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I hope you have chocolate chips handy

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They’re cookies. They’re brownies. They’re brookies. Whatever you want to call them they’re good. They combine the taste of a chocolate chip cookie and with the texture of a moist brownie. The best of both worlds. Actually, they do have a name. They’re called Congo Bars. Wait… I think I just heard a bunch of you go “oh, yeah … I’ve had those before.”

Well, I had them for the first time the other day. My friend Lori gave me one to try and I subsequently held her hostage until she gave me the recipe

Sometimes I wonder where I’ve been and how I could have gone this long without tasting easy treats like this. What else am I missing out on?

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Here’s all the ingredients. Simple stuff.

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If you follow the directions in the recipe, you combine everything by hand, but I decided to use my mixer and let it do all the work. They were yummy, but not completely the same texture as Lori’s. So I made them a second time the very next day and did it her way. I like how they came out when stirring by hand better, but either way they’re really good.

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Look at that beautifully thick batter.

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Spread it all out in a 13 X 9 pan and bake for about 30 minutes.

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Cool and cut.

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These are from the first batch. You can’t really tell by the photos, but the texture is different from the ones below.

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These are from the second batch and slightly… just slightly, more cakey when you sink your teeth in.

At first I thought it was just a difference in baking time, but Lori also made a batch using a mixer without knowing that was how I made mine and both of ours came out the same.

She likes the mixing by hand method better, too. Again, this is a subtle difference, just thought I’d share.

The great thing about these bars is that you can mix in different additions if you want.

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How about butterscotch or peanut butter chips?

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M&M’s maybe.

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You could even cut up a few caramel candies into small pieces if you wanted a chewy surprise inside.

Customize, baby.

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Here’s the recipe Lori uses. She’s tried several, but settled on this one she found somewhere on the internet. If you google Congo Bars, you should find a bunch of variations to play with.

Congo Bars

Congo Bars

Ingredients

  • 2-3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1 lb. light brown sugar (Oh my and thank you!)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 11.5 ounce package milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions

  1. By mixer: Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. Combine butter and sugar using a mixer until blended. Add eggs, one at a time to sugar mixture, mixing on low in between each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour and mix until combined. Stir in chips and then pecans.
  2. By hand: Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside. Stir brown sugar into softened (not melted) butter in another large bowl until butter disappears. You can use the back of your spoon to help incorporate the two together. Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture and stir well after each egg. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts. Mix well. Add dry flour mixture and stir until well combined.
  3. Coat a 13 X 9 pan with non-stick spray and spread batter evenly into dish.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake.
Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!

UPDATE: Hey guys. Seems some of you are having mixed results. Most find these awesome, but some say they’re not done at 30 minutes. I’m starting to think my oven runs hotter than most. So, if the bars aren’t done at 30 minutes and the tops feel like they are getting too brown, then place a sheet of aluminum foil on top and bake a little longer. Use a toothpick to insert and check for doneness before removing from the oven. Also make sure you sifted the dry ingredients and used room temp butter, not melted. The batter should be thick like the photo above.

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470 comments on “I hope you have chocolate chips handy”

  1. My hubby grew up with these, almost the exact recipe, but my mother-in-law substitutes 1/3 cup of peanut butter for half of the butter. Absolutely fabulous! And we always bake them in a 10×15 inch pan (I use the large stoneware from Pampered chef) and they always come out perfectly done!

  2. It pains me to not leave glowing feedback here but unfortunately these didn’t turn out for me. I followed the instructions closely, paying attention to the additional notes regarding baking time but mine still weren’t done after 45 minutes in the oven. The edges were brown, despite the foil blanket I gave them after 30 minutes. The crust was baked, but the inside was just goo…and goo is good, but not like this :(

  3. Loved the flavor. Mine were not done in the center after 30 minutes–next time I will bake 45 minutes to get them more done in the center.

  4. just made these and they turned out GREAT! Just as described … A chocolate chip cookie with a brownie texture. By the way, I used a mixer but was careful not to overmix any of the steps. YUM!!

  5. I just made these today. The batter looked absolutely NOTHING like the oh-so-pretty picture above, but they still turned out yummy!

  6. My sister told me how she made Congo Bars the other day. I’ve never had them or heard of them, and stumbled onto your site. No one in my house likes pecans, so I substituted butterscotch chips in their place.

    I now understand why you love butterscotch.

    These are melt in your mouth wonderful! Thank you for sharing the recipe!!

  7. oh my goooooood!!!

  8. These are simply delish!! I am posting a link to this post on my blog! Thank you for the inspiration!!

  9. I made some today….finally! Never had’em.
    There in the oven right now!!!
    Can’t wait :D

  10. Thanks for this great recipe!! Just made these and they are wonderful! I added some caramel bits. These are a must try!

  11. I did these brookies, they were soo delicious .. my family really liked it . I mixed in white chocolate chips and it really worked and made them look fab… <3

  12. I cannot wait to try these! Only just stumbled across your blog, and I’m holding you accountable for HOURS of lost sleep and some embarassing overexciteable facebook activity! Only thing is I’m in London and don’t think our cup measurement is the same as yours? AND I simply cannot míss out on all these amazing recipes. Also, if you’re ever in London and haven’t been to the Humingbird bakery it would be a crime. I like the flagship store on Portobello Road, get there early though on weekends as its only tiny and tends to have queues going……

  13. I am so in love with your website!
    all these sweet treats are amazing.
    Just posted your blog address on my twitter, so many more can follow =]

  14. I tried these today, but they ended up taking longer than 30 minutes to bake. I had to leave them in for about 50 minutes! But other than that, it was magical.

