Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Hey Canadians! I Made Nanaimo Bars!

EVERYBODY'SAUNTIE

Recommended Posts

EVERYBODY'SAUNTIE Rookie
EVERYBODY'SAUNTIE
Posted

Hi everybody. I am a transplanted Canadian, sweltering in Arizona and with Canada Day approaching, felt a need for Nanaimo Bars. I used my regular recipe and substituted the graham crackers with some gluten free cookies i found at the health food store. They turned out fantastic! just thought i'd pass it on.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


chattyCathy Newbie
chattyCathy
Posted

Well thanks for the tip! Ahhhhh....life is sweet with Nanaimo Bars. Who says it's a restrictive diet? ;)

kbabe1968 Enthusiast
kbabe1968
Posted

YEAH! Life is worth living! I was thinking aobut Christmas cookies, and what would the holiday be without Nanaimo Bars! YEAH!!!

What cookies did you use?

:)

2Boys4Me Enthusiast
2Boys4Me
Posted

I don't eat Nanaimo bars, but I went to a few when I was 19! :P

We are heading to Nanaimo at the end of July for 10 days. I have to try to figure out how to pack bread, hamburger/hot dog buns, suspicious white powder (potato starch & xanthan), Kinnikrisp rice krispies and cornflakes in a suitcase w/o destroying them. Tupperware, I guess. I know I can get rice flour and mochiko if needed, but I didn't see any potato starch last time.

lorka150 Collaborator
lorka150
Posted

I also have :) They are such a process, though! I have to make mine dairy/egg free, though, which made it a little complicated to taste like the 'real' thing, but they turned out fab. I love Canadian desserts!

EVERYBODY'SAUNTIE Rookie
EVERYBODY'SAUNTIE
Posted
  • Author
YEAH! Life is worth living! I was thinking aobut Christmas cookies, and what would the holiday be without Nanaimo Bars! YEAH!!!

What cookies did you use?

:)

I used Mi-Del brand choco chip. Rather nasty on their own but they made a great crust.

EVERYBODY'SAUNTIE Rookie
EVERYBODY'SAUNTIE
Posted
  • Author
I don't eat Nanaimo bars, but I went to a few when I was 19! :P

LMAO! :lol::lol: I miss Canadian sense of humour! :P

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kbabe1968 Enthusiast
kbabe1968
Posted
I used Mi-Del brand choco chip. Rather nasty on their own but they made a great crust.

COOL I can get them at my local grocery! THANKS!

Fiddle-Faddle Community Regular
Fiddle-Faddle
Posted

Um, I only live a few hours from the Canadian border, but I have no clue what Nanaimo bars are? Could you post a recipe?

Juliebove Rising Star
Juliebove
Posted
I also have :) They are such a process, though! I have to make mine dairy/egg free, though, which made it a little complicated to taste like the 'real' thing, but they turned out fab. I love Canadian desserts!

Just curious what substitutions you used. Daughter and I can't have egg or dairy. I have some gluten free graham cracker crumbs and need to use them soon. I was thinking of using coconut oil and rice milk. Would that work? I've never had the real thing so it doesn't have to be exact.

lorka150 Collaborator
lorka150
Posted

I didn't use any pre-made crackers/ cookies in my ingredients. I am allergic to rice, and didn't use coconut oil. I'm wary to post the recipe, as so many of my recipes are already circulating and I'm trying to stop posting because of my copyright and my book, sorry. But I'm sure adapting an original of sorts using your safe ingredients would be fine.

EVERYBODY'SAUNTIE Rookie
EVERYBODY'SAUNTIE
Posted
  • Author

Here's the recipe I used. Since the dairy and egg ingredients are minimal I'm pretty sure your substitutions would work.

Base: Melt 1/2 c butter or marg. Add 1/2c cocoa or 2 squares of melted semisweet chocolate.Add 2TBSP sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 egg ( it stays uncooked so make sure they are fresh and properly handled). Mix well. Add 2 c crushed gluten free graham crackers or mi-del choco chip cookies, 1c cup coconut and 1/2 c chopped walnuts ( i prefer pecans). Mix well. Press into 9 inch square pan. Chill.

Filling: Combine 2 TBSP Custard Powder with 3TBSP milk. Add to 1/4 c softened butter or marg. Beat in 2 c icing sugar until smooth. Spread over base and chill 15 minutes.

Glaze: Melt 4oz of semisweet chocolate with 1 TBSP butter or marg. Spread over custard layer. Chill and cut into bars

You can also add flavoring to the filling ie, cherry, orange, almond or mint for a change.

I served the last batch I made with some fresh stawberries to cut the sweet--yummy!!

Fiddle-Faddle Community Regular
Fiddle-Faddle
Posted

Thanks for posting the recipe!

I've never heard of custard powder--what is it, and where do you find it? Is it called something else here in the States?

EVERYBODY'SAUNTIE Rookie
EVERYBODY'SAUNTIE
Posted
  • Author
Thanks for posting the recipe!

I've never heard of custard powder--what is it, and where do you find it? Is it called something else here in the States?

Custard powder is a British thing, from what I gather. I had a sister bring me some from Canada. It's brand name is "Birds". I have seen some recently in the imported foods section of my grocery store (also try looking in the pudding and pie making sections). I imagine you could also find it online from a British orCanadian food site. Good Luck!

Juliebove Rising Star
Juliebove
Posted

I just made these using a similar recipe I found online but I made a few modificatiions since we can't have egg, dairy or soy. I used some gluten free graham cracker crumbs that I already had. Smelled just like graham crackers! Have also seen a recipe calling for oats. Might try it again using the gluten free oats as well.

I subbed in coconut oil for the butter/marg., ground flax and water for the egg, rice milk for the milk, and instant vanilla pudding powder for the custard powder. Since rice milk is runnier than milk, I added a wee bit more pudding powder. I've never actually had these before so I just did it by eyeball and taste.

Instead of putting melted chocolate over the top, I used some Enjoy Life chocolate chips and just pressed those into the second layer.

Looks really yummy! Can't wait for it to set up.

--------

Okay, they didn't quite set up enough but I couldn't wait. Got into the already. Yum, yum, yum!!!!

corinne Apprentice
corinne
Posted

Yummy! I'm a transplanted Canadian living in California. When I was little, my uncle in Nanaimo used to claim that it was a family recipe. :P I can't wait until things settle down someday and I can make them (can't eat any grains including rice plus no chocolate, dairy, soy or sugar)

EVERYBODY'SAUNTIE Rookie
EVERYBODY'SAUNTIE
Posted
  • Author

HI! Happy Canada Day!! Hope youre feeling better soon! :):)

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens. I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium. I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells. When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly. This is safe...
    2. Jane02
      - Jane02 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency. I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Hello, @Jane02, I take Naturewise D 3. It contains olive oil. Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets. Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking. Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the...
    4. Scott Adams
      0

      Penobscot Bay, Maine: Nurturing Gluten-Free Wellness Retreat with expert celiac dietitian, Melinda Dennis

      until
      Hello! Join me and treat yourself to a four-day, three-night restorative gluten-free retreat in a peaceful, private coastal retreat setting near Penobscot Bay in Maine. Dates: April 10-13, 2026 Enjoy engaging classes...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,329
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    klkarius
    Newest Member
    klkarius
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By trents · Posted

      Contact them.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.