This is one of the reasons I love the concept behind the Clandestine Cake Club. Cake is the core of this organisation and through the simple act of baking strangers are drawn together and friendships are made.

Aside from CCC, whenever I catch up with friends or family I have been gained a reputation as the one who always bakes something. Whether it's visiting a friend's house for coffee, being invited for dinner or heading in to work on a Monday morning, I can often be seen armed with a tupperware tub full of baked goodies.

I love to bake (the name of the blog kind of gives it away haha!) but what I love even more is baking something that I can pass on to another person to enjoy. Yes, I love to tuck into a gooey brownie as much as you do but I love it even more to pass on that box of brownies to those that I love. I don't do it in the hope of fishing for compliments, I do it because I know it brings joy to so many people, well apart from those on a diet.... still haven't mastered the fat free cake yet...

Anyway... I digress... so this weekend we popped over to see Mr T's brother, Fiance and their two boys. I suddenly had a notion that I wanted to bake something to bring with us but the cupboards were looking a bit bare of sweet things. Honestly, starting weaning has really made us cut back on the naughty treats. I did spot some porridge oats in the cupboard and raisins in another so immediately I knew I needed to bake some oatmeal and raisin cookies.

They are healthy-ish (I say that very loosely) but surely the addition of raisins rather that chocolate chips is a good thing??

The bonus of this recipe is that it makes a lot of cookies providing you with ample treats to share but the negative is they are oh so moreish! I'm not even going to count the amount myself and Mr T have consumed today. Calories don't count on a weekend right?

I took the recipe from Jo Wheatley's Home Baking. The only things I adjusted were the removal of the pecans (I hate nuts!) and the cooking time. My brother-in-law reckons these are the nicest cookies he's ever had and although they are seriously scrummy I'm not sure I would go that far.

Oatmeal and Raisin Cookies

170g unsalted butter 

320g soft light brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

4 tbsp sunflower oil

250g plain flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

150g porridge oats

150g raisins

• Preheat the oven to 160C (fan)
• Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy
• Add the egg and oil 
• Mix in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon
• Fold in the oats and raisins
• Roll the cookie dough into walnut sized balls and place on to a lined baking tray well spaced apart
• Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden but still slightly soft
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool

Enjoy!

This post has been written in collaboration with The Big Lunch and their "Power of Food" campaign.