    Thank you for the recipe. DELISH! :9

  15. I made these for a bake sale, they are delicious!! Raised a lot of money =]

  16. Yesterday i tried these and cause i’m an idiot i forgot to translate the 350degree’s into C cause i forgot that its different from the uk! so yesterday they were burnt to a crisp!

    today i tried again, but for some unknown reason they failed. they looked so good and as soon as i cut into them the middle was still gooey! the ended up being in the oven for 1hr 15mins and they still didn’t work! and my batter looked exactly like they did in the picture! so who knows what went wrong! but i wont be trying for a third time! 1 1b sugar is EXPENSIVE!

  17. WOW – great recipe! I made these last night using your recipe (though walnuts instead of pecans, since that’s what we had in the house). Fantastic! I had trouble judging whether or not they were done, and initially took them out too early (30 minutes but my oven may run cooler!). After cutting and determining they were NOT done, I popped them back in the oven for five more minutes and they were set. Rave reviews from all who ate them. Thanks!

  18. also-can you anyone give me the recepie in cup/spoon mesurmants?? please :)))

  19. do they freeze well? if i put in M&M’s do i cut down on the amount of the c.chips? i want to make them for a kiddy party in 3 weeks….

  20. I made these the other night for a get together. They turned out amazing and everyone loved them! Thanks you!!

  21. I just made these, they turned out amazing! I didn’t have any light brown sugar on hand, so I just used 1/2 lb white sugar and 1/2 lb dark brown sugar and they turned out fine. Thanks for the recipe!

  22. Just made some of these… Wow!!!
    So yummy! Major sugar rush now though! Lol!
    I’m not sure if I got some if the measurements right though?! We don’t measure in “cups” here in the uk!!!
    Ps when are you bringing out another book with all these gorgeous recipes! I love my cake pops one I got for Xmas!

  23. Sooooo Good. I just made these and I can’t stop going to get more. The only complaint is how good they are. My waist line is going to suffer.

  24. I made these yesterday and they were AMAZING!
    seriously can’t get over how good they are, I will make these often!

  25. also had to cut back a bit on the flour…your eggs must be huge!

  26. These are awesome with Coconut Flakes substituted for the Pecans.
    Shot of Bourbon never hurt them, either.

  27. I just made these for my family for Christmas Day – oh my word, are they good! I used my KitchenAid to mix everything, and they came out just fine – crisp and golden brown on top and the edges, moist in the middle. They still have a bit of “cakeyness” to them too, but I like my brownies fudgy, so this version works for me.

    Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good brookie!

  28. They are baking in the oven as we speak and they look absolutely divine. I can’t wait to taste test them! You also have the same measuring spoons as me… ahh isn’t baking an awesome hobby?!

  29. Baking these as I type for an office holiday party tomorrow. I put dark chocolate M&Ms in, too!

  30. Oohh.. the one pound of sugar made me feel a bit scared, but since I first saw this recipe, I knew I was going to make it (that was about 2 or so weeks ago, my resolve can only last this long!). So I cut the recipe in half and have just put it in the oven.. I am going to start checking 10 mins before the done time though since the quantity is less… can’t *wait* for them to be done!!

  31. My grandma used to make something like that and we called them good bars because they were sooo good!

  32. I just took these out of the oven & can hardly wait for them to cool! This might be my new favorite cookie :)!

  33. These bar cookies do look delish… YUM!

    I collect recipe boxes from estate sales—and in them, old-timey recipes. I have multiple recipes for “Chiparoos” that is almost identical to this posted recipe.

    Every recipe for Congo bars that I own contains coconut…

  34. These are SOOoooo good! I made half this recipe (with 2 eggs) in an 8×8 pan- everyone LOVED them! Posted about it on my blog here:

    http://www.noraisinsonmyparade.com/2010/11/brookie-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars.html

    Thanks for the recipe!

    -Marissa
    noraisinsonmyparade.com

  35. I’ve got ’em in the oven baking now! I hope they turn out as good as yours look (:

    Mine don’t look as thick as yours are though (I mixed by hand) so not quite sure.

    Can’t wait to eat them!!

  36. Mine weren’t done even after I baked them for longer! Is it my oven? ):

  37. I had to tell you i was having a chocolate craving and had a bag of chocolate chips so i googled a recipe and this was one of the top that popped up so i tried it and it was amazing! We ate every single bar… So i made them for a potluck at my office and again they were a hit everyone was begging for the recipe so i gave it to them too! We love you for putting this out there!

    I only made one VERY small change i have a pampered chef bar stoneware pan and made them in that ended up that pan was smaller 4×9 or something like that made the bars a little thicker and VERY gooey and soooooo yummy!

    Thanks again!

  38. These are currently in the oven! I had to convert all the cup measurements though because I’m in England, I’m sure it’ll be worth it :D

  39. These were VERY good. I hand mixed them and they were done in 30 minutes. But I think my wrist was a little swift with the spatula as they were quite cakey. Maybe I should just add 2 eggs only, next time? I’d really like a chewier version.

