Peppermint Nanaimo bars.

My boss's birthday was today and apparently his favourite "cake" is Nanaimo bars.  As we were each chowing down on our bite-sized piece of perfection, one of my co-workers asked whether the rest of us had ever had a peppermint Nanaimo bar.  I hadn't, but I love peppermint, and I love Nanaimo bars... so I thought I would make a batch.  Everything worked out even better than I could have hoped, because Tim is coming back from his work trip tonight, so now he'll have a yummy treat awaiting him upon his return.

I have never made Nanaimo bars before, and never realized how long they take.  They easily take three hours or so, once you factor in all of the chilling of the various layers that must be done prior to adding the next layer.  So first you must form the base.  I used the following ingredients:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I made these by processing honey graham bears I bought in the bulk section because I didn't want to buy something in a box)
• 2/3 cup shredded coconut
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg beaten 
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (I used organic chocolate chips, not baker's chocolate)