A rich buttery blondie with a hint of chocolate, a nutty crunch of toasted pecans, and a sense of the tropics with coconut, all in a single bite!
Before today, have you heard of congo bars? If you have, do you know what gives its name? I’m quite certain I have heard of it in my past but I sure didn’t know what it was until I stumbled upon the recipe a year ago. The name gives no implication of its flavor which I would assume this leaves many to feel intrigued much like how I was.
Before I write on a new topic, I do a little research (i.e.: origin of alfajores) however, in this particular case, I wasn’t so lucky to find the history of congo bars. Then again, it might have been my loss of patience because I wasn’t the least bit compelled to look past page one on Google. But from what I did find, there were a few things most congo bars have in common. All the bars are based from a blondie recipe and they all had coconut, pecans and some variety of chocolate within. Immediately I thought, “this is SO easy.” If you can make regular blondies… better yet, if you can make brownies (since they’re more common) then you sure as hell can make these!
Believe me, you will want to.
I’ve already made a handful of blondie recipes here, here, and here and so to create these, I used the base of my blondie recipe and added in both white and milk chocolate chips, coconut and pecans and… BOOM! That’s it! You now have one of the best blondies fully packed with a rich buttery, nutty, a hint of chocolate as well as a sense of the tropics from the coconut, all in one bite!
I work out at a gym down the road and I brought a container of these congo bars and wholly molly, the trainers there LOVED it! A week later, and they’re asking for more. Ha! One day I will again, one day. They are pretty addicting. I’m afraid if made again, I just might snag some myself.
But now onto more serious news if you care to stay to read the rest…
I have been M.I.A. for 2 weeks. Did you notice?
It’s all for a good reason though, at least for me but I must say that I am truly sorry for not being as attentive as I should have. I’ve recieved several emails from readers and I will try my best to answer them all as quickly as I can within the next day or two.
So, without further ado, I was M.I.A. right after Labor Day because I got the call. The call to come into work. I landed a FULL-TIME JOB!! Yay for me! 🙂 But this isn’t just any job. This is a sales position that I’ve been wanting for months! I wish I can give you more detail but because it’s very new, I don’t want to jinx anything. What I will say is, it’s been one hell of a week, or two!
During the day I’m in a suit and heels (totally not my style- but it’s growing on me) walking around from office to office. By the end of the working day, I am physically and mentally exhausted. This is nothing compared to working from a blog in the comfort of your own home wearing yoga pants… I’m lying, pj’s. I vaguely remember a mention in one of my latest posts that I knew this would be temporary. Little did I know, it would be the very next day after my Labor Day R&R from the beach that I was going to be asked to come into work the following day. Since then, I’ve been hustling in this new position non-stop.
When I come home, I quickly kick off my heels, peel my suit off and attempt to reply back to emails. Nine times out of ten, my brain shuts down and my mind and body feels the need to decompress. Next thing I know, I wake up from the couch around 9 PM more exhausted than before I took my nap and I’M DONE. Done for the night. I hit the sack and the next day, it’s the same grind.
I am personally trying to balance both positions (full-time job and blog) while I continue to strength train, attend Jeet Kune Do (JKD) classes, and Friday night Fellowships. I know within time, it’ll all work itself out. For the meantime, replies to your baking-related questions may be a bit slower but I will get back to you.
On the bright side, this week’s weather in NY is perfect for baking. If you make these, I’m dying to know your thoughts! Happy Baking!
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Congo Bars
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 2 dozen bars 1x
Description
A rich buttery blondie with a hint of chocolate, a nutty crunch of toasted pecans, and a sense of the tropics with coconut, all in a single bite!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened or unsweetened coconut, toasted
- 1 cup shelled pecans, chopped and toasted
- 1/2 cup milk or semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom and sides of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil leaving extra hang over 2 opposite sides for easy removal. Evenly grease bottom and sides of foil with a baking spray with flour; set aside.
- In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
- In large bowl, mix butter, sugars, eggs with yolks and vanilla for about 3 minutes. Slowly stir in the flour mixture. Fold in coconut, pecans and both chips into the batter. Pour and spread batter evenly into pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is golden brown with a shiny coat and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. ENJOY!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: congo bars, blondies
WE do not put coconut in our bars.
★★★
Hi Your Pals, and that’s fine too. Do you substitute it with something else?