  40. im frm singapore… any idea where 2 get butterscotch???
    iv never gotta a chance 2 try it :(

  41. I stumbled upon this recipe today, and made it for my in-laws tonight. They were a smashing success! I had two, they were so good. ;) Thanks so much! I followed the recipe to a T, but only had them in the oven for 25 minutes and they were perfectly chewy. Is my oven even hotter than yours?

  42. Thanx for this great recipe. I made them yesterday and everybody in our family loved them! Yummy!

  43. I was feeling a little adventurous… here’s my twist!

    I followed the recipe until it was time to put the batter in the pan. I poured most of the batter into the pan but left enough for a top layer. Then, I used icing to make frosting flowers/balls/clusters (whatever you want to call them… I made the batter look polka dotted so that each blondie would have frosting). Then I poured the rest of the batter over the top to cover up the frosting. Served warm, it’s a gooey center! Served chilled or after being frozen, it’s a candy center!

    Thanks for the recipe bakerella!

  44. Oh these look good. Quick Question though, it is a pound of brown sugar? Not 1 cup? Sounds like a lot of sugar….

  45. Hej Hikari, it is 2 cups and 3/4 of a cup. :)

    I’m not used to cups neither. I woud like to know: how much is a cup of flour. Conversion sites gives me false results, so every time i try to make the cake, it ends bad.
    Too bad the autor don’t bother to answer questions on her own site.

  46. I made 3 batches of these with a combo of milk, white, and butterscotch chips….one of the best things i’ve ever baked (and milk’s newest best friend)

  47. 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
    is it 2 times 3/4 or 2 cups plus 3/4 cups ?!
    Sorry I’m not used to cups

  48. just wanted to let you know that I am so thankful to have found this recipe… they are SO yummy and since finding the recipe here at the beginning of the summer, I have made them for every single BBQ and get together we have gone to… SCRUMPTIOUS!!! so, thank you!!

  49. Lord… THese are going to be só good, I read about you in a magazine and decided to look up your blog and omg, I’m in heaven, I want to try all of your recepies, starting with this one.

    I’m home alone all day so maybe antoher will follow? :3
    xxx

  50. These were very easy to make. I didn’t have a “bag” of brown sugar, I had it stored in a container and had no idea how much a lb. of sugar translated. So, I went with two cups. The brookies turned out pretty good. I really like them and will definitely make them again. I am going to go with 2 1/4 cups of brown sugar next time. I didn’t have any trouble with doughiness.
    Thanks, Bakerella! This was a great recipe b/c I have trouble with things turning out bakingwise and these were perfect!

  51. this looks uber yummy!
    does the recipe change if i am at high altitude?

  52. Hi I made this recently because I thought it looked amazing! But as a beginner baker I thought 1 lb. of brown sugar was too much (it yielded 3 1/2 cups) so I cut it down to 1 cup. Unfortunately it didn’t taste very sweet so that was my fault. I just wanted to check around how many cups 1 lb. is in case I weighed it incorrectly. Many thanks!

  53. I could just lick the screen – these look amazing. So much better than when I make them. LOL!

  54. So, I tried this recipe tonight, hand-mixed, did everything exactly as you described. They’ve been in the oven 35 minutes and the middle is still soup. I’m pretty bummed. :(

  55. yum yum yum!! They are delicious!! And my sister enjoyed licking the bowl after!! :P

  56. we made them and loved them! thanks

  57. I made these for a baptism yesterday and I received mixed reviews. Most people said they were very “doughy”? Don’t know what I did wrong, I followed the recipe exactly?

  58. My mom used to make a variation of these when I was younger. Didn’t remember them, or desire them, until I came across your blog. Thanks for the recipe, time to mimic it.

  59. Hi,

    I made these yesterday and i can only describe them as HEAVENLY! Oh, my god! I ate six of them right away..

    Took them to work and everybody loved them.

  60. just made these and they came out great! I left them in the oven for 35 minutes and they were perfect!

  61. Third time I’m baking these today, they are delicious!

  62. Hello, Miss B.! I’ve been a fan of baking and all things sweet since I was 9. I’m 14 now, and I’ve been reading your blogs when I stumbled at these congo bars. And I just have to say that you are one AWESOME baker! I tried these for the first day of school, and everyone loved it! Even my teacher gave me a high grade for those “brookies”! Thanks miss Bakerella!

    ps: In my version, I added 1/2 cup of peanut butter. and I think m&m’s are not that good for baking brookies. Their shells melted and made the bars “colorful”. XD

  63. I had to try to make these, because they looked so tempting. But as usual with your recipes, something went wrong. My bars turned out to be nothing like yours. After spending a while converting mesurments (why can’t you just give them in metric system? you would do to the world a favore!); mixing ingridients, and puting pan into the oven – 30 min and the cake dropped :( It was row-like, or as others described it: gooey and much darker that in the pictures. So what exactly went wrong? I followed recipe, temperature was ok, so what is the reason?

