A Nanaimo bar is a festive dessert with rich custard icing in the middle, a chocolate ganache top and a graham cracker coconut base. Many Canadians look forward to this sweet treat every Christmas season and they’re named after the city of Nanaimo is British Columbia. This year the Costco bakery is making its own Nanaimo bar. Are they as good as Grandma makes?
Starting at age 16 I worked retail at the mall every Christmas until I finished my nursing degree and it was always such a busy time! To get through my shifts I would treat myself to a Nanaimo Bar from Cookies By George pretty often because I really enjoy them. Today I’m reviewing a very Canadian, very sweet and delicious festive dessert. The Costco Kirkland Signature Nanaimo Bars.
Nanaimo bars are generally pretty sweet so if you’re not a fan of rich, sweet desserts you probably don’t need to read the rest of this review! The Costco Kirkland Signature Nanaimo Bars have a coconut, graham cracker and chocolate bottom layer. The bottom layer is a bit different from traditional Nanaimo Bars that have nuts in the bottom. The middle has a sweet vanilla custard icing filling and the top has a thick layer of chocolate ganache.
The inside vanilla filling is overly sweet and tastes more like sweet sugar icing than vanilla custard. I think the Costco Nanaimo bars might be a tad sweeter than homemade ones. The chocolate on top was delicious, tasty, sugary and smooth but very messy! It was all over my fingers and thebarwas sliding out of my hand after holding it for only a few seconds.
These definitely aren’t as good as homemade Nanaimo Bars but are just as good as any store-bought Nanaimo Bars I’ve had in the past.
Cost
Each box of Costco Kirkland Signature Nanaimo Bars contains 24 Nanaimo Bars and I purchased the box for $14.99 Canadian. This is two dollars more than they cost is 2019, at that time they were $12.99 Canadian.
Convenience
These cut beautifully and freeze really well, the bars are already scored so you know where to cut to make nice, even-sized bars. I recommend cutting the bars prior to freezing because trying to cut the bars frozen causes the chocolate to shatter everywhere.
The best-before date for the Costco Kirkland Signature Nanaimo Bars is twelve days from the date they were packaged. Back in 2019 when I bought the bars they had a best-before date of seven days from the date they were packaged. The ingredients list is exactly the same so I’m not sure why that is.
These are very convenient to have around the holiday season for holiday cookie/dessert platters and I find Nanaimo bars are often a crowd favorite!
Nutrition
Calories
These are full of calories, fat and sugar and are definitely not nutritious. One bar is 270 calories, 16 grams of fat, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 22 grams of sugar, two grams of protein, and 130 milligrams of sodium. I thought they would have a higher sugar content per bar based on how sweet they are.
Ingredients
All of the ingredients listed are ones I hate to see. Lots of palm oil, sugar, canola oil. Propanediol is used to make anti-freeze and can be harmful in large quantities. I would much prefer to eat a homemade Nanaimo bar made with simple ingredients.
Scoring
Taste:7.5/10
Cost:7.5/10
Convenience:10/10
Nutrition:0/10
Overall
Give it a try!
If you’re too busy to make Nanaimo bars but they’re a must-have on your Christmas treats list, Costco’s are decent. If you care about what you put in your body, try to ignore the ingredients list.
Have you ever had a Nanaimo bar? What do you think of them?
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
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Each box of Costco Kirkland Signature Nanaimo Bars contains 24 Nanaimo Bars and I purchased the box for $14.99 Canadian. This is two dollars more than they cost is 2019, at that time they were $12.99 Canadian.
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. A variation known as “prayer bars” is also popular in the American Midwest.
To Store: The bars will last about a week and a half in the fridge in a sealed container. The filling softens at room temperature so they're best chilled. To Freeze: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months – Nanaimo bars freeze perfectly!
Nanaimo is definitely worth spending a full day and night in and sounds like it will break up your trip. The waterfront along Nanaimo is a beautiful walk and there are lots of great restaurants, coffee shops, and clothing stores.
They are referred to as the "chocolate square" or the "chocolate slice". Other unconfirmed references date the bar back to the 1930s, when it was said to be known locally as "chocolate fridge cake". One modern reference mentions the bars' existence in 19th century Nanaimo.
