Chelsea's Favourite Maple Squares

My cousin Chelsea requested this recipe - another one from my grandmother, Marjorie MacIntosh. My Nannie "published" it in our elementary school fundraising cookbook, calling it "Chelsea's Favourite Maple Squares." "Maple" is code for "Rum" in this recipe name. And I'm assuming because it was for an elementary school, Nannie decided to substitute milk for the traditional Stroh's rum in the recipe, which she most definitely made the squares with, 100% of the time, for every family gathering.

Since Nannie's passing, I've been handed the torch of preparing this sweet, rummy dessert square for our family dinners. I was even handed the actual bottle of Nannie's Stroh's, which has lasted YEARS - it only being used for the squares about 3 times a year (Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas). I'm down to about my last shot of the stuff now though, which should be enough for one more pan of squares. So here's a call out to any of my clan who might be visiting a US of A liquor boutique before next Easter, (Stroh's isn't available in Canada) to pick up a bottle for the next 15 years of maple square making.

Base:
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups graham wafers, crushed (you can use either the plain or the honey - both are delish)
1/2 cup coconut or walnuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla

Combine butter, egg and brown sugar together in a saucepan. Melt on low heat. Remove from heat. Add graham wafers and vanilla (plus optional coconut or walnuts). Spread in 8x8 inch pan.

Icing:
1/4 cup butter
1/8 cup rum (or milk)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup icing sugar

Melt butter, add brown sugar. Stir. Boil on low heat 2 minutes only. Stir constantly. Stir in rum (or milk). Bring to boil (the rum will come to a roaring boil immediately - you can take it off the heat as soon as you add the rum). Cool to lukewarm and add icing sugar.

Spread the icing over the base. Cool, cut into squares, and EAT. And probably share, cause these ain't low calorie.