  64. I made your yummy brookies yesterday, and they are great…
    but, a bit to sweet for my family. Do you have an idea how to make them a bit less sweet? maybe changing some of the brown sugar with something else?… thank you!
    :)

  65. i’ve triedd thissss onee !!! anddddd its tasteee ssooo yummy ! i heart ittt ! =D but, i think its a bitt sweet yaa…

  66. I used my handy dandy kitchen scale to measure the brown sugar and guesstimated on the chocolate chips since i have the giant bag. These sweet treats are A M A Z I N G!

  67. I just made them this afternoon, I cut The recipe in half and worked out great! This are really a treat! BTW it is my first time writing here but I am a big fan! Thanks for sharing all these fab ideas!

  68. MMmmmm.. I made these with white chocolate, hazelnuts and mini M & M’s… They were awesome :) Thanks!

  69. these are wonderful! I made them (w/o the mixer) over the weekend for a housewarming party and they were a hit. thanks for the recipe!

  70. These are AMAZING! I chose to make them by hand and they came out perfectly. I will definitely be making these again!

  71. i just did them and omg they taste AMAZING, althought it’s too sweet

  72. Not sure if you’re still reading comments here (or if you ever did!) but I just wanted to say…

    I found this blog totally randomly but the recipes looked so good and I had wanted to make chocolate chip cookies, so I decided to try and make these. Take into consideration I live in Japan so I had to make due with what I can find at the store and I don’t have an oven…only a combination microwave/convection oven.

    However! They came out awesome! They’re very cakey, which is a consistency of cookie you cannot find in Japan. I’m so pleased with the results. Thank you for posting the recipe! I am looking forward to trying some of your other recipes in the future.

  73. really need to find somewhere in Australia that sells peanut butter chips !

    usafoods. com. au sells them, and butterscotch ones too

    I have these baking in the oven right now – a combo of butterscotch and choc chips

  74. Yeah, it’s good, very useful, thanks :)

  75. OMG – a blast from the past. We made these when we were kids just learning to bake. I recenlty made them for a ski trip and my brothers were in heaven.

  76. THESE WERE HEAVENLY!!! I’m making them again today!!!
    The first time I did it i copied the EXACT measurements, and it was definitely to much brown sugar for my tasting. I made it today with 1 C brown sugar, and a 1/2 C of white sugar, and its SOO much better!! (doesn’t have that brown sugary taste)
    THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE EASIEST YUMMIEST BARS!!!!

  77. These looked so good I had to try them… mine didn’t end up looking quite so smart! That will teach me to play fast and loose with quantities. Something must have got lost between converting them out of cups and dividing by three (your mixture is HUGE) and violently undercooking… They were gooey bordering on sloppy. Still delicious though. The mixture is also super good. Might try and make them again and see if I can make them look like yours though. If I have to eat another batch so be it!

  78. Check out a new promo for a Food Network show called Cupcake Wars! http://www.click3x.com/home.php/blog/detail/450

  79. I love your site, it has inspired me so much. Thank you!
    Do we need to be living in the USA to enter your give aways?

  80. I have made these several times since you put these on here and people LOVE them!!! I was wondering how they would turn out as cookies, so I made them as cookies yesterday and they were the best chewy/cakey cookies. I loved them like that too!!! I can’t get enough of these!!

  81. Mmmm! I made these and they were a real hit! Easy to make too! I’ll be putting that recipe in my recipe book! THANKS! :)

  82. Do they call them Congo because of the ape like noises your husband makes when tasting them for the first time? OHHH I’m thinking of Kong-o Been drooling over these for a few weeks, finally got a chance to make them, they are this prego girls dream!

  83. “Congo Squares” were a very favorite when I was a kid (fifty years ago). I haven’t made any for a really long time – guess I’ll have to whip some up!

  84. I made some this weekend my boyfriend fell in LOVE with these..kept sayin “I wanna brookie” lol :]

  85. LOVE LOVE THESE! They looked so yummy that I had to make them myself! And I did have to bake mine for about 45 min. But then again that could be b/c my 13×9 was being used for spaghetti bake at the moment, so I used an 11.5×9.

    Thank you for the recipe!!!

    P.S. I did mine by hand, need more strength but tasted amazing!

  86. I’m 7 1/2 months pregnant and just the pictures made me salivate. I’m headed to the store to buy the ingredients to make these. I can’t wait!

  87. how mach gram is 2/3 cup butter?
    It looks great!!!!

  88. These are the best I just made 2 batches the first was better then the second because I was more accurate with the measuring. The hand mixing also helped make them better. I do know that they were a hit with the family. My daughter and brother loved them and kept asking for more.

  89. Yep, Blondies….I just made some the other day. But I may officially change it to Brookies….I really like that one!

  90. These were so yummy! I’m going to put this link/recipe on my blog so my family and friends can enjoy them! Thanks! You are so great and inspirational!

  91. I used regular brown sugar, which is 2 1/4 cups for a pound

    DELICIOUS!

  92. Made these yesterday with semi-sweet (all i had lol) chocolate chips and caramel candies!! — DELICIOUS!!!

  93. I always have one of those 72 oz. bags of chocolate chips from Costco, I know I have a serious baking problem, but I am making these right now and the dough was amazing! Can’t wait for the baked ones!

  94. Yum! I made these last night and they’re fantastic, I think I overcooked them a little (boo) but they’re still amazing. You’re the best!

