Welcome to the first Daring Baker Challenge of 2010! I can’t believe we’re already four weeks into the new year… time is already beginning to fly. And, in typical form, guess who waited until the last minute to do her challenge? That’s right… so much for THAT new year’s resolution!
Anywho…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. Why graham wafers? Because they are a key ingredient in Nanaimo Bars! Why Nanaimo Bars? Because the 2010 Winter Olympics are coming to Vancouver and Lauren is a proud Canadian!
Nanaimo Bars (pronounced Nah-nye-Moh) are a classic Canadian dessert created in Nanaimo, British Colombia. The classic version of the bar has 3 layers: a base containing graham crackers, cocoa, coconut and nuts, a middle custard layer, and a topping of chocolate. However, because we’re not big fans of coconut, I subbed in oats in their place.
Before making the Nanaimo Bars, we had to make graham wafers. No problem, I thought naively. I’d read over the recipe multiple times… nothing too difficult there — especially since I’d decided to opt out of making them gluten free for budgetary reasons. But, as I was pulsing my dough in the food processor, what was supposed to have been wet and sticky was actually rather dry and crumbly. Undeterred, I pressed on… but as I was patting my dough into a rectangle and picking up all the crumbs that were falling away… I decided perhaps it was time to review the recipe one more time. You know, just in case.
Right, so… in spite of reading over the recipe multiple times, and knowing at least a little bit about the basics of making dough, I still managed to… wait for it… forget the butter. No wonder the dough was dry! The big question, then, was whether I could salvage the dough I’d already made or whether I’d have to start over. Not one to give up easily, I grabbed the butter from the freezer, put half the dough and half the butter back into the food processor, and pulsed until the butter was semi-processed and incorporated. Rinse. Repeat.
It probably wasn’t ideal, but as you can see… it worked! Clearly my technique needed a bit of work, and the finished wafers weren’t quite as pretty as they could’ve been, but they were wonderfully tasty! I’m not sure I’ll ever be inclined to buy another box of graham crackers (complete with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oil) again!
And then came the Nanaimo Bars. It’s probably better that I’ve made it all these years without ever having tried them, because they’re frighteningly addictive. Now I need to figure out a way to purge their rich, sugary goodness from my memory, because these little gems are a temptation I do not need! We immediately went into damage control mode, breaking up the pan into baggies and sending them out into the world… some for sampling, a batch for my parents, a few for work, a batch for girls night, and the rest went straight into the freezer for treats later down the line (these freeze nicely, btw). Sugar coma crisis averted!
Don’t let the three-step process scare you… these bars come together easily and none of the steps is particularly complicated. You’ve gotta love any recipe that’s easier than it looks, right?
Thanks, Lauren, for a fantastic challenge! Head on over to the blogroll and check out all the other great challenge results!!
Nanaimo Bars
Bottom Layer
1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (1.8 ounces) granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups (5.6 ounces) graham wafer crumbs (recipe follows)
1/2 cup (1.9 ounces) almonds (any type, finely chopped)
1 cup (4.5 ounces) rolled oats
Middle Layer
1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder (I subbed in cheesecake pudding mix)
2 cups (8.9 ounces) confectioners sugar
Top Layer
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
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 oats. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.
For middle layer:
Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and confectioners sugar together well. Beat until light in color. Spread over bottom layer.
For top layer:
Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.
Cut into squares.
Graham Wafers
from Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery via 101 Cookbooks
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
For the topping:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
To prepare the topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon, and set aside.
Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. 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 sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.
Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more flour and roll out the dough to get about two or three more crackers.
Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough. Using a toothpick or skewer, prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line.
Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the tough, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.
Yield: 10 large crackers
