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This recipe will remind you of that childhood favorite the Lunch lady used to make. Peanut Butter Bars are made with an oatmeal cookie base, topped with creamy peanut butter and a delicious chocolate frosting.
Why You’ll Love These
A Favorite Food Memory. These peanut butter bars reminded me of the ones the lunch lady used to make at school and are often called lunch lady peanut butter bars.
This recipe is meant to serve a crowd, as it makes an entire large sheet pan worth. This makes it perfect for a gathering of family and friends. If you are looking for a small batch version be sure and check out this recipe.
Great texture. A chewy and moist oatmeal cookie base is layered with peanut butter and chocolate for the perfect treat.
Ingredients
- Butter. I use salted butter, room temperature
- Sugars, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and powdered sugar
- Eggs
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Flour. I prefer unbleached all purpose flour
- Quick Oats
- Vanilla Extract
- Peanut Butter. I recommend using creamy peanut butter
- Butter. I use salted butter, if using unsalted butter add in a bit more salt.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Milk. Use what you have in your refrigerator. I usually have 2 percent.
How to Make Peanut Butter Bars
- Cream together sugars and butter in a bowl with an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add in eggs and beat until fluffy.
- Mix in baking soda, salt, flour, oats and vanilla, dough will be moist but not sticky.
- Spread on to a jelly roll size cookie sheet
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. Don’t over bake.
- Whip peanut butter in mixer and add vanilla extract.
- Spread whipped peanut butter over top of warm cookie base.
- Melt Butter over medium heat and stir in cocoa until dissolved and smooth.
- Add in milk, powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Spread chocolate peanut butter mixture over the top of the peanut butter layer.
Variations:
To dress them up a bit sprinkle the frosting with some broken up Reese’s peanut butter cups, chocolate sprinkles or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do leftover need to be refrigerated?
Keep your peanut butter bars covered in an airtight container on the counter for 5-7 days. No need to store in the refrigerator. You can also just cover them with plastic wrap once the frosting has dried and firmed up a bit. Store bars in the fridge if you prefer them cold.
Can I use something other than peanut butter?
You could use cookie butter or substitute with almond butter or your favorite nut butter.
Can I freeze peanut butter bars?
These bars freeze great and will keep for 2-3 months. Do not freeze until frosting has set. I prefer to flash freeze them in individual bars. Then put the frozen bars into a freezer safe container. Thaw at room temperature.
Check out more of my favorite peanut butter dessert recipes:
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Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter salted, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups quick oats
- 3 tsp vanilla divided
- 1 cup peanut butter creamy
- 1/4 cup butter butter, softened
- 1 1/2 Tbsp cocoa
- 3 Tbsp milk
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cream together sugars and butter.
- Add in eggs and beat until fluffy.
- Add in soda, salt, flour, oats and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla.
- Dough will be moist but not sticky.
- Spread on to a jelly roll size cookie sheet
- Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Don’t overbake
- Whip together peanut butter and 1 tsp vanilla in mixer.
- Spread over top of warm cookie base.
- Heat 1/4 C butter in a saucepan and stir in cocoa until dissolved and smooth.
- Add in milk, powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla.
- Mix until smooth and spread over peanut butter layer.
Tips & Notes:
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Nutrition Facts:
Dannell says
What if I don’t have Quick Oats?
Leigh Anne Wilkes says
You can use old fashioned oats, just put them in the blender and pulse a few times. If you use old fashioned oats as is, that will work too but it will have a different texture.
Lynne says
Why does the small batch have peanut butter in the batter but the larger recipe does not call for peanut butter in the batter?
Leigh Anne Wilkes says
I first posted this recipe years ago and just tweeked it a bit when I did the small batch recipe more recently.