Nanaimo Bar Cheesecake

I originally posted this recipe on Allrecipes.com a few years ago. It didn’t really generate any interest until a fellow Allrecipes member posted some wonderful pictures. (The ones here are hers – the originals are here)

I am a huge fan of Nanaimo Bars and have stopped making them because I am often tempted to eat the entire pan. Store bought Nanaimo Bars can’t hold a candle to homemade ones.

So, a cross between cheesecake and a Nanaimo Bar, why didn’t someone think of this earlier? Well, maybe somebody did – but they didn’t tell us about it so that makes them jerks. It’s okay though, we’re not bitter. We have this recipe and it is fantastic!
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Canada Day Nanaimo Bar Cheesecake

 Ingredients

2 1/2 cups crushed Oreo cookies

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup flaked coconut

4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup custard powder (such as Bird's® Custard Powder)

4 eggs

6 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup heavy cream
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Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Stir together the cookie crumbs, melted butter, pecans, and coconut in a bowl until the mixture is well combined. Press into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish (I often make this in a 15 x 10 jelly roll pan for a large crowd. Adjust your baking time accordingly), and refrigerate while making filling.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, and custard powder in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, and beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating each until fully incorporated before adding the next. Layer the filling over the crust.

Bake in the preheated oven until the center is almost set, about 40 minutes.

Refrigerate the cheesecake until fully cold, at least 3 hours.

Melt the semisweet chocolate in a saucepan over very low heat with the cream, and stir until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Pour the chocolate mixture over the cheesecake, spread with a spatula to cover the middle layer, and refrigerate until the topping is firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve cold. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

It is a VERY rich cheesecake and a little goes a long way. I have heard some reviews of it saying it is too cheesecake-y, not Nanaimo bar-y enough. Well, to those people I say – it’s a cheesecake, not a Nanaimo Bar. The goal was to create something that is similar to but NOT the same thing as the original. If you are after a true Nanaimo Bar then you should make a true Nanaimo Bar. That being said – I have always wanted to try the cheesecake recipe but use the Nanaimo bar bottom to see how much closer it is to being Nanaimo Bar-y. It is on the To Do List.

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Nanaimo Bars

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Ingredients

BOTTOM LAYER

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

5 tablespoons cocoa

1 large egg, beaten

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1 cup fine coconut

MIDDLE LAYER

1/2 cup butter

3 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder (We always use Bird’s Eye Custard Powder)

2 cups icing sugar

TOPPING

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or 4 ounces chocolate

4 tablespoons butter
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Directions:

BOTTOM LAYER: Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler or heavy saucepan. Add egg & stir to cook & thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients& press firmly into an ungreased 9 x 9-inch pan.

MIDDLE LAYER: Cream all ingredients together; beat until light. Spread over bottom layer. TOPPING: Melt chips & butter over low heat; cool. When cooled but still runny, spread over middle layer. Chill in refrigerator. Use a very sharp knife to cut into squares.

The Nanaimo Bar recipe posted here is originally from the Company’s Coming 150 Delicious Squares cookbook. I made a few minor substitutions to suit our tastes but otherwise I have never found a better recipe.
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There you have it. Nanaimo bar Cheescake and regular Nanaimo bars. You can’t get much more Canadian than that. Serve this at your next Canada Day party and let us know how it goes over.

 

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 Have a look at Blissful and Domestic for some great ideas!

And don't forget about Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons too!