  95. I amde them for my husband’s 40 th B-day breakfast and they were a total hit, a keeper! The boys loved them and my husband too! Thanks!

  96. These are so close to my version of Chili’s Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie, my best friend.

    http://www.oneshetwoshe.com/2009/11/better-than-chilis-chocolate-chip.html

    Thanks for this and all your yummies, I can’t wait to get the cookbook!

  97. I made these and they were AWESOME!! It only took me 30 minutes as well. I think people tend to over cook cookies and such because they still seem to “jiggle” in the middle, but I take them out and let them set up, cool, and then cut and they do just just fine. I also lined my 9×13 pan with parchment paper and just pulled out the “brookies” when ready to cut. Made it much easier…Wonderful!!

  98. the difference between mixer and hand-mixing…think like you’re making muffins–the less stirring, the more moist they come. this is why, often, brownie recipes recommend hand-mixing as well. (the mixer adds extra stirring, which creates more gluten from the flour, which makes it more tough–great for sandwich bread, not so great for brookies)

  99. BZ – Mine turned out perfectly at 30 minutes. (I used room temp butter, sifted, and hand stirred) I used a 9×13 dark colored non-stick cake pan the first time and a 9×13 dark colored non-stick brownie pan the 2nd time. Both gave me similar results. I also let them cool completely before cutting them.

  100. i made these for a second grade field trip and my daughter and her friends loved them. they turn out perfectly!!!

  101. I made these and wrote about them here: http://tomatoesforapples.blogspot.com/2010/05/blog-post.html

    They took over an hour in the oven to get them to solidify. They were still delicious, even the crunchier edges. Thanks for the recipe.

  102. I’m wondering what type of pan you used Bakerella. I used a pyrex 9×13 and mine were very underdone. I baked for another 20+ with foil. Outer edges were overdone. They tasted great but did not look like yours at all. Looked like the chocolate all melted into the rest of the ingredients. I sifted, and stirred by hand. I bake a lot. I think it’s the pan. What type of pan do you use for these. There’s got to be something that so many of us are doing wrong. I’m determined to make it work cause they look soo fabulous!

  103. My husband said this is his new favorite dessert and I don’t need to even attempt to make anything else.

  104. I actually just made Congo bars, but my recipe is slightly different. Using melted butter add the brown sugar and add the eggs individually then add the flour, baking powder, vanilla, and a dash of salt and then the chocolate chips and nuts. I’ll have to try your recipe next time to compare!

  105. My husband sent this recipe to me today. He “suggested” I make them tonight. :) I did. YUM! One suggestion. These are much better when they have cooled off a bit. We ate them right out of the oven and they are good…but much much better later.

  106. Oh holy congo bar! What a great recipe. My kids used this recipe as their homeschool project for today. I even blogged about it. How do you cook and photograph at the same time. Whew! Good thing we had the bars to eat for energy afterwards!

    http://fwlobs.blogspot.com/2010/05/homeschooling-with-benefits.html

    Thanks for sharing!!

  107. We call em ‘PMS bars’ at my house. LOL. They definitely fit the bill for the monthly chocolate/cake/cookie/brownie craving…all in one pan!

  108. Thanks for sharing this recipe I made them today and they are delicious my kids love them. It is going to my recipe book . The only issue was the baking time. It took an hour instead of 30 min. Love them thanks again

  109. These are in the oven as I write this. I am sooo excited to taste them. I guestimated on the amount of brown sugar because I had the kind that comes in the Ziploc bag (Things dry out quickly here in the desert.) I hope they turn out! Thanks for the recipe.

  110. I think you are incredible. When I get the chance to peek at your sight I am always stunned and thrilled that I did. We have my 20 year old son’s friends over today for the last LOST episode. Guess what I’ll be serving? Thanks always for your work!

  111. http://bakingboulangerie.blogspot.com/

    Please check out my blog, it too has been made with love

  112. ohhh i made these last saturday night and they were SOOO good. i didnt quite have enough chocolate chips so i thre in some buttescotch to top it off and i gotta say they were pretty good! they didnt last long, thats for sure! thanks!

  113. Nothing makes me happier than when i bake something and they come out looking exactly like they do in the picture-made these last night-my husband looooved them!

  114. I made them, they did seem slow to cook… ended up a bit overcooked around the edges and undercooked inside but still disappeared at a rate that left everyone in the family accusing everyone else of eating more then their share LOL.

    I’ll make them again.

    Now, to find someone with a sugar mill to keep me supplied…

  115. Made ’em today… and they are amazing! Much better than any pan cookies or blondies I’ve ever had. (the brown sugar gives them a caramelized flavor that is just right with the chocolate)

    I baked mine an extra 3 minutes and used semi-sweet chips. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

  116. So… I made ’em. Again.
    The first time I tried, they came out amazing, but they really weren’t quite done after 30 mins and putting them back in the oven made the edges too dry for my taste. So I made them again today with 3 cups of flour instead of 2 3/4 (and with a little less sugar, just ‘cuz) and I think I nailed it this time. They were /perfect/ after exactly 30 minutes.
    Just wanted to let you know :)
    Thanks again for an awesome recipe!!

