Congo Bars

I was given some cookie bars during the holidays that left me with a favorable impression as it was really delicious.  I had no idea what it was nor I have tasted it before, so I went online to look for a cookie bar recipe that resembled the cookie that I had.  I found the picture of Congo Bars looked similar and decided to give it a try.  Later, I realized that this Congo Bar actually resembled Blondie very much as they both make with similar ingredients.  And Congo Bar is actually another variation of Blondie.  I might give Blondie a try in the future.  For this, the only difference I changed was I used cashew nuts instead of walnuts or pecans.  The taste was fairly closed and I am happy with the result.

The above picture is how I wrapped the cookie bars.  I used red and white tissue papers, cut them out and wrapped the cookie bars like wrapping a candy and put them in a decorative zipper bag.  You can also wrap it in foil first and then cover with a solid color cellophane paper and pack them in a decorative box as gift.

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker with slight modification.

Ingredients:

(A)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

(B)

• 3/4 cup (or 1 + 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

(C)

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

(D)

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup toasted broken cashew nuts

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 350'F.  Lined a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a bit of an overhang over the edges.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together (A).  Set aside.

3.  In a large Pyrex bowl, whisk together (B) until combined.  Add (C) and whisk until well combined.  Add (A) mixture and whisk until combined.  Lastly, fold in (D) with a spatula.

4.  Pour mixture into the baking pan and spread evenly.

5.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.  When cooled, remove it with the parchment paper on a cutting board.  Cut into bars and serve.  Store leftover in an air-tight container.