New York City is home to a critically-acclaimed restaurant called Dirt Candy, whose menu boasts some truly unique dishes: popcorn pudding, celery cheesecake, jalapeno hush puppies, mint chocolate nanaimo bars with a base of green peas…
You can all breathe a sigh of relief, because I did NOT use green peas in my mint chocolate nanaimo bars today.
However this relief might be fleeting once you see what I did use 
.
Nanaimo bars, a popular Canadian dessert hailing from Nanaimo, British Columbia, consist of three layers: a crumbly bottom later, creamy center, and a chocolate coating for the top. While Nanaimo Bars are traditionally full of butter, refined flour, and sugar, today’s recipe offers a much healthier alternative: with one sneaky ingredient you will never suspect!
Mint Chocolate Nanaimo Bars
Cream Layer:
(For a nut-free bar, feel free to just substitute your favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream for the cream layer.)
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews or macadamia nuts (160g)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- scant 1/4 tsp pure peppermint extract
- 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (40g)
- 2 Nunaturals stevia packets, or 2 tbsp liquid sweetener (such as pure maple syrup)
- 3 oz raw spinach (85g or 2 very-loosely-packed cups)
Place the nuts in a cereal bowl and cover with water. Let soak 8 hours or overnight. (You can make the crust layer while you wait.) Drain and pat completely dry with a paper towel. Combine all ingredients in a vita-mix or high-quality food processor, and process until completely smooth. (This can take a few minutes in a food processor.)
Crust Layer:
- 1/2 cup raw almonds, walnuts, pecans, or a combination of these (or sunflower seeds for nut-free)
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened (I used the full-fat kind)
- scant 1/2 cup pitted dates (8 small dates) or raisins
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder, optional
Process all ingredients until even crumbs form. (Blenders will yield sticky mixtures, so it’s best to use a food processor.) Transfer to an 8-in square baking dish lined with parchment or wax paper going up the sides for easy removal. Using a piece of wax or parchment paper, smush into the pan until the crust evenly fills the bottom. Make the final layer:
Chocolate Layer:
- 1/2 cup cacao or cocoa powder (40g)
- 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil (80g)
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or liquid sweetener of choice) (28g)
Melt the coconut oil if it is not already melted. Stir together all ingredients to form a smooth sauce. Spread over the other layers. Freeze just until chocolate has started to set, then cut into bars. It is best to cut after 10 minutes or less have elapsed, to prevent cracking. Then place back in the freezer to firm up completely. Bars can be stored in the freezer for a few weeks; thaw before eating.
—> View Chocolate Nanaimo Bars Nutrition Facts <—
P.S. Dirt Candy also sells a Rosemary Eggplant Tiramisu.
Hmmm…
Very interesting! I love learning about new foods I’ve never heard of before … can’t quite imagine what this would taste like!
Oh I looooooooooove Nanaimo Bars! They’re one of my favorite desserts that my grandma used to make. I’m intrigued by your healthier version!
As soon as you said, “sneak ingredient you’ll never expect!” I was like, “Spinach.”
Which is why you’re awesome. I love your hidden (and not-so-hidden) veggie desserts!
Haha I guess I should have said “you’ll never taste.” 🙂
This is so creative! Its hard to imagine that the spinach is non-detectible, but I’ll take your word for it. I’ve been using cashews as my go-to raw pie ingredient so this will fit perfectly into my repertoire Love mint and chocolate so I’ll def have to try this one.
I live in Nanaimo, British Columbia! 🙂 These sound way healthier than the original. We actually have a whole “Nanaimo Bar Trail,” with different variations on the Nanaimo Bar, including a pedicure! http://www.nanaimo.ca/assets/Business/PDFs/NanaimoBarTrail.pdf
I am from a small country town in New Zealand, but for some bizzare and unknown reason grew up with Nanaimo bars! We could never pronounce the name, and it sort of degenerated into No-MY-Bars. Every birthday and Christmas my Mum would make a batch of No-my-Bar. A year or so back we took the family to BC and spent a week on Vancouver Island. I was DELIGHTED to learn the origin of No-My-Bar and was excited about doing the trail. Before I did, I bought one slice of it (which was the size of about 10 of my mothers slices) and managed to get through a third of it before I felt green. You guys make ’em rich!!
I just made this version, hopefully no nausea this time around
Wow yesterday I was thinking of asking you for a Nanaimo bar recipe and you read my mind! These look great. I think I will make them for dessert tonight! Thanks for another great recipe
Maybe I will also try it with thin mint brownies as the bottom layer.
I love that you added spinach to these. These are totally my type of bars.
I live super close to Nanaimo, so these bars have a close meaning to me 😉
I love when vegetables can seamlessly add into unconventional places! Spinach is especially a pro at that. Thanks for another creative recipe!!
What a nice cake, and love the idea to use raw spinach to catch the nice colour, thanks!
May try it later. 🙂