Each açaí bowl contains 330 calories, 8g fat, 4g saturated fat, 72g carbohydrate, 3g protein, and 55mg sodium. It also contains 41g sugar, which likely comes mostly from the natural sugar in fruit. What makes this option stand out is that it's low in saturated fat and sodium.
Since Nanaimo incorporated in 1874, we've been a coal town, a timber town, a mill town and a tourist destination. Today, our leading sectors are in health care, technology and construction.
But in reasonable doses (or not), Nanaimo bars are wonderfully luxurious, satisfying treats; the shredded coconut and nut counterpoint to the thick velvety texture of the icing and ganache has been winning the hearts of sweet-toothed Canadians and visitors for decades.
Through the years, the Nanaimo bar has been called a New York slice, a London fog bar, a chocolate square and a prayer bar. But the city has been instrumental in promoting this delicious dessert option as the Nanaimo bar, and sealing their place in Canadian food history.
My mom always used Bird's Custard Powder in her Nanaimo bars, and I've done the same. It's that stuff in the red, yellow, and blue box tin that looks like the branding hasn't changed since 1952. The ingredients are simply: cornstarch, salt, color (annatto, a natural color), and flavor (vanilla).
*Add 2 tbsp custard powder with the confectioners' sugar to the filling if desired. Nanaimo bars keep well at room temperature for a couple of days, in the refrigerator for 5 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.
The Nanaimo bar is a tremendously sweet, no-bake layered bar cookie from Canada made almost exclusively of packaged ingredients. The buttercream layer gets its yellow hue from custard powder, a vital ingredient that makes this a true Nanaimo bar.
There are many ways to measure which chocolate bar is the most sugar-loaded. Neste's Bar-One has the most sugar packed into one 55g serving, making up 64% of the total weight. The Bar-One has 35.2 grams of sugar, equal to just over 7 teaspoons.
Men should consume no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams or 150 calories) of added sugar per day. For women, the number is lower: 6 teaspoons (25 grams or 100 calories) per day.
Related Story. “I applaud the offering of fresh blueberries and strawberries in [the Costco] food court, but am concerned about the 41 grams of sugar,” says Keri Gans, RD, author of The Small Change Diet. It's hard to know how much of that is naturally-occurring and how much is added—but, regardless, it's a lot.
One Costco hot dog wiener is 360 calories, 31 grams of fat, 1230 mg of sodium, four grams of carbohydrates, zero grams of fibre, three grams of sugar and 16 grams of protein.
You could call this story a bit of a sugar rush. The Gorham family, who operates the Northwest Fudge Factory in Levack, recently made a 530-pound nanaimo bar. The bar measured eight feet long, 44 inches wide and three inches high. (about 2.5 meters long, 1 meter wide, 7.5 centimeters thick.)
In 1860 the settlement was renamed Sne-ny-mo (whence Nanaimo) from an Indian word meaning “a big, strong tribe,” which was applied to a tribal confederation. An important distributing centre, Nanaimo is connected with Vancouver and the mainland by ferries.
The first known recipe for Nanaimo bars was printed in the 1952 Women's Auxiliary of the Nanaimo Hospital Cookbook, but under the name “chocolate square.” A year later, the recipe appeared in the Sun as the “London fog bar,” with “Nanaimo bar” listed as an alternate name.
Some of you are likely asking, what are Nanaimo Bars? They are a popular Canadian confection, basically a layered bar cookie, that to me tastes very similar to a richly chocolaty, loaded fudge. They are named after the west coast city of Nanaimo, British Columbia.
As far as Canadian foods go, poutine truly is a national dish and one you may well have heard of before. A hearty combination of chips, flavourful gravy and cheese curds, poutine is a comforting dish that makes an appearance on most menus in the French-influenced province of Quebec.
The first known recipe for Nanaimo bars appeared in the 1952 Women's Auxiliary of the Nanaimo Hospital Cookbook and was labelled “chocolate square.” The earliest copy of the recipe using the name “Nanaimo bars” appears in the Edith Adams' prize cookbook (14th edition) from 1953.
