Which Came First? The Cookie or the Egg?*

Which really DID come first? The cookie or the egg? Ahhhh, who cares? But here's a sweet treat for you that does require an egg!

Nanaimo Bars - a Canadian favorite. 
INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds (optional)
Custard layer:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons custard powder (I used instant vanilla pudding mix instead)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
"Icing"...it's not really icing but rather a layer of chocolate on top:
4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet baking chocolate
2 teaspoons butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. In the top of a double boiler, combine 1/2 cup butter, white sugar and cocoa powder. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Beat in the egg, stirring until thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the graham cracker crumbs, coconut and almonds (if you like). Press into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8 inch pan.
2. For the middle layer, cream together 1/2 cup butter, heavy cream and custard powder until light and fluffy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread over the bottom layer in the pan. Chill to set.
3. While the second layer is chilling, melt the semisweet chocolate and 2 teaspoons butter together in the microwave or over low heat. Spread over the chilled bars. Let the chocolate set before cutting into squares.
It's not a very hard recipe...just a little time consuming to make. It's super super rich...a little goes a LONG way!


*my Saturday Centus for this week...the recipe comes from allrecipes.com.