Congo Bars

For as many yummy recipes my mother had in her arsenal, there were a few complete misses—the one that first comes to mind are her Congo Bars.  It was like a challenge for my mom, I suppose, to finally conquer the recipe and make it work.  Ultimately, the recipe won.  There was no cracking it in her lifetime.  They never came out right--but you know, that never stopped my mom from trying.  She made these all the time. 

Just to clarify things a bit…. 

Congo bars fit into the category of brownies and blondie—the difference being the addition of toasted coconut being added to the dough along with chocolate chips and nuts.  The bars should have the same consistency as their counterparts.  

So, what was wrong with my mom’s recipe?  The end product never cooked evenly.  The edges were break-a-tooth rock hard while portions of the center were undercooked and doughy. .. and the bottom overbrowned or burnt.  Now, I even tried to make the same recipe with the same result—so it wasn’t my mom—the recipe she had was a bad one.  After researching a bit, the recipe we meticulously followed had issues.  Subsequently, I chucked said recipe and found a new one.  

Cook’s Illustrated’s version:

Congo Bars

How Congo Bars are supposed to look.

• 1 cup pecans (or walnuts), toasted and chopped
• 1.5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted (+ ¾ cup coconut, toasted to sprinkle on top--optional)
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 12 TBSP unsalted butter (1.5 sticks), melted and cooled (No substitutions!) 
• 1.5 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 tsp vanilla extract ( I know, it’s a lot)
• 1 cup white chocolate chips—(may use milk chocolate chips or butterscotch—or blend all three together). 

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread nuts on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer nuts to cutting board to cool; chop coarsely and set aside. Toast the coconut on same rimmed baking sheet, stirring 2 to 3 times, until light golden, about 5 to 7 minutes.  

Fit two pieces of aluminum foil into a 13 by 9″ baking pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.  Stir melted butter and brown sugar together in medium bowl until combined.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Using rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix.   Fold in chocolate, coconut, and nuts.

Turn batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula.  Sprinkle with toasted coconut.  

Bake until top is shiny, cracked, and light golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes; do not over bake. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. Remove bars from pan by lifting foil overhang and transfer to cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.