Vegan Nanaimo (Tri-Layered Treat)

This is a super easy dessert to make. Usually when it comes to no bake bars, I have no luck. They always tend to crumble when I cut them or break apart into a huge mess and then I try to pass it off as granola rather than a bar (No one has to know what they were meant to be, right?) 

Any who, I found this bar originally on the holy grail of a website, Pinterest, and thought "yeah sure mine are going to look like that too" jokingly, but THEY DID. They actually came out right?! What? Impossible you say? Well I have actual photographic evidence so your claims are invalid. 

Original recipe from The Whole Food Life, found here:http://mywholefoodlife.com/2014/07/23/vegan-nanaimo-bars/#icj5jXyrztE5tTEV.32

Ingredients:
For the crust:

1 1/2 cups raw almonds

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup cocoa powder

10 medjool dates

2-3 tablespoons water

1/4 tsp sea salt

For the middle:

2 cups coconut butter

3 T maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp ground vanilla beans ( I used regular vanilla extract)

For the chocolate layer:

1 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (70% and higher is usually vegan)

1/4 cup almond milk

So here's how to go about making this:
1. Before you start actually making it, line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and leave some overhang so you'll be able to remove it easily. Start with the crust and put all the crust ingredients into a food processor EXCEPT THE WATER. Add the water and process until a loose dough forms.
2. Take the dough and press into the 8x8 pan. Place in the freezer while you make the middle portion. 
3. For the coconut butter, I googled (blog post to come soon), but basically what you do is take coconut and put it in a food processor and process for 8 to how ever many long minutes it takes for it to start forming into a liquid. Add maple syrup and vanilla. 
4. Layer the coconut butter layer on to the date/almond layer and put back in the freezer while you make the chocolate and final layer.
5. For the chocolate layer, start to get some water boiling on the stove top. You'll want to make a double boiler method for the chocolate. Put the chocolate and almond milk into a heat resistant bowl or measuring cup and let it hover over the boiling water (careful to not created a suction between the bowl and pot of boiling water. This can cause pressure and may end with a broken bowl and other bad things. *Happened with some queso a few years ago. Queso was everywhere.)
6. Stir the chocolate and almond milk constantly to avoid any burning. Once melted pour chocolate on top of coconut layer and place back in freezer for 15 minutes. 
7. I took The Whole Food Life's tip of cutting the bars out with a pizza slicer and it worked quite well. Store in an air tight container in the fridge. 

While melting

Melted

Spread on for top layer

Pizza cutter to cut into cubes