Should designers bake?
At Oak, we believe that the answer to the question ‘should designers code?’ is a resounding yes. This year we have already answered the question ‘should designers paint?’ with our office makeover. Now, the final frontier: should designers bake?
In Canada, Nanaimo bars are as ubiquitous as Rice Krispies treats but they’ve never managed to hit the big time South of the border, until now. The Nanaimo Bar gets its name from the city of Nanaimo in British Columbia, Canada. The people of Nanaimo are so proud of these creations that they even have a trail around the city which features 34(!) places to stop and stuff your face.
The bars have a wafer crumb bottom topped with a buttery custard icing and covered with a layer of melted chocolate.
This recipe has been approved by our resident plant-based Canadian Skylar Challand, as well as the rest of the carnivorous Oak team.
Nanaimo Bars Recipe
This recipe is vegan, and can easily be made allergy friendly with gluten-free and nut-free options.
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread
- ¼ cup sugar
- 5 tbsp cocoa
- 1½ tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer plus 2 tbsp water
- 1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs (for GF use Kinnikinnick S’moreables Graham Crackers)
- ½ cup finely chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)
- 1 cup coconut flakes
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp coconut milk
- 2 tbsp vanilla custard powder
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate
Directions
- Melt ½ cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread in a double boiler. Add sugar, cocoa and egg replacer with water then stir to thicken. Once thickened remove from heat.
- Stir in cracker crumbs, coconut, and almonds into the mix. Then press firmly into an ungreased 8” x 8” pan.
- Cream ½ cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread, coconut milk, vanilla custard powder and icing sugar. Beat until light and fluffy then spread this over the bottom layer.
- Melt the semi-sweet chocolate and the 2tbsp of Earth Balance Buttery Spread over a low heat and leave to cool slightly.
- Once cool, but still liquid, pour over the top of the other two layers and chill in the refrigerator. Let the chocolate set before cutting into squares.
Happy Holidays from the Oak Team!