Nanaimo bars

Ingredients for crust: (serves 18)

250 mL graham cracker crumbs
45 mL cocoa powder
pinch of salt
250 mL sweetened flaked coconut
125 mL walnut pieces
90 mL unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Ingredients for filling:
125 mL unsalted butter, at room temperature
500 mL icing sugar, sifted
30 mL vanilla custard powder
pinch of salt
45 mL milk
5 mL vanilla extract

Ingredients for topping:
4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
30 mL unsalted butter
sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Method for crust:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan and line it with parchment paper so that it comes up the sides.
2. For the crust, combine the graham crumbs with the cocoa powder and salt, then, add the coconut & walnut pieces. Stir in the melted butter and the egg and stir until blended. Press this into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes. Cool the crust completely before preparing the filling.

Method for filling:
1. By hand, beat the butter with 250 mL of the icing sugar, the custard powder and a pinch of salt until smooth. Add the milk and vanilla and beat in, and then beat in the remaining 250 mL of icing sugar. Do not overbeat - the filling should be smooth but not fluffy. Spread this evenly over the cooled crust.

Method for topping:
1. For the topping, melt the chocolate and butter in a metal bowl placed over a pot of barely simmering water, stirring gently with a spatula until melted. Cool the chocolate slightly and then pour this over the filling, spreading to cover it. Sprinkle the top with a little sea salt if you want. Chill the pan for about 2 hours before slicing into bars.