Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Bars - made September 25, 2022 from Inquiring Chef 

1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup M&Ms

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together melted butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix to combine. Stir in oats. Fold in chocolate chip sand M&Ms.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Press in additional chips and M&Ms on top if desired. Bake 24-28 minutes or until edges are set and golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting and serving.

This is an easy, straightforward bar cookie that's not only perfect for mailing in care packages but also lends itself well to any holiday or theme you need, just by virtue of what kind of M&Ms you add in.

These went into Halloween care packages so it was easy to use the M&M Halloween mix. Flavor-wise, they're made hearty by the oats and the chocolate adds a nice touch. If you're mailing these, bake on the lower end of the recommended time to keep them soft and moist. The toothpick test doesn't work as well after 20 minutes because the oats aren't going to be raw batter on the toothpick. I only baked these for 24 minutes and they were fine.