Nanaimo Bar Rice Krispies

Canada Day will soon be here so Sue and I have been busy trying to come up with some decidedly Canadian treats and meals to celebrate. 

The first treat that comes to mind for me is a Nanaimo Bar. (You can see our recipe HERE) We created a Nanaimo Bar Cheesecake in the past - click HERE for that recipe - so we wanted to try and come up with something a little different, again using the Nanaimo Bar as our inspiration. 

If you have never had a Nanaimo Bar then you are missing out. It has to be one of my most favorite treats in the entire universe. 

For this version we have used Rice Krispies to crisp up the base a bit. The original will probably always be my favorite BUT this is a really tasty version with some great textures. 

Nanaimo Bar Rice Krispies

Ingredients

Crispy Layer

1/4 cup baking cocoa

4 cups Rice Krispies

1 cup coconut, shredded

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

4 Tbsp butter

1 140 gr bag (about 6 cups) mini marshmallows

2 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp chocolate chips

Bird's Eye layer

1/2 cup butter, room temp

3 Tbsp milk

2 (heaping) Tbsp Bird's Eye custard powder

2 cups icing sugar

Chocolate Layer

1/2 (heaping) cup chocolate chips

2 Tbsp butter

Directions

Line a 9 X 9 dish with parchment paper, spray with cooking spray, set aside.

Crispy Layer - In  a medium bowl, stir together cocoa, Rice Krispies, coconut, and graham crumbs. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, over medium/low heat, stir together butter, marshmallows, vanilla, and chocolate chips. Cook and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the Rice Krispie mixture until evenly coated. Press into prepared 9 X 9 pan.

Place in freezer to cool while you prepare Bird's Eye Layer. 

Bird's Eye Layer - In a medium bowl, beat together butter, milk, and custard powder. (If you can't find custard powder then you can use vanilla pudding mix. It will taste different but will still work.)

Slowly beat in the icing sugar until smooth. 

Spread over the bottom layer. 

Place in fridge for about 20 minutes to set.

After 20 minutes, prepare Chocolate Layer.

Chocolate Layer - Place chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring briskly in between, until chocolate is melted. Stir until smooth. 

Spread over middle layer.

Let chill until chocolate layer is set. Use parchment paper to remove bar from pan. Cut and serve.

Let me tell you one thing about this square. It is sweet. I know most people will not find this a big surprise but I always get a few comments about how sweet Nanaimo Bars are. 

So...yeah....

Be prepared - sugar coma territory ahead. 

That being said, I love these bars in any form - original, cheesecake, or Krispy. I hope you give one of the versions a try. To help celebrate Canada Day or...just to celebrate any day!

 

Be sure to visit Ms.enPlace and The Chicken Chick and Jam Hands and The Velvet Moon Baker for some fun links!