Congo Bars

They're blondies with a bunch of stuff in 'em!  Normally when I hear "blondie," I normally think "ok, I'll eat it because I love sugar but I wish this were actually a brownie."

But these blondies hold their own.  Texturally, they're just like a brownie- dense, chewy, and a crackly crust.  But they've got a wonderful mild caramely flavor and they're stuffed with chocolate chips, nuts and coconut.   Allllllll the good stuff.

Watch out brownies.  Blondies wanna fight ya'.  

Ok, I have to stop right here.  The Bachelor is on and Tierra is just too much crazy to handle and Sean is a plain ol' doofus.  Can someone please talk about this at length with me?  I have so many feelings.  Are all men as blind as Sean?  Please say no.  I'll lose faith in humanity.  

Between my Paczki incident  and Sean's decision to keep Tierra around, I'm convinced that there's no good in the world.  Food and TV is what I base my values on, by the way.  

I think maybe these Congo Bars can keep my faith alive.  

Here's the recipe!  

Ingredients:

1 cup pecans (or walnuts), chopped coarse
1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups flour
1teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

• 
  1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 inch pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
  
  2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside set aside.
  
  3. Whisk melted butter and brown sugar together in medium bowl until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using rubber spatula, carefully fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined.  Do not overmix.  Fold in chocolate, coconut, and nuts until just combined.  Spread batter into prepared pan.
  
  5. Bake until top is shiny, cracked, and light golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes.  Careful not to overbake. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. When cooled, slice and serve.  
  Enjoy!
  Recipe barely adapted from America's Test Kitchen.