Ingredient: graham wafer crumbs

Nanaimo Truffles

The Nanaimo bar, a decadent Canadian treat, has a fascinating history. It is named after Nanaimo, a delightful city in British Columbia. When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited British Columbia in 2020, their interest in these treats caused a media frenzy in the U.K. and the U.S., prompting questions about what the square was and where it came from. It is a dessert bar that requires no baking and generally consists of three layers: a graham wafer crumb and shredded coconut base, custard-flavored butter icing in the middle, and a layer of chocolate ganache on top.

The dessert was popularized in the years following WWII and subsequently rose to wider prominence after Expo ’86. Susan Mendelson is perhaps most responsible for commercializing the Nanaimo bar. She sold the bar during the 1970s to help pay her tuition, and in 1979 founded The Lazy Gourmet, a café and catering company in Vancouver, which claims to be the first business to sell the dessert. Mendelson wrote the official cookbook for Expo ’86, held in Vancouver, and included the Nanaimo bar.

After that, the Nanaimo bar began to be sold on BC Ferries and spread in popularity across Canada. It can now be found in Costco, Starbucks and countless cafes in Canada and the United States. There can be some variations with each of these layers — e.g., adding mint, mocha or other flavoring, as well as food coloring, to the icing center, or various nuts to the base — but a classic Nanaimo follows the traditional trio.

In a bid to take advantage of the bar’s popularity, the city of Nanaimo launched a tasting trail much like Ontario has done for the butter tart. The Nanaimo Bar Trail features an array of establishments that proudly showcase their unique interpretations of the classic Nanaimo Bar. As of now, there are more than 39 businesses participating in this sweet adventure. These establishments offer a variety of Nanaimo Bar-inspired treats, from traditional bars to ice creams, macarons, cheesecakes, lattes, and even spring rolls.

All that being said, instead of the traditional rum balls at Christmas, here’s my version of Nanaimo truffles!

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 Nanaimo Truffles
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Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword Nanaimon truffles
Servings
TRUFFLES
Ingredients
Filling OR Centers
Base
Coating
Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword Nanaimon truffles
Servings
TRUFFLES
Ingredients
Filling OR Centers
Base
Coating
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Filling/Centers
  1. Cream butter, custard powder & powdered sugar together well. Divide mixture into 22 pieces & roll each into a ball. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Base
  1. Melt the first 3 ingredients in the top of a double boiler. Add beaten egg & stir to cook & thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in graham crumbs, cheerios, cocoanut & corn syrup. Set aside to cool.
  2. When base mixture has cooled, divide mixture into 22 portions. Place 1 portion in the palm of your hand & press to flatten into a large circle. Put one custard ball into the center & wrap the circle around the custard so it totally covers it. Squeeze gently to form a ball. Repeat until you have made all the truffles. Freeze for 30-60 minutes.
Coating
  1. Melt chocolate slowly in a double boiler until smooth. Without allowing the chocolate to cool down, take a frozen ball & carefully stick a toothpick or skewer into it & dip into the melted chocolate to cover. Remove the stick & allow the truffles to set on parchment paper.
  2. Store in refrigerator. Allow the truffles to come back up to room temperature to serve if you wish.
Recipe Notes
  • I have a nut allergy, so I replaced the nuts that are usually used in the base with crushed cheerios. I found it did not alter the flavor at all. Their still just as irresistible as ever!
  • The size & amount depends on your preference. Just divide the filling & base components into whatever you wish.

Flapper Tarts

Flapper pie is a traditional dish from the prairies of western Canada. The name seems to stem from the fact that the pie originated in the era of the ‘flapper girl’. Flappers were modern, young girls in the 1920s, often with a slightly immoral behavior. Precursors of the 1920s flapper were both, the late Victorian ‘new woman’ and the Edwardian ‘Gibson girl’.

Unlike their Victorian grandmothers, 1920s flappers cut off their long hair and wore a bob instead. They also wore makeup, smoked and drank alcohol in public. And like all 1920’s women, flappers wore short (knee-length) dresses. However, unlike more conservative women, flappers wore only the bare necessities under their dresses, often just a slip and rolled stockings.

Flapper pie was served in every café that graced small, Canadian prairie towns. Some foods are so regionally specific that people outside of a certain geographic area have never even heard of them, let alone tasted the dishes. Such is the case with flapper pie.

Flapper pie is a decadent combination of three components: a cinnamon-y, graham cracker crust, a creamy vanilla custard filling and a meringue topping. Instead of a pie I decided to make individual tarts.

