You know those days where you just need to take a moment to say, “I don’t care about beach bodies, I just want some cookies.” I’ve got your back. These bars are a combination of all great dessert ingredients: Chopped up Oreos inside homemade cookies dough sprinkled with M&Ms.

These are really good for parties or for a treat to bring in to work/school (just beware of peanuts) because you can cut them up into small pieces and everyone can get a taste. Since they are so rich, most people won’t want a huge square, and as a say in the directions, a little bit goes a long way.

I got this load of sugary goodness from Averie Cooks, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve never tried making cookie bars before but it’s so genius and way less time-consuming than rolling out individual cookies, plus you don’t have to worry about their form. This recipe is a lot of fun to make and it’s pretty fool-proof too.Sidenote: Check out my profile from Emerge, I get interviewed and you get to see a little behind-the-scenes action in the kitchen. I’m making my Double Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies that I posted a few weeks ago—the crew ate some afterwards, it was a good time. Keep an eye out for my cat apron, it’s possibly the best hand-me-down I’ve ever received.

Ingredients

Makes 9-12 squares

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 18 Oreo cookies, quartered (they will crumble a bit in the process—that’s ok)
• 1/2 cup peanut M&M’s, halved

Method

Preheat oven to 350F. Carefully line an 8×8″ pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large, glass microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Wait momentarily before adding the egg so it doesn’t clump. With electric beaters, mix in the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and beat until smooth. No longer use the electric mixer, and add the flour, stirring with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in the Oreo cookie bits.

Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Evenly sprinkle the M&M pieces over the top, lightly pressing them down with your finger so they become wedged in the batter. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the top of the bars have firmed slightly and the edges are a very light golden brown.

Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack for an additional 30 minutes. Set on a dry surface and slice into squares (a little bit goes a long way since they are so sweet). Store in an airtight container for up to a week.