The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.
The challenge this time was very interesting and quite straightforward. We had to first make graham crackers from scratch, gluten fee if possible, and then make the bars. All in a days work and a pleasure I have to say! I have read about nanaimo bars on blogs often, the first time at Closet Cooking and it’s been in my bookmarked folder forever! Push came to shove here and I was excited to finally have a go at them. Have heard of grahamn crackers very often, but don’t get them here, so we settle for digestive biscuits etc. The crackers were a BREEZE to make. Unfortunately we don’t easily get gluten free flour here. I am sure it is available is speciality stores but I couldn’t find any appropriate stuff near my place, so I setlled for APF with a small portion of whole wheat thrown in.
Winter is the time to bake…and that is music to my ears. Did see a few folk struggling with sticky dough at the forum, but mine was a cake walk. It behaved beautifully, rolled beautifully, baked beautifully … and made the whole place smell divine! I nicked 2 graham crackers as they cooled down and loved how good they tasted. I certainly shall be making over and over again as the flavours, the lightness and the crispness is wonderful! The recipe below makes loads of surplus graham crackers, which is just as well, because the kids LOVED them!
The rest of the challenge was a breeze too. I had some finely chopped roasted peanuts, waiting to be made into peanut butter, so I used those instead of almonds. I also reduced the coconut a bit and threw in exra peanuts. I like Snickers and thought peanuts would work well in there! They did indeed. My top layer cracked a bit and I reckon that’s because I was in a hurry to cut up the bars and they needed more time to set.
I made a few stand alone ones too in dessert rings and squares just to experiment and they worked out great. With lots of time left over for a change, I dressed up a couple in lace collars. You can see how I did it in this Strawberry Bavarian Cream Cake post here. The only difference this time was that I wound the parchment with the piped chocolate while the chocolate was 50% set, and popped it into the fridge to harden. Found it much easier to handle!
For Graham Wafers
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups + 2 tbsps all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/3 cup honey
5 tbsps skimmed milk
2 tbsps pure vanilla extract
Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.
In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and pat the dough into 2 rectangles about 1 inch thick each. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.
Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll to get a couple more wafers.
Preheat oven to 180C.
Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch.
When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.
Nanaimo Bars
Ingredients:
Bottom Layer
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated vanilla sugar
5 tbsps unsweetened cocoa
1 Large Egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups (160 g)Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe)
1 cup Roasted peanuts (finely chopped)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
Middle Layer
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
2 tbsps and 2 tsps (40 mL) Cream
2 tbsps Vanilla Custard Powder
1 cup Icing Sugar
Top Layer
115 g Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tbsps Unsalted Butter
Directions:
1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.
2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.
3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.
Additional Information:
These bars freeze very well, so don’t be afraid to pop some into the freezer.
The graham wafers may be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Mine lasted about that long.
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beautiful photos! i love your lace collars on the round nanaimo bars
Divine is the word! I'd be content with a just a bite (ok, maybe a few bites).
Wonderful Nanaimo bars Deeba and I love the round ones with collars. Your graham crackers look much neater than mine, I didn't have any problems with stickiness but they spread out a lot in the oven and my holes practically disappeared.
Your photos look really pretty, stunning picture after picture. They look great. Will be revealing my first Daring Bakers outing tomorrow!
Love the collars, and always love your work and photos. I had a great time with it also (posting CA. time).
You're always inspiring.
You did a wonderful job! Nanaimo bars are a bit like lamingtons here in Canada – iconic and more-ish! Great pics, as usual!
Beautiful Deeba! I'm glad you enjoyed my challenge and love that it went so smoothly =D. The lace collar is the sweetest touch!
Beautiful pics! Shld have thought of making them in small individual disk like you did. Now why I never thought of it. :p
nanaimo bars bring me back to my youth!.. very popular bake sale items at my elementary school..a quarter of the kids brought them to sell
Never with round edges though. these look absolutely lovely!
Really lovely, Deeba! I like the round ones with the lacey sides. Yummy recipe.
Beautiful! I am making mine today and you will put me to shame, as always!
I found the recipe easy to work with, too. But I also didn't do gluten free. Maybe that was the difference?