The Abyss via Extension Ridge is an easy 2.9 km out-and-back trek near Nanaimo on Vancouver Island that takes under an hour to complete. Along the way, hikers will discover the crack in the ground, which is believed to have been caused by an earthquake fissure found there. The crack is about 16 inches wide.
“Of course, we know that Nanaimo Bars originated in Nanaimo, or they would be called New York Bars, or New Brunswick Bars,” boasts the City of Nanaimo website. The city has been instrumental in promoting the dessert. In 1986, then-mayor Graeme Roberts launched a contest to find the ultimate Nanaimo bar recipe.
You can store these delicious little bars in the fridge for 3 – 4 days and they'll keep just fine. I even find that as those layers get to know each other better they get even better! These bars freeze quite well! You can store these in an airtight container and they'll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months!
In 2019, Canada Post released an unusually shaped stamp featuring a Nanaimo bar with the opposite condition: Critics found its yellow middle layer way too thick.
Forty Creek Nanaimo Bar Cream is bottled at 15 % alcohol by volume, and is meant as an after dinner drink to be sipped on its own or in your afternoon coffee.
Summer is probably the best time to visit Nanaimo, since this is also the time of year with lowest rainfall. Although the climate is relatively mild year round- in fact it is been noted as having one of the mildest climates in all of Canada.
Each box of Costco Kirkland Signature Nanaimo Bars contains 24 Nanaimo Bars and I purchased the box for $14.99 Canadian. This is two dollars more than they cost is 2019, at that time they were $12.99 Canadian.
These easy Nanaimo Bars are no-bake layered bars with a chocolate graham cracker base (without coconut), a vanilla custard buttercream filling, and topped with a blanket of luscious chocolate. For an authentic version, just add the coconut back in the base. Nanaimo bars are a rich and creamy, smooth and crunchy treat!
Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Nanaimo, BC
You would need around 6,853.2C$ in Nanaimo, BC to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with 8,100.0C$ in Vancouver (assuming you rent in both cities).
Living in Victoria vs Nanaimo, what's the difference? Nanaimo is a little cheaper than Victoria. The cost of living in Nanaimo is about 8 -12% lower than in Victoria. Nanaimo is less crowded and has a population of greater Nanaimo of about 170,367 people, while greater Victoria's population is about 397,237people.
The trifecta of sugary deliciousness in the original Nanaimo bar is what gives it its unmistakable appearance and buttery-chocolate flavour explosion, but its eye-catching triple-layer design and no-bake assembly also make it an excellent springboard for tasty variations and original creations.
According to Mercer's 2022 Cost of Living report, Toronto is more expensive than Vancouver. Montreal, Ottawa, and Calgary rounded out the top five. The global index ranked Toronto and Vancouver 89th and 108th, respectively. Hong Kong, Zurich and Geneva were listed as the world's three most expensive cities.
While Nanaimo and the area are most famous for their outdoor natural attractions, there are also some great indoor attractions as well, such as the Nanaimo Museum.
Victoria is a more laid back tourist and government city. Nanaimo is a hub for the Island being as the ferry arrives there in two locations from Vancouver which then accessess the northern and western areas of the Island. It isn't much of a tourist location, but more the big box shopping area.
A family of four estimated monthly costs are 3,733.1$ (4,930.7C$) without rent. A single person estimated monthly costs are 1,049.5$ (1,386.2C$) without rent. Nanaimo is 27.6% less expensive than New York (without rent). Rent in Nanaimo is, on average, 64.6% lower than in New York.
The annual list ranks the finest wine, beer, and co*cktail lounges across the country. Toronto's Civil Liberties has taken the top spot for 2023 – also named number one in last year's ranking – while Montreal's Cloakroom Bar took the number two spot.
Through the years, the Nanaimo bar has been called a New York slice, a London fog bar, a chocolate square and a prayer bar. But the city has been instrumental in promoting this delicious dessert option as the Nanaimo bar, and sealing their place in Canadian food history.
Introduction: My name is Van Hayes, I am a thankful, friendly, smiling, calm, powerful, fine, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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