Congo Bars Recipe

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Published: February 22, 2021Author: Elyse Ellis
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Congo Bars are thick, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie bars that are a family favorite.
Congo Bars Recipe

If you love cookies, these Congo Bars are for you!

They are basically a batch of cookies spread out in a pan.

Thick, chewy, and full of chocolate chip goodness.

You can mix in any ingredients you want – M and M’s are one of our favorites!

Ingredients in Congo Bars:

  • flour
  • baking powder
  • salt
  • butter
  • brown sugar
  • eggs
  • vanilla
  • milk chocolate chips
  • pecans

How to make Congo Bars:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
  3. In another bowl combine butter and brown sugar using a mixer until blended.
  4. Add eggs, one at a time to sugar mixture, mixing on low in between each addition.
  5. Add vanilla and mix well.
  6. Add in the flour mixture and mix until combined, then fold in chips and pecans.
  7. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray and spread batter evenly into dish.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.
  9. Do not over bake.
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Looking for more bar recipes? Try these:

Serves: 20

Congo Bars Recipe

Chocolate chip cookies in a bar!
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Print Pin

Ingredients

  • 2 ¾ cups flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup butter softened
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 12 ounces milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
  • In another bowl combine butter and brown 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 well.
  • Add in the flour mixture and mix until combined, then fold in chips and pecans.
  • Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray and spread batter evenly into dish.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.
  • Do not over bake.

Notes

Other things that you could add to these bars:
  • white chocolate chips
  • chopped walnuts
  • sprinkles
  • m & m’s
  • chopped pecans
  • caramel chunks

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl
  • 9×13-inch Baking Pan

Recipe Details

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Recipe adapted from Bakerella

congo bars stacked up from six sisters stuff

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  1. RebekahRose says:
    February 20, 2012
    These look great!! I don't think I've ever made cookie bars before but should give these a try. :)
    Reply
  2. Sunray Gardens says:
    February 20, 2012
    Looks wonderful and definitely easy.
    Cher Sunray Gardens
    Reply
  3. Clumsy Coquette says:
    February 20, 2012
    Wow, these look amazing! Now I want cookies!
    Reply
  4. Lois says:
    February 20, 2012
    Oh my goodness! These looked so good and so easy that I just had to make them. They just came out of the oven and we are waiting to try them. I'm blogging about them too. I just love your website! It's my new go-to place for something new! Thank you!

    Lois

    http://inmysparetimelolo.blogspot.com/
    Reply
  5. Danni Baird @ Silo Hill Farm says:
    February 20, 2012
    Oh you just knew I'd click on that yummy looking photo! Can't resist chocolate chip anything! Yummmmm!
    Reply
  6. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says:
    February 21, 2012
    I have been wanting to make Congo bars forever. These look amazing!
    Reply
  7. Fliss says:
    February 23, 2012
    I have these in the oven right now! My lil' guy will be excited about them once he's home from school. :) I didn't have any milk chocolate chips on hand, so I made them with semi sweet. No doubt they will still taste amazing!
    Reply
  8. Nicky says:
    March 6, 2012
    Tonight is the second time I have made these for my kids (and me...oh yes...for me, as well) and they are absolutely delicious!
    Thanks for the awesome recipe!
    Reply
  9. Alexis says:
    June 19, 2012
    I saw your recipe and saved the link on my computer as a must try! And I am so glad I did, they are so good they are addicting. I changed the pecans to walnuts, but here is my post about them.