I love your presentation here, of course. The little chocolate work around the bar, is adorable!
Love the border around the outside. They look delicious!
I've heard of nanaimo bars, but have never tried them. They sound very interesting though!
Love the lace collar on the mini bars – so pretty!
Les photos sont magnifiquement belles!!!
Y a-t-il une erreur dans cet ingrédient? : 1/s cup unsalted butter (cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/s ????
Such pretty Nanaimo bars Deeba! Love the collars,and that chocolate quote
I too reduced the coconut a little bit, loved the overall flavour!
Yummy yummy yummy. A love these types of desserts. What a wonderful combination of chocolate, peanuts and coconut. Instant love!
Such a lovely lace collar! A perfect way to dress up these sweet little treats!
All I can say is, WOW! Beautiful job! I recently joined the daring cooks so I totally appreciate their challenges. You really are passionate about baking!
Wow, that's a LOT of work… You bakers amaze me
and It's beautiful, too!
The bars look divine…just perfect. I would love to try the graham crackers.
Can't believe you actually made these Graham Crackers yourself, Deeba!
It always sounded like a fancy name to me… Even though I am not a good baker, I surely am going to try these some day 
) Guessing my son and hubby will love it. (First, I have to set off to make or get some unsalted butter)!!
Sweet Hugs,
)
Smita
PS: Can't thank you enough for these baking-from-scratch recipes using Indian substitutes
deeba, thanks to flickr ban here cant see most of the images, i see some on some posts not all, maybe you are using two ways to upload?!!? but see none on this post, can u put it up somewhere twitter or something… is it already there?
You're lucky to have perfect baking weather. Making the cookies was hell during our Aussie summer! But they tasted fab, didn't they? Nicely done Deeba!
congratulations on our challenge they look amazing!
Your Nanaimo are beautiful and peanuts they must be yummy!
Kisses from Spain.
Having enjoyed that experience tremendously, they decided to try it again.simply yummy recipe!
Very pretty pics and I would like to try these; I have heard so uch about them but they are not so popular in the US yet!
wow this is elegant gourmet style!
Deeba, that looks gorgeous. I loved the crackers, but the bars were way too rich.
Both the crackers and bars look great! I love the addition of peanuts in the bottom layer. Great job Deeba!
Deeba this is absolutely beauty,and georgeous pictures, xx gloria
Good morning Deeba:
Me and Troy…I also have great affection for every chocolate in my life. Thanks for the lovely pics and mouth watering recipe. Always a pleasure to visit your blog.
Cheers
SAUCY
Haha shoulda known you'd take something homey and make it elegant! Lovely bars and love the peanut addition! Yum!
only you can make these bars look so beautiful abd elegant. Well done.
Absolutely beautiful my friend!!! I am gong to get mine made today…promise!!!
Beautiful job
I love you min cakes and the beautiful decoration
I love the look of these and can only imagine the taste…sweet heaven!
I love the lace collar!
I made mine like the original recipe, but I love the sound of using peanuts, yum.
The bars with the lace collars look AMAZING. Also, I think your pictures are fabulous! Would be glad if you stopped by to read my Nanaimo bars post ;o). "See" you again next month.
You have such a gorgeous blog-great pictures, well explained write ups and everything looks so fabulous! I think I gained 10 lbs just going through your archives:)
I am amaze how you always manage to tackle the challenge way beyond everyone expectation. Look at your bars for this month challenge. It is beyond beaute!
Really like the ones in the dessert rings, gives them a fancy appeal.
I am Canadian and have had my share of Nanaimo bars – even in Nanaimo! And I have to say – yours are the most beautiful I have ever seen. xoxo
your bars lasted 2 weeks, really? mine were gone after a few days, but I have to tell that mine never looked so gorgeous as yours…
Love the collars on the round Nanaimos. And your idea to use peanuts for a "Snickers" effect is great. I am now imagining how to incorporate caramel into these bars to complete that craving. Mmm. So glad you're a daring baker, and that now I am too. That's what led me to you, and I really like your posts.
Those lace collars are gorgeous, I have to try those. Very elegant!
I have to admit I'm jealous of your perfectly behaved dough…
i love the amount of filling. it looks lucsious.
