Tips for Success
I created an early version of these keto Nanaimo bars back when I first started out on my low carb journey. Not being quite as adept at low carb dessert as I am now, I relied on sugar-free pudding mix to replace the standard custard powder. But I don’t use these things anymore as they have usually contain questionable ingredients.
My solution to this dilemma? Creating a real vanilla custard and mixing that into cream cheese and butter to achieve the requisite flavor and consistency of conventional Nanaimo bars. It’s so good and making custard (pastry cream) is easier than you think.
But keep a close eye on it! Mixtures like this can thicken up suddenly and you don’t want it to curdle. Be sure to stay close to your stove and not walk away while it’s cooking. And make this part first, as indicated in the recipe, so it has time to cool before you add it to the filling.
Chocolate toppings like this can crack as you try to cut them into bars. I recommend heating up your knife so that it slices through the chocolate more easily. I do this over the flame of my gas stove but dipping it into a glass of hot water works as well.
Dairy-Free Option: If you can’t tolerate dairy, you can use coconut cream and your favorite butter substitute in the pastry cream. For the crust and topping, coconut oil or another butter substitute will work nicely. Cut back to 6 tablespoons of coconut oil for the crust as it can be more greasy.
Nut-Free Option: Replace the almond flour with sunflower seed flour and use hemp milk or another nut-free milk for the pastry cream.
Sweetener Options
The sweetener you choose for this recipe definitely has an impact on how it turns out. The crust can be made with your favorite powdered sweetener, but the filling is more finicky. I’ve made it with both erythritol and allulose, and while both technically work, allulose can make it extra soft. This means it takes longer to set properly and it can be a little squishy when you try to cut the bars.
So I recommend erythritol for the filling. If you want to cut back on it more, you can use a little concentrated sweetener like stevia or monk fruit extract.
