The Best Peanut Butter Bars
We have tried a lot of peanut butter bars in our day, and these Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars are the best we’ve ever tried! We grew up coming home from school to these amazing peanut butter bars waiting for us!
Our favorite treat growing up was the peanut butter bars that the lunch ladies served in our elementary school. We would bring an extra 50 cents to school so we could buy one of these delicious peanut butter bars whenever we could.
We originally shared this recipe on our blog in 2011, and it has since grown to be the most popular dessert recipe and for good reason.
These Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars are so easy to make, but be warned. Once you have one, you’ll have to have another. And another. And possibly half a pan.
No judgements here. Put on those stretch pants and treat yo’ self, girl.
Sheet Pan Dessert to Feed A Crowd
These peanut butter cookie bars are exactly like the famous school cafeteria bars they used to make back in the good ol’ days.
I love that these Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars can feed a crowd and I usually have all the ingredients on hand so if I ever need to make a treat at the last minute, these are my go-to recipe.
These bars are made in a half sheet pan and you can cut them into as many bars as you need.
We like a bigger bar, so we typically cut a pan of these cookie bars into 24 squares, but you could easily cut them into 48 for a smaller serving.
Peanut Butter Bars with Oatmeal
The oatmeal in these Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars gives these the perfect soft and chewy texture.
I’ve used quick oats and old fashioned oats in this recipe and both came out great, so whatever you have on hand will work.
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The best peanut butter bars recipes:
Serves: 24
These Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars have a peanut butter cookie base, creamy peanut butter center and chocolate buttercream frosting.
25 minPrep Time
15 minCook Time
40 minTotal Time
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups peanut butter, divided
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar together.
- Add vanilla, eggs, and 1 cup peanut butter; stir to combine.
- Add oats, flour, baking soda and salt and mix until well combined.
- Spray a baking sheet (half sheet jelly roll pan that is approximately 17.8 x 12.8 x 1 inch) with nonstick cooking spray and spread out dough in an even layer.
- Bake for 15 minutes and remove from oven.
- Drop remaining peanut butter by spoonfuls on top of warm bars and spread when peanut butter has begun to melt.
- Let cool until peanut butter has set up.
- While cooling, mix together frosting ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth and spread on top of bars.
- Cut into bars and serve.
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Want to see how easy it is to make our Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars? Watch the 15-second video below to see how to make the best peanut butter bars HERE.
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You add 1 cup of peanut butter to the dough and the other 1/2 cup goes on top of the peanut butter bars after they come out of the oven.
1 1/2 cups of peanut butter on the top of bars". ;) Growing up in small Utah community, We had super loving lunch ladies who knew and loved us,(one of which was my own Grandma) and we always had delicious school lunches, including desserts and these peanut butter bars were one of my favorite! My kids don't get this kind of yumminess now days. SO HAPPY to have come across this recipe! Thanks for sharing!! :)
Nixandnoli.blogspot.com
I've been looking for a Lunch Lady bread spread for years. It had honey, peanut butter and (I think) raisins. It must have been mixed in a blender, cause it was smooth. OMGosh, I used to trade with my hot lunch friends for stuff out of my lunch sack for that all the time!!
I have never tried them with quick oats, so I am not sure how they would turn out! I hope you liked them! Let us know if the quick oats worked! :)
I am a new follower, and glad I found your blog!
thanks for sharing