CONGO SQUARES

Congo Squares or pan cookie bars have a buttery and chewy texture. They are thick and chocked full of rich, semi-sweet chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut. Absolutely divine!

I’ve always loved to bake. At 8 I was making desserts by myself. At 10 I’d clip recipes out of Better Homes and Gardens and Southern Living. I still have those clippings. Some I’ve never made and some are old favorites. This recipe was clipped out of an old newspaper article. It’s so old and tattered I can barely read it. I don’t know why I haven’t re-written it at some point over the years.

What are Congo Bars?

Congo Bars are a mixture of butter, brown sugar, eggs, flour, chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts. They are thick like pan cookies or blondies.

I prefer them served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. However, you choose how you like to eat the best!

Congo Bars have basic ingredients that you probably already have on hand.

How to Make Congo Squares

1. Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix until the yolk is incorporated. Add the in vanilla extract and beat until combined.
3. Fold in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
4. Grease and flour a 10×15-inch baking pan or a 9×13-inch baking pan. If using 10×15 pan, bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. If using a 9×13 pan, bake for 35-40 minutes.

Can I substitute ingredients?

I recommend you use real butter, always. As well, for this recipe, I would not change the base ingredients.

1. I never have great success substitute gluten-free flour. Therefore, I don’t have a recommendation for that change.
2. However, you can substitute the chocolate chips for semi-sweet, dark chocolate, or even white chocolate. Just use the same amount.
3. You may also use almonds, walnuts, or another nut for the pecans.
4. Finally, You can omit the coconut and not replace it with another ingredient if you don’t like coconut.

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary based on products used.

Congo Squares

These pan cookies are thick with a chewy texture. The great flavor comes from brown sugar, chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut. This is an easy recipe that uses basic pantry ingredients that you probably already have.

Author: Paula

5 from 3 votes

Print Rate

Save To Your Recipe Box Go to your saved recipes

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 servings

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• 9x13-inch baking pan

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup butter recommended
• 2 and ¼ cup brown sugar firmly packed
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 and ¾ cup all-purpose flour I use this
• 2 and ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract I use this
• 1 cup pecans chopped, I like this brand
• 1 and ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips semi-sweet, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white
• 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13* inch baking pan with non-stick spray. (See notes above.)
• Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and add to the batter. Beat well. Add the vanilla, nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut. Mix until fully combined.
• Transfer to the prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned on the edges, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Cut into squares and serve with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

©CallMePMc.com All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 223IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.

Want to save your favorite recipes?Create an account or login & ‘Save Recipe’ to your Recipe Box. You can access your saved recipes on any device & generate a shopping list for recipes in your collections. For more info visit Recipe Box FAQ!

Tried this recipe?Please take a moment to comment letting me know how you liked it & consider giving it a 5 star rating. I love hearing from you!

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Visit all my recommended products at Paula’s Picks on Amazon. Read my entire Privacy Policy here.

You can also find great recipes here or at Meal Plan Monday