Congo Bars

5 from 2 votes

Congo Bars are like a chocolate chip cookie bar, but thicker, chewier and even more jam-packed with semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cookie bars

Servings:

Calories: 273kcal

Author: Kelsey Byrnes

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter softened
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips + additional chips for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9x13" pan with cooking spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, brown sugar and sugar; mix until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until incorporated.
Add 1 cup of the semi-sweet chocolate chips (save the rest for the top) and the milk chocolate chips and stir.
Spread the cookie dough into the prepared pan and smooth out the top.
Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top.
Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden-brown.
Let cool, then cut into squares and enjoy!

Notes

Add some coconut and pecans for some added texture and flavor! Simply remove 1/2 cup of each type of chocolate chips in the batter and replace with 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut and 1/2 cup pecans.

Don't overbake! One of the things I love most about this recipe is the chewy, dense interior of these bars. Overbaking them will make them more crunchy and less chewy. That being said, pay close attention to the bake time so you don't over-do it! You can use an instant-read thermometer and remove these from the oven once they've reached 160F.

Cut like a pro! To cut these cookie bars with clean edges, here's how to do it: Let the pan of bars cool completely (refrigerate to speed up this process). Use a knife to cut the bars down the center (so you're only working with half of the pan at a time). Remove an entire half from the pan onto a cutting board and cut with a chef's knife; repeat with the other half.

Add a variety of chips! Try adding a few white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips or even peanut butter chips for a twist on the delicious recipe!

Turn it into a sundae! What's better than these amazing Congo bars? Taking a warm bar and topping the melty chocolate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!! It's SO good!

Nutrition