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 Flapper Tarts
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword flapper tarts
Servings
Ingredients
Crumb Crust
Filling
Meringue
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword flapper tarts
Servings
Ingredients
Crumb Crust
Filling
Meringue
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Crust
  1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
  2. Combine crust ingredients; reserving 1/3 cup for topping. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners. Place 2 Tbsp of crumbs in each one, gently pushing up the sides & over the bottom. Try not to press to firmly to avoid them becoming to hard after baking.
  3. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or just until crumbs stick together & brown slightly.
Meringue Stabilizer
  1. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water & 1 Tbsp cornstarch (listed in meringue ingredients); bring to a boil & thicken. Set aside to cool.
Filling
  1. In a heavy saucepan, heat 2 cups milk until it boils. In a small bowl, combine sugar & cornstarch, then add salt, egg yolks, 1/4 cup milk & vanilla. Whisk into boiling milk; continuing to whisk until mixture returns to a boil & thickens. Pour into baked tart shells.
Meringue
  1. Adjust oven temperature to 350 F. Beat egg whites & salt until frothy then gradually add sugar, beating until stiff. Add vanilla & MERINGUE STABALIZER, beating until stiff peaks form.
  2. Pipe the meringue over the custard in tart shells making sure it touches crust to seal & prevent it from shrinking after browning. Top with reserved crumbs.
  3. Bake tarts until golden, about 10-12 minutes. Cool completely set away from drafts.
Recipe Notes
  • The meringue stabilizer is used to ensure there is no 'weeping' as the meringue cools & sets.
  • If you prefer to make pie instead, this amount of ingredients will make a 9-inch pie nicely.

‘Retro’ Lemon Pudding Cheesecake Pie

Spring has finally arrived (at least that’s what the calendar says)!  It’s time to bring our taste buds out of hibernation and put our winter favorites on the back burner in favor of fresh spring flavors. Nothing says spring more than the taste of lemon. Fabulously versatile, lemons create a zesty, fresh flavor perfect for some spring zing.

I believe Lemon Meringue Pie  entered the mainstream culture in the 1940’s and remained popular through the 50′ and 60’s. It was definitely one of those desserts that most men of that time, including my dad, just loved. 

In doing a little research on the subject, it seems in 1951, the Sunkist lemon producers came up with a ‘new idea’. It was a Lemon Cheesecake pie in a graham wafer crust. It was advertised to be quick, easy, inexpensive as well as delicious! 

In March of 1959, the  Family Circle  magazine published a recipe for a Lemon ‘Pudding’ Cheesecake  pie. This version required no cooking  and basically had only about four ingredients. The idea appears to have been one from ‘General Foods’  using their Jell-o Instant Lemon Pudding  mix. It hardly seems it could be much easier than that.

In the spring of 2004, I saw a recipe on kraftcanada.com  for a more current remake of this recipe. Of course it takes longer to make and uses twice the amount of ingredients but sounded real good.

Just for fun, I decided to make the 1959 version with the addition of some lemon zest for a more vibrant lemon flavor.


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'Retro' Lemon Pudding Cheesecake Pie

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine American

Servings


Ingredients

Course dessert
Cuisine American

Servings


Ingredients

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Graham Crust
  1. In a bowl, combine graham crumbs, sugar & melted margarine. Mix well. Reserve 1/4 cup of mixture for topping. Press remainder on bottom & up sides of an 8-inch pie pan or spread evenly on the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan.

Filling
  1. In a bowl, soften cream cheese, blend with 1/2 cup milk. Add remaining milk, lemon zest & pudding powder mix. Beat on low, just until well mixed, about 1 minute (do not overbeat). Pour filling into graham crust. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 of crumbs. Chill at least 1 hour.


Recipe Notes
  • Just a little side note -- On April 16, 2016 I had published a blog which featured a  No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake. It was one of the first cheesecakes my mother made.  It used lemon jell-o powder and was extremely light tasting. We loved it!
  • I tried making the filling with 1% milk & light cream cheese as well as adding some food color to brighten it up, all adjustments worked out real good. Definitely made it a guilt-free dessert!

Strawberry Yogurt Parfaits / Chocolate Cheesecake Squares

With Valentines Day almost here, I decided to do a prelude post with a few dessert ideas.

In the food industry, this day was always fun to prepare food for. Definitely a more intimate  occasion, all revolving around chocolate, ‘hearts’ and roses. Strangely enough, every time Brion and I have tried to go out for supper on Valentines we usually come home wondering why we did that. The restaurants were packed, the wait is long, the music is loud, etc, etc. Nonetheless, I’m always happiest if I can prepare a ‘special meal’ for us to enjoy at home. That being said, my choice of dessert for this Valentines Day are Strawberry Yogurt Parfaits with Chocolate Cheesecake Squares.  

The fresh strawberry compote has a nice lemony tang that pairs well with the creamy Greek vanilla yogurt. Brion isn’t much for cheesecake but just loves these chocolate cheesecake squares.

 

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 Strawberry Yogurt Parfaits / Chocolate Cheesecake Squares
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, Greek
Servings
Ingredients
Strawberry Compote
Chocolate Cheesecake Squares
Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, Greek
Servings
Ingredients
Strawberry Compote
Chocolate Cheesecake Squares
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Strawberry-Yogurt Parfaits
  1. Rinse, hull & slice strawberries. Zest & juice lemon. In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar, water, lemon juice, zest & cornstarch. Add strawberries, mixing gently while bringing to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool.
  2. In parfait glasses, spoon layers of strawberry compote & Greek yogurt. Garnish with a strawberry leaf if desired. Refrigerate until serving time.
Chocolate Cheesecake Squares
  1. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper so cheesecake can easily be lifted out later. In a small bowl, combine the graham crumbs, pecans & butter. Press into prepared pan; set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar & sour cream until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour over crust.
  2. Bake at 325 F. for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled. Freeze overnight.
  3. Melt chocolate & shortening; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Using parchment paper, lift cheesecake out of pan. Gently peel off paper; cut into 49 squares. Remove a few pieces at a time for dipping; keep remaining squares refrigerated until ready to dip.
  4. Using a toothpick, completely dip squares, one at a time, in melted chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets; spoon about 1 tsp chocolate over each, reheating chocolate if needed to finish dipping. Let stand for 20 minutes or until set. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Yield 49 squares.

