sharing raw, vegan recipes and advice
Nanaimo Bars are a delicious three-layered confection that originated in Nanaimo, BC. They are super rich, and usually made with tons of butter, sugar, and eggs. You can easily find these at coffee shops/Tim Horton’s/etc in Canada. This is my first attempt at making a raw version, and they turned out pretty well. The two outer layers are chocolatey, and the middle is usually a sweet custardy filling. Some places add mint or coffee flavoring here, but in this recipe, the almond butter makes it almost like an Almond Nanaimo Bar.
Layer 3 (below) is supposed to be a chocolate frosting. While it’s pretty good, if you have your own recipe for it, I would love to hear an alternate version.
LAYER 1
¾ cup almonds and walnuts, any ratio you like
¾ cup shredded coconut
.33 cup raw cacao powder
10 dates, soaked
LAYER 2
½ cup almond butter
1 tablespoon agave nectar, (or sweetener of choice, but try to use a lighter coloured one)
1 teaspoon vanilla
LAYER 3
1 teaspoon coconut oil
½ cup cacao powder
.33 cup dates, soaked
agave nectar, to taste (maybe around a teaspoon)
Note: All measurements are approximate. Feel free to adapt the recipe as you make it if you like it sweeter, more bitter, etc.
LAYER 1
Process the nuts into crumbs. Add the coconut, cacao, and the 10 dates. Process until it makes the consistency you like for a crust. Press into the bottom of a container. This layer should be just under 1 cm thick.
LAYER 2
In a small bowl, stir together almond butter, vanilla, and agave until smooth. Add this mixture on top of the crust. This layer should be a little thinner. You may need to wet your fingers and press it in to get it to stick.
LAYER 3
Process the 1/3 cup dates, cacao, and agave. This should make a thick frosting. Spread across the other two layers. Again, you might need to wet your fingers to spread on top.
Best when chilled in refrigerator for a few hours. I put this recipe into three small containers, so I stuck one in the freezer to see how that is. I think with the hot weather, it might be a good way to cool off! Enjoy!
Mmmmmm, I made these today...soooo yummy!! I've just started eating raw, and I love that I've found this site with all of the yummy food and treats!
These. Are. Amazing. Rich, delicious and addictive. Even with my partner and I eating these ALL the time the tray lasted a week. Great served with fresh strawberries and some nut milk. I will be making these again :)
it looks really yummy! you can make chocolate frosting with avocado. blend an avocado,cacao powder to taste, dates or agave to taste, scraped vanilla bean.
makes a very creamy frosting, or thick pudding
I've been looking for a raw Nanaimo Bar recipe, and this looks to be a real winner. I never tried the cooked version, but I've always want to give it a try. Thanks! LOL. :)
Thanks so much for all the feedback! I'll definitely be trying out some new frostings. So glad you're all liking them!
I tried this recipe with my chocolate sauce and it turned out great! The only thing I would have changed was the proportion of layer 1 to layer 2, specifically they need to be more even instead of layer 1 being the thickest.
I would actually try it with this recipe first:
http://goneraw.com/recipes/2784-Dipping-Chocolate
I just made it, and I would have preferred to use this "chocolate" instead of my recipe on the Nanaimo Bars.
Overall, great recipe, thanks pandaonacupcake! This is a real contribution to my personal collection of approved desert recipes.
WOW I cannot wait to try these!
hi!...these are awesome!...i only had date paste as a sweetener,so i added a little coconut oil to each layer to make sure they got firm...thanks for a great recipe:)
Can I just say...YUM.
This looks great, and I might have all this on hand, woo-hoo. I do have an alternative recipe you might wanna try for the frosting, it is actually my only recipe posted, so you can click on my avatar or click here:
http://goneraw.com/recipes/4887-Super-Easy-Raw-Chocolate-D
Oh man, those look so yummy! I'm definitely trying these babies over the weekend.