Nanaimo bar cups
20 min · 15 g protein · 181 cals / serving
All three layers of the West Coast's most famous no-bake bar, set in small glasses: a chocolate, coconut and walnut crumb base, a thick vanilla custard layer, and a thin coat of dark chocolate on top. The custard layer is Greek yogurt whipped with custard powder and vanilla protein, so it is creamy, sweet and high in protein.
Ingredients
Base
- 3 full sheets graham crackers, finely crushed
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 2 tbsp walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
Custard layer
- 600 g (2 1/2 cups) nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 scoops whey protein, vanilla
- 2 tbsp custard powder, dry, such as Bird's
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp sucralose sweetener, granulated sucralose that measures like sugar, such as Splenda; 1 tbsp of it goes in the base
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Top
- 40 g (1 1/2 oz) dark chocolate 70-85%, 70%, chopped
- 1 tbsp skim milk
Steps
- Mix the graham crumbs, cocoa, coconut, walnuts, 1 tbsp of the sweetener and the melted butter until it looks like damp sand. Press a spoonful firmly into the bottom of 8 small glasses or jars and chill 10 minutes.
- Whisk the yogurt, protein powder, custard powder, the rest of the sweetener and the vanilla until completely smooth and thick, about 1 minute. Let it stand 5 minutes for the protein powder to thicken it, whisk again, and spoon it over the bases. Smooth the tops.
- Melt the chocolate with the milk in short bursts in the microwave, stirring until glossy. Spoon a thin layer over each cup (about 1 tsp) and tilt to cover the custard. Chill at least 1 hour, until the chocolate sets.
Good to know
What is custard powder doing here?
It is what gives the middle layer of a Nanaimo bar its flavor and pale yellow color, and the original uses it uncooked too. Vanilla instant pudding mix works in a pinch, at about the same score.
Can I make it as bars?
The yogurt layer is too soft to slice like the original buttercream, so cups or a dish you scoop from work best. Freeze the cups 2 hours if you want them firmer.
How long do they keep?
Three days covered in the fridge. The base softens a little over time, which most people like.
Per
- Calories
- 173
- Protein
- (34%)
- 14 g
- Fat
- (37%)
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- (29%)
- 13 g
- of which sugar
- 6 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 86 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1450 kcal goes into the pot and 844 g of ingredients comes out as about 840 g of food: 173 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.