Congo bars are soft, chewy cookie bars loaded with buttery brown sugar flavor and lots of chocolate chips. Make this easy vintage dessert in one bowl and customize it with mix-ins like chopped pecans and coconut.
Try more cookie bar recipes like my monster cookie bars, chocolate chip cheesecake bars, and kitchen sink bars next.
The post for these Congo bars was originally published in August 2010. The pictures were updated in November 2018, and the post was republished in January 2026.
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What are congo bars? If you've never had one before, congo bars are rich, chewy blonde brownies filled with chocolate chips and brown sugar.
It's a retro recipe found in church cookbooks (one theory is that the name "congo" comes from "congregation"). I recently rediscovered my congo bars recipe in a box of old recipe cards. Of course, I had to make them right away!
In high school, I would make these soft, gooey congo bars for youth group events. Every time I showed up with a pan, they disappeared in no time. I can't wait for yours to have the same effect!
Why You'll Love Congo Bars
- Soft, chewy, chocolatey. Eating a congo bar is like biting into a super soft-baked chocolate chip cookie. It's a texture similar to a fudgy brownie, flavored with brown sugar instead of chocolate.
- One bowl. The cookie dough comes together in minutes in one bowl with simple ingredients. Mixer optional!
- Any occasion. Congo bars are perfect for bake sales, potlucks, and holiday baking. Try a warm square with a scoop of ice cream on top. Cookie dough goodness with melty ice cream is the best.
You'll Need These Ingredients
Like many other old-timey dessert recipes, congo bars call for a handful of easy pantry ingredients. Scroll to the printable recipe below the post for the full amounts.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter. If you're using salted, consider reducing the amount of added salt in the recipe.
- Brown Sugar: The extra moisture in brown sugar gives these bars their signature rich, caramelized flavor and soft texture.
- Eggs and Vanilla: For extra richness and structure. Use pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste, and not imitation.
- Flour: Measure the flour using the spoon-and-level method. Spoon the flour into your cup measure. Don't scoop directly from the bag. Afterward, level off the flour with the back of a knife. This avoids over-measuring.
- Baking Powder: Not to be confused with baking soda. Check the expiration dates on your ingredients to ensure they're fresh.
- Chocolate Chips: I use semi-sweet chocolate. You can also use white chips, milk chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chips if you prefer.
How to Make Congo Bars
The secret to these bars' chewy, almost fudgy texture is to cream the sugar and butter together well, and to not overbake. Here are the quick steps:
- Mix the wet ingredients. Beat the softened butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla, then beat again.
- Add the dry ingredients. Slowly mix the flour, baking powder, and salt into the butter mixture until a soft, thick dough forms.
- Add chocolate. Gently fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Bake. Spread the dough into your prepared baking pan, and bake for 30 minutes. Do not overbake! Let the Congo bars cool completely before you slice them into squares.
BruCrew Tips
- Prep the pan. Line the baking pan with parchment paper or spray it with a nonstick cooking spray.
- Add a little sea salt. For a sweet-salty contrast, sprinkle the cookie dough with coarse or flaky sea salt before baking.
- Don't overbake. The secret to perfect congo bars is not to overbake them. I have always baked this recipe for 28-30 minutes. This gives the bars a slightly crispy top and sides, while the center of the chocolate chip cookie bars stays soft and gooey. All ovens bake differently, so I recommend checking the bars at 28 minutes and going from there.
- The bars set up as they cool. The bars will look underdone when you first pull them out of the oven. That's exactly what you want! Let them sit on the counter and cool completely before you cut them into squares. The center may sink a little, and that's OK.
- Change up the chocolate. Use white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips for a different flavor profile.
Easy Variations
- Stir in coconut. A popular variation of congo bars involves stirring shredded coconut into the dough. See our tropical blonde brownies.
- Add nuts. Mix in chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds.
- Add a chocolate drizzle. Drizzle melted chocolate over the cooled Congo bars.
How to Store These Bars
- At room temperature. Cover the bars tightly and keep them on the counter for 4-5 days.
- Freeze. You can freeze the whole slab of chocolate chip bars or individual squares. Wrap the bars in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer bag. Freeze for 1-2 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and then bring them to room temperature before serving.
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Recipe
Congo Bars
Chewy, buttery congo bars are vintage cookie bars filled with brown sugar flavor and melty chocolate chips. They're easy to make in one bowl!
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour (330g)
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again.
- Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and slowly add to the butter mixture until a soft, thick dough forms.
- Stir the chocolate chips in by hand. Spread the mixture in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Do not over bake! Remove and let the bars cool completely before cutting them.
- Store in a tightly sealed container.
Notes
- Prep the pan. Line the baking pan with parchment paper or spray it with a nonstick cooking spray.
- Add a little sea salt. For a sweet-salty contrast, sprinkle the cookie dough with coarse or flaky sea salt before baking.
- Don’t overbake. The secret to perfect congo bars is not to overbake them. I have always baked this recipe for 28-30 minutes. This gives the bars a slightly crispy top and sides, while the center of the chocolate chip cookie bars stays soft and gooey. All ovens bake differently, so I recommend checking the bars at 28 minutes and going from there.
