Give these Canada treats a snack-food medal

Watching the Vancouver Winter Olympics this week? If so, you'll want to snack like the British Columbians - with Nanaimo bars.

These three-layer sweet squares, ubiquitous in coffee shops throughout British Columbia, are named for Nanaimo (nan-EYE-mo), a town on Vancouver Island, which is a two-hour ferry ride across the Strait of Georgia from the site of the Olympics. Jazz pianist/singer Diana Krall was born there.

According to Nanaimo's Web site, about 35 years ago, a local woman by the name of Joyce Hardcastle entered her recipe for chocolate squares in a contest, calling them Nanaimo Bars - and she won. The city's been boasting about them ever since.

Nanaimo bars are not as well-known internationally as Philadelphia pretzels or cheesesteaks, though they're probably just as fattening.

And they are not an official snack of the 2010 Olympics. But they are sold on the ferries that connect the island to the mainland.

The bars consist of three rich layers - a chocolate-graham cracker base embedded with coconut and nuts; a buttercream middle enriched with vanilla custard; and a smooth dark chocolate top (see recipe).

The filling also lends itself to all kinds of variations, like peanut butter, mocha, or mint.

They're not low-cal, but they certainly are tasty.

Aside from using instant pudding mix in place of custard powder (a common substitution in the States), this recipe departs from tradition in a couple of ways: For the crumb layer, rather than just stirring the eggs into the butter, sugar, and cocoa, the mixture is heated in a double boiler until it reaches 160 degrees. Since the bars aren't baked, this step ensures that the eggs are properly cooked.

And for the topping, instead of simply melting chocolate and butter, this recipe also adds a small amount of cream, to make the chocolate layer easier to spread and cut.

Ann Clark Ltd., a Vermont-based company, sells handcrafted cookie cutters in lots of shapes and styles and routinely offers cookie recipes. The Olympic ring cookie cutter is $3.99 from www.annclark.com. See more of her cookie recipes at www.makemorecookies.com.

Makes about 72 small bars

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3 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (a little less than a full box of graham crackers)

2 cups shredded coconut

1 cup nuts, chopped fine (walnuts and almonds are traditional, but pecans are also good)

11/2 cups unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons, divided use

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa

2 large eggs, beaten

4 cups confectioners' sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream, divided use

1/4 cup (almost entire small 1.5 ounce) package vanilla instant pudding powder

12 ounces (about 2 cups) finely chopped semisweet chocolate

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1. Stir together in a large bowl the graham cracker crumbs, shredded coconut, and nuts. Set aside.

2. Prepare a 12-by-18-inch jellyroll or half sheet pan by buttering it and lining it with parchment paper.

3. Meanwhile, melt in the top of a double boiler over simmering water: 1 cup unsalted butter, the granulated sugar, and the cocoa.

4. Add 2 large eggs, beaten. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until mixture reaches 160 degrees.

5. Immediately pour over graham cracker mixture and blend thoroughly. (Once the mixture has cooled, you may use your hands.) Sprinkle evenly into the prepared jellyroll or half sheet pan. Using the bottom of a 1-cup measuring cup, press firmly into an even layer. Set aside.

6. Next, beat 1/2 cup unsalted butter with an electric mixer. Add the confectioners' sugar and continue beating.

7. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup heavy cream and the instant pudding powder until dissolved.

8. Add that to the butter mixture and beat 1 to 2 minutes, then spread in an even layer over graham cracker mixture and refrigerate.

9. For the top layer, in the top of a double boiler over medium heat, stir the chopped semisweet chocolate with 1/4 cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter until melted and smooth.

10. Cool until just barely warm but still liquid, and pour over vanilla buttercream mixture. Spread evenly and smooth the surface. Refrigerate until chocolate topping is firm, then cut into rectangles or use cookie cutters.

Per bar: 148 calories, 2 grams dietary fiber, 16 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams sugar, 9 grams fat, 21 milligrams cholesterol, 51 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber

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