No Bake Kiwi-Lime Mini Cheesecakes

With summer heat upon us, the idea of ‘no baking required’ seems just right. Over the years I have never really made use of limes to any extent. Kiwi, on the other hand, seems to always add so much eye appeal it finds it’s way into many recipes. The thought that comes to mind when you pair them up is a refreshing, sweet-sour flavor.

This brings me to my little mini cheesecakes. I thought I would do my favorite thing, which is to give preparation options. The fact that they freeze so well makes them great for those times when you need a little dessert but have no time to make it. Enjoy!

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 No-Bake Kiwi Lime Cheesecake Minis
Cheesecake with options!
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Servings
Ingredients
Crust
Cheesecake using Whipped Cream
Cheesecake using Dream Whip OR Half & Half Cream
Cheesecake using Cool Whip
Kiwi Glaze
Course dessert
Servings
Ingredients
Crust
Cheesecake using Whipped Cream
Cheesecake using Dream Whip OR Half & Half Cream
Cheesecake using Cool Whip
Kiwi Glaze
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Crust
  1. In a small bowl, combine graham crumbs, sugar & margarine. Divide evenly into mini cheesecake pan & press down firmly. At this point you can either bake them for 5-7 minutes at 325 F. or leave as is. Either way works.
Cheesecake using Whipped Cream
  1. In a medium bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. In large bowl, with electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla, lime juice & zest; mix to combine. Sprinkle jell-o powder onto cream cheese mixture & mix until thoroughly combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in whipped cream until well blended & no streaks remain. Evenly divide among the 12 mini cheesecake pan cups. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before topping with glaze.
Cheesecake using Dream Whip OR Half & Half Cream
  1. In a medium bowl, combine boiling water, lime jell-o powder & lime juice; mix & let partially set. In a large bowl, cream cheese & sugar together; set aside. Using package directions, make Dream Whip (place in fridge until ready to use). Once jell-o is partially set, pour into cream cheese/sugar mixture (if using 1/2 & 1/2 cream add at this point) & beat to combine. If using Dream Whip, with a rubber spatula, fold into jell-o, cream cheese/sugar mixture. Evenly divide among the 12 mini cheesecake pan cups. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before topping with glaze.
Cheesecake using Cool Whip
  1. In a small bowl, dissolve lime jell-o powder with boiling water; set aside to cool. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, lime juice & zest until smooth. Add cooled, partially set jell-o & mix well. With a rubber spatula, fold in Cool Whip. Evenly divide among the 12 mini cheesecake pan cups. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before topping with glaze.
Kiwi Glaze
  1. In a small saucepan, cook sugar & chopped kiwi for a couple of minutes. Using a blender, blend to a smooth consistency; allow to cool slightly. Add 1 1/2 tsp RESERVED lime jell-o powder & mixing until glaze thickens. Cool slightly then using a spoon, divide evenly among the mini cheesecakes. Chill until set.
Recipe Notes
  • If you prefer, you can double your crumb & glaze ingredients & make one large cheesecake in a 9-inch spring form pan. 
  • If you don't have a mini cheesecake pan just use a mini muffin pan with paper liners. It will work just as well.
  • After I made these, I froze them completely. When I wanted to serve them, I set however many I needed out about 30 minutes ahead. There was never any difference in the quality of these cheesecakes in doing that.

No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake

I would like to thank all of you who downloaded my Ebook in the last week’s promo on Amazon.

Special appreciation to those of you who choose to take the time to write a review on Amazon as well as subscribing to my website. Although this was the third book I have written, it was my first Ebook to be published and good reviews definitely help me achieve better ratings in the ‘big picture’. To a ‘new’ author, this show of support is priceless and I    Thank you Sincerely.

Although I can’t make today’s blog recipe for you and share it over a coffee, I think you will enjoy making it.

This was likely one of the first ‘cheesecake’ recipes. It dates back to the sixties, and probably preceded most of the baked versions. Affordable, easy to make, showy and simply delicious.

Print Recipe
 No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake
A light textured dessert with a hint of lemon.
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 4 hours
Servings
Ingredients
Course dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 4 hours
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Dissolve jello powder in boiling water. Set aside to cool.
  2. In a bowl, combine wafer crumbs & sugar; add margarine & mix well. Reserve 1/2 cup for topping. Press remainder into an 8-inch spring form pan.
  3. Combine cream cheese, sugar & lemon extract in a mixer bowl; beat until combined. Stir in lemon jello mixture then fold in thawed whipped topping until well blended.
  4. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumbs & refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.