Wow, those are so elegant!
These are beautiful! I loved the graham crackers too, and will definitely be making them again. Can't wait to see what you come up with for us next month!
Of course you always take your baking to the next level, Deeba. Beautiful lacy design, and I love the idea of making them look like tortes. It's as though you've had them flown in from France!
Your pictures are amazing as usual. Despite it being Canadian, I've never actually had a nanaimo bar before.
The nanaimo bars look incredible with the layers of goodness! I can tell this was a true labor of love!
Absolutely brilliant as always Deeba and that white chocolate collar is absolutely inspired!
OMG, I always love your photography! Of course, the Nanaimo Bars really do look gorgeous with the collars!
Just lovely Nanaimo Bars – the round ones are extra pretty! Your blog is one of my favorites.
Oh wow… Gorgeous looking Bars
and love all the white chocolate designs around the edges…
great job as usual Deeba
Deeba, love the decorative version of the bar. Create such an awe!!
Sawadee from Bangkok,
Kris
WOWOWOWOW such lovely photos and that cake slice is goregous well done on this challenge. Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.
Your photos are beautiful. Everything looks delicious! Especially those lovely circular ones with lace collars… Yum.
Glad to hear your crackers were a breeze to make.You obviously have a lot more skill with dough than I do!
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I can't tell you how much I love that you quoted Deanna Troi from Star Trek TNG! You are so cute, Deeba. Brilliant photographs again! I love the little round bars with the lace collars. You could make a peanut butter sandwich look elegant. *big hug* Dani
Aaaargghh!! I missed it! I missed it!! I had planned to do it but time ran away from me…
As usual, yours look just lovely! And Deanna Troi!! Now she I have always fancied – LOL!! Didnt know you were a Trekkie as well. Your decorating and presentation is putting us all to shame Deebs! And to think that when you first started on the DBs long ago I actually offered a wee help on the LMP. No longer my dear – you are such a STAR!
Love the nanaimo bars Deeba. They really look moreish! Only wish I could tuck into them right now! Any chance you could send some over;)
great laces around those individual round serving and yes your crackers look v professional
love how u've decorated this. it's gorgeous! have never had this Candian sweet before but looks like a must-try x
Living in Canada I grew up on these and all their variations..peanut butter, maple. mint….
A cake walk, now that is music to my ears Deeba, your creation is brilliant as always
I had a little trouble with my chocolate layer too. Kind of wished I used cream instead of butter but I didnt. I had already cheated by not making the grahams. Now that everyone has been saying what a breese it was, I'm kicking myself. Another great job!
Beautiful creations Deeba!
Looks like you had some fun with your Nanaimo bars Deeba! I sort of missed that they actually come from a town called Nanaimo… Ahum… Great idea to make a couple individual ones! I was playing with the idea but then didn't do it in the end..
Aww beautiful! I've seen this dessert on food blogs, but I've actually never seen it in stores or had it. custard and chocolate and graham crackers! sounds so delicious!! I've stopped doing DB challenge since I've been more busy lately and challenges these days are hard to make it into healthy alternatives. But I do miss the fun of it.
Such beautiful pictures Deeba!! I especially love the round Nanaimo Bar with the white chocolate on the sides.
Gorgeous! One of the most beautiful presentations I've seen yet!
Very very pretty. Love snickers too and shall remember to make these with peanuts next time.
They looks absolutely beautiful – especially the lace collar! I have made white chocolate rings before, but these look very pretty!
You have the most beautiful photos, all the better to show how delicious the food MUST taste!:)
Gorgeous job! I love your photographs and presentation…simply wonderful.
Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go
So pretty! Love layerd things…and chocolate…yum. A friend of mine is allergic to chocolate…that's just sad.
Your bars look rich and lovely and decadent. Wish I could have a taste!
Wow, did Troi really say that? I must've missed that episode
Lovely Nanaimo bars!
Love the curly decorations around the edges…so elegant and pretty! Looks delicious.
Love the lace collar, very pretty, very chique indeed!
Lovely as always! Peanuts sound like they'd work well in this recipe. I'm starting right now (better late than never, maybe?) and think I'm going with almonds. Wish me luck!