  117. We lived on these as kids…but we always added chocolate frosting for good measure!

  118. I remember my mom making “Congo Bars” for us as an after school snack, MANY years ago! I need to make them again…

  119. Help!
    I just made these, and the batter was lumpier than your picture, and not as smooth-looking.
    The results came out lumpy too. ):
    And the top turned hard and brown before it was fully baked!
    Not to mention the sides were also very dark..

  120. Yes, I’ve had cookie bars before. You have overlooked them because of the simplicity. Your busy making your yummy creative creations.

  121. O.M.G! i just made these for a teacher appreciation luncheon for my niece’s school…they were a hit!! almost had to make two batches because my husband got a hold of one of them, which quickly turned into two…

  122. made these last night and have 2 things to say:
    1. Holy brown sugar!!!
    2. these are delish :)

  123. Yes, I LOVE THESE!!! My mother has made them a million times and we have always called them “Blonde Brownies’. Regardless of the name, they are SO DELICIOUS!!! I could devour some right now!

  124. Mine turned out horrible, wouldn’t bake in the center and rock hard on the outside…where did I go wrong????

  125. I love Congo bars. I received a slightly different recipe from my aunt a few years ago. They are a hit at every party. I always add toasted coconut (unsweetened if you can find it). This is a great flavor to the bars. Toasting it is important! I agree on hand mixing all the ingredients. Yum, yum!

  126. I made these last night for the kids at chinese school and they LOOOOOVED it!! I was taken back by the pound of sugar but so glad i made them! I did the hand way, which got tiring, but totally worth it :)

  127. I made these a couple of days ago and they’re WONDERFUL! 30 minutes in the oven did just about perfectly for me, as well, and I know that my oven is a little more hardcore than most, so I can imagine that some people might have to cook them a few extra minutes.

    I used dark brown sugar since I forgot to get light brown at the store (oops!) but that’s the only thing I did differently than the posted recipe. I tend to prefer the heavier flavor of dark brown sugar more anyhow, so I usually end up substituting it.

  128. The pictures are mouthwatering!!! Especially the dough…WOW!!!

  129. i have been making these for over thirty years, from a recipe passed to me from my mil, we call them chipperoos. a family favorite & the first thing my girls learned to bake. made me smile to see it here. great recipe. easy & addictive.

  130. I made these over the weekend and I think I ate most of the pan myself. I preferred my cookie and brownies chewy and gooey in the middle so if they were underdone I didn’t notice. They were so amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.

  131. Made these and am in love!
    Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
    Mmmmm :D

  132. Just made mine and it was absolutely divine. I’ve added a liink to your blog from my post. Thanks for a great recipe.
    http://themorethanoccasionalbaker.blogspot.com/2010/05/congo-bar.html

  133. I vegan-ized this recipe. I subbed in 3 eggs worth of ener-g egg replacers, used vegan butter, and vegan choc. chips. Turned out delish! glad I was able to share these with my vegan spouse!

  134. I can’t remember if I commented or not…but these are the BEST things ever!! I threw in a bag of the heath toffee chips and did dark chocolate chips and was in LOVE!!

  135. Congo Bars are my fave. I love to freeze them and enjoy them on a hot summer day.

  136. WOW. AMAZING. A TOTAL HOMERUN. I made these yesterday and they are divine!! They have a wonderful fluffy texture. I did mine by hand. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s a definite keeper.

  137. I made these this weekend after seeing this post. They turned out awesome and so easy to make! I can’t wait to make these again. This recipe would make a great cookie cake!

  138. I made these (with butterscotch chips) and they were delicious! I did add a few minutes because they weren’t quite done at 30. I elaborated a little more on my blog, as well.

  139. They were amazing! So yummy!

  140. Just pulled them out of the oven. My daughter is so excited to eat them. They smell wonderful.

  141. OMGosh. A pound of brown sugar. I simply must have these. My teeth may fall out, but I must have these bars!

  142. I made these yesterday and was disappointed. They took too long to bake. Were still wet in the middle when I stopped baking and were definitely overbaked all around the perimeter of the pan. I wonder why some of us are having trouble. I’m a very experienced baker, so that’s not the problem.

    FYI, according to my measurement, 1 lb of brown sugar is 2 1/4 cups, packed (all packed into one cup, not in smaller increments).

    The boys loved them though! And they sure smelled amazing!

  143. oh, forgot to add – my sis and aunt liked it though!

  144. your photos were so fabulous i had to try these despite not liking blondies in general!

    and…i think i will stick to good old brownies with chocolate! i added sliced almonds (maybe shd have toasted them), white chips and couverture choc chips…didn’t like it – probably my own taste buds…

  145. They look so so good.. baking a batch tonight.. thank you for sharing..

  146. I made these and they were yummy! I took them to the office today and everyone is saying the are the best things they have ever had.

    Oh and for the record, I made them by hand. It took a little longer but the result was completely worth it.

  147. Just made these and they are delicious! Not at all like Blondies like some thought it would taste like. These are choc.chip cookies and brownies. They best of both worlds! I mixed them by hand and it wasn’t that difficult. Thanks for the recipe!!

