Here’s the classic, old-fashioned Congo Bars recipe—chewy, buttery, and loaded with brown-sugar flavor. These are sometimes called brown sugar blondies, and they’re incredibly easy to make.
Congo Bars (Classic Recipe)
Makes one 9×13-inch pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups brown sugar (light or dark)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips (or a mix of chocolate chips & nuts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven
- Set oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease or line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper.
- Mix wet ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.
- Add dry ingredients
- Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips (and nuts, if using).
- Bake
- Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
- Bake 25–30 minutes, until edges are golden and center is just set.
- Cool & cut
- Cool completely before slicing for clean bars.
Tips for Perfect Congo Bars
- Slightly underbake for extra chewy centers.
- Use dark brown sugar for deeper caramel flavor.
- Line pan with parchment for easy removal.
Popular Variations
- Kitchen sink: Add white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or M&M’s
- Nutty: Add 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- Salted: Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top before baking
- Marbled: Swirl peanut butter or Nutella into batter
If you want, I can also give you a thick bakery-style version, a small-batch recipe, or a no-mixer, one-bowl shortcut.
