Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars

Name: Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars
Prep time: 28 min
Cook time: 27 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 24 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1½ cups (225 g) raisins, packed loosely; 1 cup (240 ml) hot tap water, for soaking the raisins; drained and discarded; 1 cup (2 sticks) (227 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 5 minutes, plus a little extra for greasing the pan; 1½ cups (320 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed; ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar; 2 whole (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature; 1 whole (18 g) large egg yolk, at room temperature; 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract; 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled; 2 teaspoons (5 g) ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon (3 g) baking soda; ¾ teaspoon (4 g) fine sea salt; 2½ cups (225 g) old-fashioned rolled oats

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

All the flavor of a classic oatmeal raisin cookie in an easy one-pan bar. Melted butter and brown sugar give deep caramel notes and a chewy bite, plump raisins stay juicy, and cinnamon warms every square.

Prep: 28 min
Cook: 27 min
Wait: 1 hr 45 min
Total: 2 hr 40 min
Makes: 24 bars (one 9×13-inch pan)

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Ingredients

24 servings

1½ cups (225 g) raisins, packed loosely
1 cup (240 ml) hot tap water, for soaking the raisins; drained and discarded
1 cup (2 sticks) (227 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 5 minutes, plus a little extra for greasing the pan
1½ cups (320 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
2 whole (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature
1 whole (18 g) large egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 teaspoons (5 g) ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
¾ teaspoon (4 g) fine sea salt
2½ cups (225 g) old-fashioned rolled oats

Equipment (10)

9×13-inch (23×33 cm) metal baking pan
Parchment paper
Large mixing bowl
Medium mixing bowl
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Small bowl for soaking raisins
Fine-mesh strainer
Wire cooling rack
Microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan

Steps

Before you start

Use old-fashioned (rolled) oats, not instant or steel-cut. Quick oats make the bars pasty and steel-cut oats stay hard.
Take the eggs out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead so they blend smoothly into the butter mixture.
Plan on 90 minutes of cooling before slicing. Cutting warm bars makes them crumble.
Measure the flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it, or weigh it. Packed flour makes dry bars.

1
Heat oven, prep panOven 350°F / 175°C
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F (175°C).
- Lightly grease a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) metal pan with a little butter.
- Line it with parchment, leaving 2 inches overhanging the two long sides to use as handles.
- Grease the parchment lightly.
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Ready when: Parchment lies flat against the bottom and long sides of the pan.
Tip: Metal pans give browner edges. If using glass, check the bars 3 minutes early.
2
Plump the raisins
- Put the raisins in a small bowl and cover with the hot tap water.
- Let them sit while you make the batter, then drain well in a fine-mesh strainer and pat dry with a paper towel.
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Ready when: Raisins look swollen and feel soft when pressed.
Tip: Dry them well. Wet raisins add extra water and make the bars gummy.
3
Mix butter and sugars
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second bursts, or in a small saucepan over low heat, until fully liquid.
- Let it cool for 5 minutes so it is warm, not hot.
- Pour into a large bowl, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar, and whisk for about 1 minute until the mixture looks like wet sand with no dry streaks.
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Ready when: Mixture is glossy, smooth, and no sugar clumps remain.
Tip: Rub out any brown sugar lumps with your fingers or the back of a spoon.
4
Whisk in eggs, vanilla
- Add the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla to the sugar mixture.
- Whisk vigorously for 1 minute until thick, glossy, and light brown in color.
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Ready when: Batter is smooth, thickened slightly, and no streaks of egg remain.
Tip: The extra yolk adds richness and chew, so don't skip it.
5
Combine dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until the cinnamon is evenly distributed with no brown streaks.
- Add the oats and stir to combine.
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Ready when: Mixture is uniformly tan with no pockets of baking soda.
6
Make the dough
- Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture.
- Stir with a rubber spatula just until no dry flour is visible, about 30 seconds.
- The dough will be thick and sticky.
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Ready when: No flour streaks remain; dough is thick and holds together when pressed.
Tip: Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears. Overmixing makes bars tough.
7
Fold in raisins
- Add the drained raisins and fold with the spatula until they are evenly scattered through the dough, about 10 turns.
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Ready when: Raisins are spread evenly with no big clumps.
Tip: Break up any raisins stuck together so each bar gets an even amount.
8
Press into pan
- Scrape the dough into the prepared pan.
- With damp fingertips or the bottom of a measuring cup, press it into an even layer about ¾ inch thick, all the way into the corners.
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Ready when: Surface is level and smooth with no gaps at the edges.
Tip: Damp hands stop the sticky dough from pulling up as you press.
9
Bake the barsOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) on the center rack for 25 to 28 minutes, rotating the pan front to back after 15 minutes.
- Remove when the edges are deep golden brown and the center looks set and just barely soft.
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Ready when: Edges are deep golden and pulling slightly from the pan; center is puffed, matte, and springs back faintly when pressed lightly.
Tip: Slightly underbaked centers firm up as they cool and give the chewiest texture. Overbaking makes them dry.
10
Cool completely
- Set the pan on a wire rack and cool for 90 minutes at room temperature until the pan feels barely warm.
- The bars will sink slightly and firm up as they cool.
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Ready when: Pan is barely warm to the touch and the center is firm when pressed.
Tip: For very clean slices, chill the cooled pan for 20 minutes before cutting.
11
Slice and serve
- Lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment handles and set on a cutting board.
- Cut with a sharp knife into 4 rows by 6 rows to make 24 bars, wiping the blade clean between cuts.
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Ready when: Slices are neat with clean edges and a chewy, moist crumb.
Tip: Press the knife straight down rather than sawing, which tears the raisins.

Good to know

Tips

Pull the bars when the center still looks a touch soft. They continue to set from residual heat and stay chewy.
Weigh the flour and oats if you have a scale. Too much flour is the most common cause of dry bars.
Add ½ cup (60 g) chopped toasted walnuts or pecans along with the raisins for crunch.
Line the pan with parchment so the whole slab lifts out and slices cleanly.

Make ahead

"Bake the bars up to 2 days ahead and store uncut and covered at room temperature, then slice before serving. The dough can also be pressed into the pan, covered, and refrigerated up to 24 hours before baking; add 3 to 5 minutes to the bake time."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: airtight container, layered with parchment, up to 4 days. Refrigerator: up to 1 week; bring to room temperature before serving for the best chew. Freezer: wrap individual bars in plastic, then place in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 1 hour, or warm for 10 seconds in the microwave."

Substitutions

raisins → dried cranberries, chopped dates, or chocolate chips. Use the same weight. Skip the soaking for chocolate chips, and soak cranberries or dates for 5 minutes only.
light brown sugar → dark brown sugar. Gives a deeper molasses flavor and slightly moister, chewier bars.
all-purpose flour → 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour. Use certified gluten-free oats too. Bars may be slightly more fragile, so cool completely before cutting.
unsalted butter → vegan butter sticks. Use sticks (not tub spread). The egg yolk and eggs still need to be replaced separately if making fully vegan, which is not tested here.