I’ll be very honest here and say it – I am a lazy ass. This recipe started out as a cookie, but if you know me, you know that baking cookies bore me to death. I experience acute stress in waiting and watching the cookies in the oven to ensure they don’t over-bake or burn; and even worse is the mammoth amount patience required until every tray of cookies is baked.
Therefore, this cookie recipe became bars – all the dough goes in at once (NOTE: WITHOUT CHILLING!!), and you remain hassle-free, stress-free AND you can enjoy a cup of coffee while it bakes. About 11 to 12 minutes is all it needs – slight browning on top, and once removed, let it cool for 5 more minutes on a rack. Ideally, wait for it to cool completely before slicing, but for the life of me, I cannot wait that long, and really, they turned out pretty darn good.
So here you go, this recipe that yields 16 2 inch bars, or 16 regular sized cookies – whichever your mood and patience level asks for. BONUS: This dough can also be kept in the fridge for up to 1 week.
The Recipe
Serves 16 bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soft butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp vanilla essence
- 1 2/3 cups oats
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Grease and line a 9 by 9 square tin
- Stir the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt together and set aside
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with the sugars for a few minutes
- Add the egg and vanilla essence and whisk again for a few more minutes
- Then with a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients, ensuring no dry pockets
- Then add the M&Ms, saving a few to use on top
- Press the dough into the tin, ensuring no gaps and an even surface
- Bake for 11-12 minutes – the top should be slightly golden
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack
- Let the bars cool completely before slicing
