It's legit a cookie in bar form.

Bars are one of my favorite things to bake mainly because they're so damn easy to make: you mix the ingredients, dump it in a pan, maybe smoothen it a bit, then chuck it in an oven to bake. After a few minutes, you get a pan full of chewy, gooey goodness you can munch on for days. So. Good.

Brownies and blondies are bars I bake most of the time but I gotta say, oatmeal bars are my fave bars to make. Oatmeal bars have a different texture as they're grittier than the smooth and cake-like texture of brownies and blondies. Also, I find that oatmeal bars are heavier and more filling than brownies and blondies, not to mention healthier... well, to some extent. I find that whenever I want to bake something sweet but not particularly chocolatey or anything cakey, I always turn to a good oatmeal bar recipe, specially one that's packed with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Oh, and I'm not talking about granola bar type of oatmeal bars. I'm talking about the sinful, indulgent ones.

As much as I love oatmeal raisin cookies, I can't be arsed to do them so today's recipe just makes me really happy because I get to eat oatmeal raisin but in a different form. These oatmeal raisin cookie bars legit taste like cookies: they're chewy in the middle and a bit crunchy on top. They're packed with oatmeal and raisins and spices and vanilla; they're amazing and since they're quite thick, I get to have more! Yay!

OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIE BARS

(adapted from BakingBites.com)

Yield: 16 squares or  8 big bars or 12 medium bars or 32 bite-sized bars

1 cup all purpose flour (sifted then measured)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt *

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar (loosely packed)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 cup quick cooking oats

1 - 1 1/2 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

3. In another bowl, cream together butter and both sugars until fluffy and light in color.

4. Add in egg and vanilla to butter mixture.

5. Slowly add in the flour mixture and stir until combined.

6. Add in oatmeal and raisins. Stir until the oatmeal and raisins are fully incorporated in the batter.

7. The batter will resemble cookie dough: thick, binds together, and not at all fluid. Transfer batter onto the lined pan and spread evenly.

8. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the top is set and golden brown. Do a toothpick test if necessary. Do not overbake.

9. Let completely cool before slicing into bars.

NOTES

*Use 1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter

**You can also opt for melted butter instead of softened.

***Finished product might be a little loose; slice carefully when it's completely cooled and set.