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Congo Bars (Blondies)

These Congo Bars (aka Blondies) are soft, decadent, and chewy in the center with ooey gooey chocolate strewn throughout.  When your sweet tooth needs some satisfaction, it doesn’t get better than this.

Congo Blondies Bars

The day I made these Congo Bars, it was for an outdoor social we planned to have with friends at the beach.  Along with my Radio Flyer red wagon and tons of other loot, we set out to enjoy a long afternoon picnic.

Except that it suddenly rained.  Right when the bunch of us were setting up all the goods.  The wind was like 25 mph.  I shouldn’t have fixed my hair that morning.

So we packed up our stuff and brought the party back to our house instead.  I’m getting way better at this Minnesota weather thing.  Must. Have. Plan. B.

The Congo Bars held up through sun, rain, wind, and back home again.  These are some tough cookies.  But not really.

These golden bars are the epitome of chewy.  Abundant chocolate in the middle ensures they are ooey gooey, soft and chewy especially when they’re just slightly warm.  You can see and almost taste it…

Congo Bars Blondies

Naturally, these Congo Bars are a crowd pleaser because they are basically a buttery, golden, chewy chocolate chip cookie in chunky square form.  Who doesn’t like that?

There are only a handful of ingredients that go into these decadent Congo Bars, and the fact that they’re baked in a pan makes it all the less work for you.

You probably have all the ingredients on hand as we speak.

Napkins = optional.  Cold glass of milk = recommended.  A big smile with melted chocolate stuck on front teeth = required.

Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

Congo Blondies Bars

Congo Bars (Blondies)

5 from 1 vote
These Congo Bars are chewy, soft, and decadent. Bars keep very well in an airtight container at room temperature. Easy and crowd pleasing dessert.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325F, with rack on lower middle position. Grease and flour a 13x9 pan and set aside.
  • In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and stir until combined.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using rubber spatula, fold butter mixture with flour mixture just until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.
  • Press dough into prepared pan, using spatula to even out the surface. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or just until top is lightly browned. It should look puffy, soft, and golden. Center will still be soft.
  • Cool bars completely. Cut into squares. Store leftovers in airtight container at room temp.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Source:  Chew Out Loud, adapted from i heart nap time

If you’re craving cookies, you’ve come to the right place.  Let’s start with our famous Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies, soft batch style.

Soft Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

These are our favorite Bakery Style Big and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thick and Chewy Big Chocolate Chip Cookies

My personal favorite is the White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookie.  Loaded with white chocolate and chewy soft.

White chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

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17 comments

    • Denái

    Made these today and they were a big hit with my boyfriend. Added 1 cup pecans, 1/2 cup oats, 3 TBSP plain Greek yogurt, and subbed half the flour with whole wheat flour. So easy and delicious, I can’t wait to make them again with the kids I nanny! I recently found your blog through Pinterest and love your recipes. Thanks so much!

      • chewoutloud

      Yum, Denai! Love that you were able to use some ww flour and even oats…sounds so good! I’ll have to try it with oats and nuts…anything to get more nutrition into our desserts, right?! 🙂 Thanks so much for being here today!

    • Lena

    Hello there! If u dont mind to convert whats 11TB of butter in grams/cups? Cant wait to try this deliciously looking blondie ♡ much thanks!

      • chewoutloud

      It’s 155.93 grams of butter. Hope you love these blondies…they are yummy! 🙂

    • Lorraine S

    Disappointed. Followed recipe exactly. They were too soft and gooey. Will not back again.

      • chewoutloud

      I’m so sorry these weren’t what you expected, Lorraine. These Congo Bars are known for their chewy, soft, gooey-ness. If you prefer them less so, then increasing bake time would definitely make them firmer. Otherwise, please let me know if I can help you find a recipe you’ll love. There are tons of bars, cookies, and all sorts of treats to suit different tastes here…I’d love to help. I can also recommend recipes from other sites. Feel free to email me: amy@chewoutloud.com if you would like suggestions 🙂 Thanks for coming over, Lorraine.

    • Kylie

    Made these with chips and m&m’s soo good!

      • chewoutloud

      Awesome, Kylie! So glad to hear you guys liked this 🙂 Thanks for coming over today!

    • Rebecca Amnott

    I thought congo bars had coconut in them. That is how I remember them from my younger days.

    • Randy Max Looper

    ADD a cup of chopped pecans..extra delicious

      • chewoutloud

      Great, Randy! 🙂

    • Thalia @ butter and brioche

    i have never tried blondies before! these look seriously delicious.. definitely on my ‘to eat’ list!

      • chewoutloud

      They’re just like a thick chewy chocolate chip cookie bar 🙂 Happy eating!

    • Liz

    Nice recipe. Thank you.

      • chewoutloud

      you’re welcome, Liz 🙂

    • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche

    I’ve never made blondies before but these look sooooo good! Love all those big chocolate chunks.

      • chewoutloud

      Thanks, Becca! 🙂

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