Nanaimo Bar Cookies
Things I cannot get enough of in my life: sleep, Hallmark Christmas movies, and Nanaimo bars. If you haven’t heard of them, that is probably because you aren’t from Canada. They are a Canadian potluck delicacy. I remember there was always a tray of them waiting at the end of my sisters violin recitals and probably the highlight of said recitals for me at the time.
The thing about Nanaimo bars is that although not overly difficult to make, many steps are involved. There is chilling, lots of bowls and layering, and it can feel like a lot. My solution? A cookie with familiar flavors and textures with some buttercream in the middle. The chocolate drizzle is unnecessary, but if you are a Nanaimo bar connoisseur, you will know that it is the perfect touch to mimic that top chocolate layer.
These are the best cookie to make your friends become your besties or to hoard for yourself because you will want them all. I love to eat them a little cold so stash them in your freezer for a day when you just need to feel an overwhelming sense of joy. Can you tell how much I love these cookies yet?
Nanaimo Bar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
1 ¼ cup butter, room temperature
¾ c sugar
¾ c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 c flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
¾ c walnuts
¾ c shredded unsweetened coconut
½ cup dark chocolate chips for the cookie dough+ ¼ cup for drizzling on cookies
Buttercream
¾ cup butter
2 tbsp custard powder (or vanilla pudding mix)
2 ¼ cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºf.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix.
When it is almost completely combined, add in 1/2 cup chocolate chips, the walnuts and coconut. Mix until just combined
Bake for 8-11 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the buttercream.
Combine the butter, powdered sugar, and custard powder and mix for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and mix for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
Put the buttercream in a piping bag. Pipe buttercream onto the underside of a cookie, and then top with another cookie to make a sandwich.
Melt the remaining chocolate and put it into a piping bag (with a small tip or tipless and cut a small opening) and drizzle the chocolate on top of the cookie.
NANAIMO BAR COOKIES
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup butter, room temperature
- ¾ c sugar
- ¾ c brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 c flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ c walnuts
- ¾ c shredded unsweetened coconut
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips for the cookie dough+ ¼ cup for drizzling on cookies
- ¾ cup butter
- 2 tbsp custard powder (or vanilla pudding mix)
- 2 ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºf.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix.
- When it is almost completely combined, add in 1/2 cup chocolate chips, the walnuts and coconut. Mix until just combined
- Bake for 8-11 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the buttercream.
- Combine the butter, powdered sugar, and custard powder and mix for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and mix for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Put the buttercream in a piping bag. Pipe buttercream onto the underside of a cookie, and then top with another cookie to make a sandwich.
- Melt the remaining chocolate and put it into a piping bag (with a small tip or tipless and cut a small opening) and drizzle the chocolate on top of the cookie.