  148. These were not my mother’s blondies for sure! Made them this weekend and they were DELICIOUS! They were not done in the middle so I had to add some time on the end. I will probably let them cool a lot longer before cutting into them in the future too. Instead of chocolate chips, I used the Nestle chocolate chunks – I think it was a better chocolate to cookie ratio. :)

  149. I’ve just made these and oh holy cow they are so amazing. Thank you so much for bringing ‘fusion’ food back into my life!

  150. I just made these bars and they are FANTASTIC! I added some pretzel pieces with my chocolate chips for a little sweet and some salty with a crunch and it was great.

  151. Congo bars are famous in my family. My brother lost a baby tooth in a caramel version that my grandmother made in the early ’80’s. They are tasty, though!

  152. Love it love it…thanks for the memories. My Mom use to make these when I was a little girl…..hhmmm, think I’ll make these now!

  153. Got a batch in the oven now and I can hardly wait!

    I didn’t have chocolate chips on hand, but had partial bags of other chips. The result has ended in a 1/3 part each of butterscotch, white chocolate, and peanut butter chips!

  154. I had to bake mine an extra 15-20 minutes also, and still not fully baked. It seems like too much brown sugar in mine??? Would like them more solid and bar tasting.

  155. Just made some :) although i didn’t have enough chocolate chips so threw in some broken up white and dark chocolate too. They must have tasted good because the boyfriend demanded ‘More!’

  156. Just finished baking them, it was a tricky recipe but they look like they turned out pretty delicious!

  157. These look like the perfect thing to bake for someone who’s favorite thing is chocolate chip cookies! Switch it up just a bit! xxSAS

  158. I made these this weekend for a party that my husband has every year for some of his high school students. They were a hit! Thanks for all of the great ideas

  159. OMG… I have the Gooseberry Patch cookbook of this EXACT recipe! huh….that’s funny… where did your friend say she got it again?
    And i love the add ins like caramel and MMs… i guess that makes it YOUR recipe now Bakerella ?

  160. These did not turn out for me – way too doughy. I checked the oven at 30 minutes – inserted a toothpick to check doneness and they were still dough under the nicely browned top. I let bake another 20 minutes (checking every 5 minutes) – they never did cook in the middle. I used a 9×13 pan and baked at 350…I tried the recipe again – and this time stirred by hand and got the same result. They have good flavor but in the end came out more like a chocolate chip cookie “dough” desert – not a brownie.

  161. I made these over the weekend, and YUM. They were gone in under 24 hours! I made the hand-mixed version but may try the mixer version next, just to see if it makes enough of a difference to be worth the extra elbow grease for the hand-mixed ones. 30 minutes was perfect for us! They were a bit gooey in the center, but that’s the way we like ’em.

    Also, somebody may have already posted this, but when I looked it up, some websites said 1 lb. of brown sugar was between 2 1/4 and 2 1/2 packed cups. All that is available here is 2 lb. bags, so I used 2 1/4 cups out of one of those bags, and I was very pleased.

  162. I made these this weekend for my family. I was out of pecans, but used chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. So yummy, they were a big hit!!!

  163. I made the Congo bars….soooo good!! They are chewy and spectacular!! I can’t stop eating them. They were a hit with my family as well. Thank you for the recipe.

    Angie, I love your website and all your ideas! You are a great inspiration!
    Sincerely,
    Maria Ramundo

  164. OMG these were delicious. I made them yesterday afternoon and the pan is almost gone. My husband, daughter and I couldn’t leave them alone. My mother was there and she doesn’t eat much chocolate and she loved them as well. The pound of brown sugar made all the difference. YUMMO huge time. They are my new favorite thing to make now.

  165. I don’t have chocolate chips anymore. Darn.

  166. I made these for my dad’s birthday this past weekend and they were delicious! Since it was a celebration, we went all out and topped the warm cookie bars with vanilla ice cream, caramel topping, whipped cream and of course a cherry on top! So so good. Thanks for the recipe Bakerella!

  167. Made these on Friday night. Served them to two groups of people on the weekend and I ate them all day Saturday (instead of meals)!!

    So so so delicious. I substituted coconut for the almonds as one of my kids is allergic to nuts. I want more now… but then I’ll be fat.

    Maybe next weekend.

  168. I made these last night – SUPER easy! I did have to bake them for 45 min instead of 30 though. I mixed by hand and they are chewy and cakey – really good! Thanks for the great recipe!

  169. I can confirm these were a HIT with the sick three year old. My husband probably ate half the batter before I could even get it in the oven…:) Bakerella, you never steer us wrong. THANKS!

  170. Delicios and so ooey gooey when they first come out!

  171. Well they were a hit! I added coconut and walnuts because thats what we had and they didn’t look quite done but I just turned off the oven and left them in there while we had dinner and they were just right. I prefer these much more than tollhouse bar cookies and can’t wait to try other combos on the congos!

  172. Guess I’m the only one who’s never heard of these…can’t wait to try them out! Thanks for another great recipe!!

  173. I LOVE Congo Bars! My mom used to make them all the time just using the basic Nestle Tollhouse recipe and putting it in a 9×13. I made them for a camping trip last summer as well. And I suppose I’ll have to make them again soon, now that you have me craving them!

  174. I made these tonight for taking to my in-laws for dinner. I found a bag of Nestles milk chocolate and peanut butter chip mixed. Super yummy!

