbsp Bird’s custard powder

2 cups icing sugar

Third Layer:

8 squares (8 oz) semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips

3-4 Tbsp butter

In a double boiler (or a regular saucepan on medium-low heat), melt the butter with the sugar and cocoa. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the crumbs, coconut and nuts. Press firmly into an a parchment-lined 8x8-inch pan. Cut the Easter creme eggs in half lengthwise and place cut side down on the base. Refrigerate while you make the frosting (second layer).

Cream butter, cream, custard powder and icing sugar together well. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer. Melt chocolate and butter over low heat or in a bowl in the microwave. Cool slightly, pour over second layer and refrigerate until set. Cut into 16-20 squares.

Categorycookies & squares

Ingredients