Elementary Treats

This is another treat I have been trying to recreate for a long time.  Again those lunch ladies at good old Lomond View Elementary have had me on the lookout for a recipe resembling one of their lunch room treats.  They were dang good cooks those little lunch ladies.  I still remember "Taco Friday" and the homemade cinnamon twists we would get with the taco.  My mother even loved Taco Friday.  Those ladies made everything from scratch.  You could smell the bread cooking down the halls and know you were in for a treat most days.

One of my favorite desserts were Congo Bars.  The only bad thing about them was you could only have one, and there was never a friend who was on a diet in elementary school.  Congo Bars resembled a chocolate chip cookie, but in bar form, but they had a little coconut in them and chocolate drizzled over the top.  Yesterday I did a little search for Congo Bars and came up with this recipe.  I changed it a bit, but was completely happy with the outcome.  Actually I was thrilled with the outcome.  These were delish!!

I made them for a little Lion Club family cookout yesterday, but as fortune would have it, we never made it to the cookout.  The bakery demanded J's time and attention yesterday from 5 am until 9:30pm so I ended up taking one for the team.  I ate the whole pan by myself!  Just kidding!  My mom would be mortified, but I did eat one for breakfast today.  Full of protein, and chocolate, and wheat, and eggs.  That's a great breakfast don't you think.  I'm going to stash a few down the road for my long run tomorrow.  I'm sure my girls will thank me!  Wouldn't you?

So try a lovely Congo Bar for your next little gathering.  They were dang good!  Thanks Lomond View lunch ladies!!

Congo Bars

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 lb. brown sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

3/4 c. shredded coconut

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. (I never do this.  Who owns a sifter anyways!)

Combine butter and sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Add flour and mix until combined.

Stir in chips and then pecans. (I toasted my pecans.  Yum!)

Coat a 13 X 9 pan with non-stick spray and spread batter evenly into dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake.

After the congo bars have cooled you can drizzle a little melted chocolate on top.  I couldn't wait and ate them as is.  They were great!