Congo Bars

5 from 4 votes

Soft, chocolate gooey, and chewy, these good old-fashioned lemon infused Congo Bars are going to knock your socks off! Similar to a blondie in texture, they are jam-packed with chocolate chips, a lovely walnut crunch, and are taken to the next yummy level with a touch of lemon zest!

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: congo bars

Servings:

Calories: 254kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Equipment

Ingredients

¼ cup butter room temperature
2 cups brown sugar packed
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon zest
¼ teaspoon salt
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup walnuts chopped
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To begin, preheat your oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) before you begin the recipe so that it’s ready to go! Then line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Add the butter, light brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl. Then beat everything together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until the flour is well incorporated.
Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips making sure to distribute them evenly.
Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool in pan then transfer to a cutting board. Cut the cookies into bars and serve.

Notes

Quality ingredients matter. Higher quality unsalted butter and chocolate chips are going to produce richer, better tasting cookie bars.
Room temperature ingredients. The butter needs to be soft and the eggs should be at room temperature so that the dough binds together properly.
Cool on the pan. Allow the cookie bars to cool in the pan before cutting them into squares. They need this time to set so that they don’t fall apart.
Store in an airtight container for about 3 days at room temperature or for about a week in the fridge. To warm them up, you can put them in the microwave for about 15 seconds or in the toaster oven for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Nutrition