    5 adults finished almost half the pan before dinner and then we ‘forgot’ to offer it to the kids because we were busy nibbling on them after dinner! later the kids asked “Hey didn’t you make dessert mom?” Barely had enough for them :)

    I found a bag of Kraft caramel bits in the baking section that were just in little balls that will be our next trial.

  175. I actually have a recipe that’s very similar to this, they are pretty good!

  176. WOW! I just made these and they were AMAZING! I tried to halve the recipe and added too much butter but it was still completely YUM!! Great recipe, will definitely be making this again :)

  177. I made this last night and they were cooked on the top but super not done in the middle… I thought i made an error somewhere… well i tired round two tonight and the same thing happened. THIS WAS NOT DONE IN 30 MIN!!! ( be prepared to cover with foil and keep cooking)

  178. oh man I have to make these I have been on a brownie kick the last week or so and these look just right! The guys are gonna love these at work!

  179. I just made these this evening for a bake sale tomorrow at my dds’ school. I tried the edge of the pan (just to even things out a bit, lol) and OH MY WORD these are so very delicious! Thank you for posting this recipe!! I didn’t have butter in the house so I ended up having to use plain Crisco and they came out fine and still very yummy. I’m sure they would be even better with butter … isn’t everything?

  180. Yum! I haven’t had a Congo Bar in 25 years but these were a childhood favorite of mine! I remember cutting thin slices across the pan so there wouldn’t be evidence of another square missing.

  181. These were awesome! My daughter and I made them today. My son (17mos) kept trying to break into the oven while they were baking, because he couldn’t wait.

  182. These we delicious! I used Caramel Swirl Chocolate Chips because that’s all I had, 1/2 cup of Pecans, and 1 cup of Coconut. I love the way you can change the mix-ins.

    For those in the UK, here is a good conversion website to use:
    http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/cooking

  183. Hi There,

    I love looking at your blog and I would love to make these bars….I live in the UK and was wondering when you say *CUP*
    what sort of size ?? ie how many mls/ounces of fluid does your average cup hold to give me an idea of size ???
    Thanks for any help
    Janette x

  184. I had the mini-chocolate chips only. They worked great, but the surface is definitely a lot bumpier with the huge quantity of smaller chips.

  185. They are indeed delicious. I just wish I’d added a touch of bourbon…might have to pour it on top…

  186. We made these, and went with what we had on hand…
    A mixture of milk and dark chocolate chips (not enough of either one on hand), pecans, toffee, peanut butter chips. YUM!! Love them!

  187. Delicious! I made them today!

  188. they’re in the oven right now…

  189. i made them for my nephew’s birthday… and they were all snapped up! i replaced half the amount of chocolate chips with m&m and threw in an extra handful of chopped walnuts (replaced the pecans).

    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3895090&id=671769823

    thanks for sharing a very do-able and confirmed like-able recipe. as always!

  190. Hey Bakerella, I’m from Belgium and we don’t really use ‘cups’ here as a measurement for ingredients. Could you perhaps tell me how much grams a cup is of each ingredient? Or perhaps the size of these cups you use so I can find something with a similiar size? Feel free to email me (heleen.deboever [at] hotmail.com) or leave a comment on my blog! These Congo Bars look mouthwatering and I can’t wait to try out the recipe!

  191. You Go Girl! I tried these and they are Amazing! After seeing your webpage for the first time a couple of weeks ago you have inspired me and I went & bought a chocolate melt pot &now I am going around covering everything I can get my hands on in chocolate! LOL!
    I’m now looking forward to each email you send . You’ve got me hooked.Because Me and my family are chocoholics!Thanks!! Your so Creative.

  192. I’ve been thinking about these congo bars all week. I’ve been resisting b/c I made cookies last weekend, isn’t it a crime to have 2 desserts available at once??? Well call me a law breaker cuz I’m makin’ these puppies today!

  193. All the way from denmark, i follow your blog. I can only say that the stores in denmark do not sell chocolate chips or butterscotch or peanut butter chips….

    so i use a chocolate bar instead. But the butterscotch or peanut butter chips is impossible to get….

    What to do?

    and for now i just have to bake thees. So i tried to use normal peanut butter. They are done in 10 minuts.

    Heidi

  194. Today’s actually National Chocolate Chip Day! Perfect Timing! :]

  195. They’re baking up in the oven right now! They already look and smell fantastic!

  196. My friend put me onto your site, oh my word, what was she thinking! Of course, although I started dieting two days ago (a record for sure!) I had to make this recipe. I did it in a gluten free version since my friend and I both have celiac. Brown sugar, oh my! I added caramel to it too.

  197. I couldn’t resist, and even though my diet starts tomorrow….I just had to make these. I am having a problem with them….they are back in the oven as I type this. They don’t seem cooked and they have been in for 30 minutes….they are getting pretty brown, but the centre is still gooey….what did I do wrong?

  198. Mmm…these look so yummy, can hardly wait to try them. How many cups is 1lb of brown sugar?

  199. Mmmm these are so nice! I made half with just chopped up chocolate and half with chocolate and peanut butter, and they’re amazing! I might add some cocoa next time to make them more brownie-like, just to see..

  200. Fabulous! These are definitely NOT Blondies – but have become a fast favorite in my house..the consistency is beyond explanation. Again Bakerella – you are amazing!

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