    http://lexslifeasanewwife.blogspot.com/2012/06/congo-bars.html
    Reply
  10. naomi says:
    July 15, 2012
    I plan on making these tonight so my daughter can take these tomorrow for her summer school class. My daughter turned 5 year old today. Thanks for a nice simple quick recipe. I love looking at your blog. :)
    Reply
  11. Unknown says:
    July 22, 2012
    These were delicious. Pretty quick and easy. Nice and soft. I added pecans and walnuts. Will definitely be making these again! Would be delicious heated up with some ice cream on top!
    Reply
  12. Christen says:
    October 17, 2012
    I had a craving for something sweet and had all the ingredients on hand. They were so quick to make and turned out DELICIOUS! I satisfied my craving and now am left with the rest of the batch! Good thing I halved it because they are going to be all gone very soon!
    Reply
  13. Chelsie Worley says:
    December 31, 2012
    I just baked these for a New Years party I'm going to tonight! Can't wait to see how they taste :)
    Reply
  14. Monique T says:
    August 9, 2013
    I am super excited to try these, I have decided to give up on chocolate chip cookies and try making them into bar, I can make breads, and cakes and other good items, but I just can't get the chocolate chip cookies right, I hope this works!
    Reply
    • vikki buss says:
      October 30, 2013
      I have the same problem, my choco chippers suckers! However, I made this recipe into cookies - I just dropped them by tablespoons onto the cookie sheet and they came out fabulous...now I have a good recipe for choco chips!
      Reply
  15. vikki buss says:
    October 30, 2013
    I just made the conga bars, however I just dropped them by tablespoons onto my cookie sheets and they turned out fabulous as a cookie...thank you for sharing this recipe -- now I have a new cookie recipe to send with my daughter on Saturday's for her EMT training..
    Reply
  16. Lisa says:
    August 29, 2014
    Made this recipe this morning. Loved these growing up, however followed the directions to the "T" and in my opinion the came out cake like which I did not care for. Next time I make these I will try a different recipe.
    Reply
  17. Lisa says:
    September 21, 2014
    I made these yesterday. They came out delicious. I did adjust a few things just for personal taste and to be creative. I used macadamia nuts because I don't like pecans. I also added some white chocolate chips and heath toffee bits, only because I had partial bags open and decided to get creative. My husband told me "save this recipe, it's a winner!" That's high praise from him!
    Reply
  18. Lindsay says:
    September 19, 2015
    These sound wonderful! I want to make them for my daughters' teachers but want to omit the nuts in case of allergies. Do you know if I will need to adjust the flour to make it them come out? Thanks
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      September 22, 2015
      You wouldn't need to add much if at all. If it seems too gooey you could add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup flour.
      Reply
  19. azy says:
    January 12, 2016
    hi, i'm from malaysia.. i just tried your recipe but it turns more cakey..not mist and fudgy can you help me? thanks sorry for my broken english :(
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      January 12, 2016
      We have never had a problem with these. Your oven could be hotter than most and maybe less cooking time would help.
      Reply
  20. Glenda Golden says:
    February 7, 2020
    Saw this recipe in our "hometown" paper. My husband pointed it out . The title caught my eye...along with the all brown sugar. In the 70's lived 18 months in Africa and had to learn to make my own brown sugar.... Brought back a memory. Do you know how it got the name "Congo Bars". Thank you for sharing.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      February 8, 2020
      There are several theories floating out there about the history of the Congo Bar. One of the first recipes for Congo Squares showed up in the 1940s on a package of Nestlé chocolate chips. It might have been a marketing gimmick to compete with the wartime “Tropical Bar” that Hershey’s had developed for soldiers. Others speculate that “Congo” refers to coconut and chocolate, both rather exotic ingredients in the early half of the 20th century. And yet other research links the Congo recipe to something served at the Congo Room, the name of the themed mid-century lounges that dotted the United States from Las Vegas all the way to Canton, Ohio. And the mystery deepens; some insist that Congo is short for ‘congregation,’ as the recipe was so popular in congregational churches, at bake sales or afternoon teas. One thing everyone can agree on is that it doesn’t get any better than a moist and chewy cookie bar that’s chock full of delicious stuff.
      Reply
  21. Jae says:
    July 26, 2020
    I used to make these back in the late '60's when I was in High School. It was my mother's recipe and they always reminded me of chocolate chip cookies. After going to college, I tried to make these, but the recipe wasn't to be found. I'm so happy to find the recipe again. I look forward to making these again when the weather cools off. I hate heating the kitchen in the summer.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      July 28, 2020
      These Congo bars do bring back a lot of childhood memories! They taste similar to a chocolate chip cookie in bar form with the yummy taste of brown sugar!
      Reply
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