Sunday, August 1, 2010

Walden Treat - from Amy

Congo Bars

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter, softened (not melted) (approx. 10 2/3 tbs)
1 lb. light brown sugar

3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
11.5 ounce package chocolate chips

By hand:

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
Stir brown sugar into softened (not melted) butter in another large bowl until butter disappears. You can use the back of your spoon to help incorporate the two together.
Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture and stir well after each egg.
Add vanilla and chocolate chips. Mix well.
Add dry flour mixture and stir until well combined. The batter should be thick.

OR, by mixer:

Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Combine butter and sugar using a mixer until blended.
Add eggs, one at a time to sugar mixture, mixing on low in between each addition.
Add vanilla and mix.
Add flour and mix until combined.
Stir in chips. The batter should be thick.

Coat a 13 X 9 pan with non-stick spray (or butter/flour combo) and spread batter evenly into pan. I usually put the pan into the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight at this point, but you don’t have to.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake. Use a toothpick to insert and check for doneness before removing from the oven. Sometimes it takes a bit longer to cook (especially if they’ve been in the fridge), so don’t be surprised if they’re not done after 35 minutes. If you feel that the top is getting too brown, put tin foil over the top.