Kasuy (Cashew) Bars

I love using local ingredients and substituting for the more costly or harder to find items in recipes that I like. Case in point, this wonderful recipe I found on www.bakerella.com it's supposed to be a cross between cookies and brownies (brookies?) is what she calls them. They're called congo bars but I christened them kasuy (cashew) bars because I substituted cashew which is local here for the imported and hence more expensive pecan. She also gave two options--by hand or by mixer. Of course, I chose the path of least resistance and made it by mixer. It came out crumbly and fudgy (is that the right word?). Let me share my local Filipino version of bakerella's congo bars

Kasuy Bars:
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
450 grams light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
200 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup cashew, chopped roughly

Grease and line a 13 X 9 pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar with the paddle attachment of your mixer until blended. Add eggs, one at a time to sugar mixture, mixing on low in between each addition. Making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour and mix until combined. Stir in chips and the chopped cashew, spread batter evenly into dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake.

Best enjoyed with a cup of coffee and a friend :)