Congo Bar Recipe

This recipe is taken from our book, Honeybuns Gluten free Baking, and is an adapted version of the gluten free Congo Bars we used to bake in the bakery. These delightful bars are gorgeous taken from the fridge on a summer’s day.

makes:15 pieces

health: gluten-free

cook: 20 minutes

store: 7 days in airtight tin

compost: eggshells

Polenta shortbread base – see here for ingredients and the recipe

300 g/10½ oz dulce de leche

200 g/7 oz/1 cup pecan halves, toasted and cooled

25 g/1 oz coconut chips, toasted and cooled

100 g/3½ oz milk chocolate buttons

cocoa powder, for dusting

This nutty shortbread topped with nuts and chocolate is one of our best-selling products. It’s worth the slight kerfuffle of pre-toasting the pecans and coconut, as this brings a lovely smokiness to the party.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.

Prepare and bake the polenta shortbread base. Allow to cool completely.

Spread the dulce de leche over the base, making sure it is evenly spread right to the edges.

Sprinkle the toasted pecans evenly over the caramel.

Sprinkle on the toasted coconut chips and push them gently into the caramel.

Sprinkle on the chocolate buttons, making sure they are evenly distributed.

Pop into the oven for 1-2 minutes, so the chocolate melts very slightly – the idea is just to make it stick.

Allow to cool. When the chocolate buttons are almost reset back to their original form, but still slightly tacky to the touch, dust lightly and evenly with cocoa powder. Place in the fridge to chill.

Once chilled, remove from the tin and cut into pieces.

For a grown-up treat

Dark chocolate chunks are lovely in place of the chocolate buttons.

Taken from the Honeybun’s Gluten-Free Baking Book by Emma Goss-Custard, published by Pavilion. Recipe photography Cristian Barnett.