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The Nanaimo bar (nicknamed Naomi) is a Canadian dessert, which is a type of cookie and requires no baking, it is named after the West-Coast city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. My Mum gave me the recipe, so I thought I’d try it out.

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Makes 20

Base
125g (4oz) butter
2 level tbsp golden caster sugar
2 level tbsp cocoa
1 medium egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence
300g (10oz) hob nob biscuits, crumbed
60g (2oz) desiccated coconut

Custard Filling
60g (2oz) unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp custard powder
½ tsp vanilla extract
250g (8oz) icing sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice

Topping:
150g dark chocolate
30g (1oz) butter
4 tbsp strong black coffee

Use 18 x 27cm baking tin, lined with greaseproof paper

To make the base, put butter, sugar and cocoa in a small pan over a low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.

Take off the heat and add the egg, vanilla essence, biscuit crumbs and coconut. Press mixture into the tin and level the surface. Chill for at least 30 mins.

To make the filling, cream the butter until pale and fluffy. Whisk in the custard powder and vanilla, then the icing sugar and lemon juice. Spread this over the biscuit base and chill for 1-2 hrs until set.

To make the topping, melt the chocolate with the butter in a bain marie. Take off the heat and whisk in the warm coffee until you get a smooth icing. Spread it over the filling and leave to set. If you leave it out of the fridge to set the chocolate icing won’t lose it’s gloss. Cut into 2-3cm wide bars and serve!

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