Congo Bars

To many, chocolate chip cookies are a Godsend, a cure-all, the answer to all life's little problems. Cookies, especially the chocolate chip kind, spell happiness, home, and just plain contentment.

Brownies, on the other hand, are a bit more decadent. Something for a slightly more special occasion? Maybe...

I have found that that there are two kinds of people. Cookie people and brownie people. But what if both of these worlds can coexist? What if there could be cookie and brownie harmony in the world? If I could take all the cookie people and all the brownie people and throw them in a mixer together...what would I get?? A congo bar, that's what!!

This, my friends, is what heaven is really all about. I found this over at the Bakerella site and decided that I had to try it. It's not a cookie, it's not a brownie, but it's kind of like a cookie on crack?? Definitely a cookie...with the texture of a brownie! Who could ask for anything more??

Well...maybe a glass of milk.

And a bigger pan.

Okay seriously. Go make these right now. They are amazing! I adapted mine a bit and used Ghiradelli chocolate chips and Heath toffee chips. They were exquisite fresh from the oven. However, if you happen to have any leftover then next day, chopped nuts would take those over the edge. So I would suggest you add some nuts in there as well and oh my! Okay go!

Congo Bars
Adapted from Bakerella

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 lb. light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
11.5-12 ounce package milk chocolate chips
1 cup toffee chips
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

By mixer:
Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Combine butter and 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.
Add flour and mix until combined.
Stir in chips and then pecans.

By hand (I used this method):
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
Stir brown sugar into softened (not melted) butter in another large bowl until butter disappears. You can use the back of your spoon to help incorporate the two together.
Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture and stir well after each egg.
Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts. Mix well.
Add dry flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Coat a 13 X 9 pan with non-stick spray and spread batter evenly into dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30** minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake.

Enjoy!

**Note: I had to bake mine a bit longer (about 5 minutes or so) so don't be nervous about baking a bit longer. If it starts to brown too much on top and is still not done in the center, cover with foil for the remainder of the baking time.