Happy December! Just 3 more weeks before Christmas..YaY!! 🙂 ‘Tis the season for baking homemade cookies, cakes, pastries and bars; my head is spinning with Holiday recipes that I would like to try this month and of course, I’ll post it all here, maybe you’d want to try it too..
Since I find it much harder to make a blog post for a recipe than to actually make it (it takes me hours to finish just one post), I’m going to make my posts shorter so I’ll have more time baking or cooking and eating ;). I think you’ll like me better if I don’t “talk” much here.. at least until the Holidays is over. 🙂
combine dry ingredients in a bowl, wet on another bowl mixing well; combine wet and dry ingredients..
fold in chopped toasted walnut ( or pecans)..
.. and the toasted dessicated coconut
…and don’t forget the white chocolate chunks
pour into foil-lined baking pan..don’t worry if it seems dry..
it’ll still come out moist after baking..you’ll love every bite especially if you like coconut 🙂
CONGO BARS
recipe adapted from Cooks’ Illustrated
The original recipe makes one 9×13 pan but it’s too much for me and my family so I halved the recipe and I like to use a 9″ square pan
Congo Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 CUP PECANS OR WALNUTS, TOASTED AND CHOPPED COARSE
- 3/4 CUP UNSWEETENED SHREDDED COCONUT
- 3/4 CUP UNBLEACHED ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR 7 1/2 OUNCES
- 1/2 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
- PINCH OF TABLE SALT
- 6 TABLESPOONS BUTTER 3/4 STICK, MELTED AND COOLED
- 3/4 CUPS Packed Light Brown Sugar 10 1/2 OUNCES
- 1 LARGE EGG LIGHTLY BEATEN
- 2 TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT
- 4 OUNCES WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS 1 CUP OR CHOPPED BAR, OR 3 OUNCES EACH WHITE CHOCOLATE AND SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS
Instructions
- ADJUST OVEN RACK TO THE MIDDLE POSITION AND HEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES. SPREAD NUTS ON LARGED RIMMED BAKING SHEET AND BAKE UNTIL DEEP GOLDEN BROWN, 10 TO 15 MINUTES. TRANSFER NUTS TO CUTTING BOARD TO COOL; CHOP COARSELY AND SET ASIDE. TOAST COCONUT ON SAME RIMMED BAKING SHEET, STIRRING 2 TO 3 TIMES, UNTIL LIGHT GOLDEN, ABOUT 5 TO 7 MINUTES.
- WHILE NUTS AND COCONUT TOAST, LINE A 9-INCH SQUARE BAKING PAN WITH FOIL; MAKE SURE THA THE SIDES ARE COVERED TOO. SPRAY FOIL-LINED PAN WITH NONSTICK COOKING SPRAY.
- WHISK FLOUR, BAKING POWDER, AND SALT TOGETHER IN A MEDIUM BOWL; SET ASIDE.
- WHISK MELTED BUTTER AND BROWN SUGAR TOGETHER IN MEDIUM BOWL UNTIL COMBINED. ADD EGGS AND VANILLA AND MIX WELL. USING RUBBER SPATULA, FOLD DRY INGREDIENTS INTO EGG MIXTURE UNTIL JUST COMBINED; DO NOT OVERMIX. FOLD IN CHOCOLATE, COCONUT AND NUTS AND TURN BATTER INTO PREPARED PAN, SMOOTHING TOP WITH RUBBER SPATULA.
- BAKE UNTIL TOP IS SHINY, CRACKED, AND LIGHT GOLDEN BROWN, 22 TO 25 MINUTES; DO NOT OVERBAKE. COOL ON WIRE RACK TO ROOM TEMPERATURE. REMOVE BARS FROM PAN BY LIFTING FOIL OVERHANG AND TRANSFER TO CUTTING BOARD. CUT INTO 2-INCH SQUARES AND SERVE.