- The bars set up as they cool. The bars will look underdone when you first pull them out of the oven. That’s exactly what you want! Let them sit on the counter and cool completely before you cut them into squares. The center may sink a little, and that’s OK.
- Change up the chocolate. Use white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips for a different flavor profile.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 341Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 172mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 2gSugar: 32gProtein: 5g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
Mary E Allan says
What temperature do you set the oven at?
Jocelyn says
Step 1 in the recipe card says to preheat the oven to 350°.
Corinne says
I see you used a glass dish.
Is that what is required in this recipe?
I always do my bars in metal pans.
Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Jocelyn says
I usually use a glass pan for most of my baking, but metal works just as well. You will probably need to reduce the baking time slightly as metal bakes a little faster than glass. I hope you like the bars!
Terri Stokes says
I only have salted butter on hand - can I bake these with salted butter and leave out the salt? Thank you.
Jocelyn says
Yes, that would be just fine. You may need to add around 1/4 teaspoon of salt, but taste the dough first to see what you think. I hope you enjoy the bars!
Aweb says
Did you maybe take 'beat' literally and incorparte too much air using a moxer? Try mixing/creaming the ingredients together lightly and always by hand instead. Good luck!
Trish says
Can someone help me? I have used this recipe dozens of times but my bars always end up fluffy and not gooey and underbaked. I leave them in for 30 minutes and I was thinking that I should put it in the oven with less time? My oven thermometer tells me that the oven is at the right temperature. Could I use a 1:1 ratio of melted butter instead?
Jocelyn says
I've never used melted butter for this recipe. My guess is to bake them for around 26 mins and see what that does. I always do 30 minutes for this particular recipe if I'm taking them somewhere or using them for a bake sale, but they are never fluffy. If it's for us, I will do around 28 minutes.
Julie says
I made these the other day, I only had dark brown sugar but they worked out well! I added nuts. Thought they would taste awesome with coconut too, so I'll add that next time in addition to the nuts. 30 minutes was exactly perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
Carolyn says
Finally, the perfect recipe for the Congo bars of my youth! Thank you for sharing!
Jennifer Lehner says
I've made these bars so many times and everyone always loves them!!
Kathi says
I made these, but I substituted salted caramel chips instead of "just plain ol' chocolate chips". OMG! A-MAAAA-zing 🙂
Jocelyn says
Oh, that does sound absolutely amazing!!! I will definitely have to try that!
Rachael Yerkes says
I couldn't stop myself while eating these. they're so good!
Aimee Shugarman says
These turned out perfect, and underbaked is totally the way to go!
Ashley F says
These are a family favorite, especially around Christmas!
Tanya B. says
I added a package of mint hot chocolate to the flour mix....OMG! So good!
Jocelyn says
Oh, my word! I love that idea!! I know what I want to make right away 🙂 Thanks for sharing your fun idea!!!
Tanya B. says
Oh my goodness I couldn't stop eating the batter lol! Please let me know what you think. Mine are fresh out of the oven and I want to dig into them so bad but I can't. Have to save them for dinner later!
Alyshia gangemi says
This recipe came out horrible .. Either you gave the wrong ingredients or wrong cooking time , it came out like a hard cake !!!! Ruined my dinner!!!
Jocelyn says
I am so sorry that these didn't turn out for you, but the recipe is correct. I have had quite a few comments saying how delicious these were, so I know the recipe is ok. All ovens bake differently, so yours might run hotter causing the bars to bake faster.
Dee says
These look amazing! Has anyone tried them without the chocolate chips? My daughter can't have chocolate, but she loves plain blondies and haven't found a recipe that we like!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
I have never made them without chocolate chips, but I'm sure the plain blondie would be good. You could also substitute any candy she can eat. Can she have white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips?
Kim Forrester says
I made them with butterscotch chips and they are delicious
Carolyn says
I just made these and they are fantastic! Underbaking them is key . Thank you for the awesome recipe!!!! <3
Jocelyn Brubaker says
I agree with you...under baking is definitely the way to go on these!!!
Hillary says
I just made these today and they did not come out chewy or underbaked at all! 🙁 I baked them for 30 minutes as advised...but they probably would've done better at about 20-25 minutes to come out with the same consistency I think!
Robert says
Yes 20 min is all u need as they will continue to cook after there out of the oven.
Jocelyn says
All ovens bake differently, but I have never baked these bars for less than 28 minutes.
Aunt Betty says
I grew up eating almost this exact same recipe made by my maternal grandmother. She called them Congo Squares. And the recipe does say to slightly underbake "they will seem not done, but they are." These ARE absolutely divine. If you haven't made a pan full, do so. You won't be sorry!
Rebecca says
I just make these earlier and let me tell you.........AWESOME!!!! This recipe is a KEEPER! I think I might thow in some pecans the next time just to see how the combination of chocolate and pecans will be. I'm sure it will be just as delicious as this above recipe. Definitely give this recipe a try! Think you will agree that it's a keeper!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
I am so glad to hear how much you like these. They are one of my all time favorites. I think the pecans in it sounds awesome too 🙂