Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

After nearly a year of testing, I’m officially ready to share my ‘better than the Lunch Lady’s’ Peanut Butter Bars! Capped with chocolate frosting and full of oats +  peanut butter, these baked bars simply cannot be beat!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

Making and eating these peanut butter bars is an annual top 3 back to school experience for me! Oozing nostalgia, this take on lunch lady peanut butter bars is an absolute touchdown! Tender bars, chock full of peanut butter and oats and topped with a delectable chocolate frosting. Um, hello. Yes, I’ll eat the whole pan, thank you. 

While I have a soft spot for no-bake peanut butter bars, this oven masterpiece is ridiculously soft, slightly gooey and exactly what I want a classic peanut butter bar to be.

What’s In Peanut Butter Bars Recipe?

• Salted Butter, softened – If you don’ have salted butter and only have unsalted on hand, that is fine! Just add an extra pinch of salt to the recipe to make up for it.
• Peanut Butter – I use creamy peanut butter but crunchy would definitely work too. I have not tested this recipe with natural peanut butters so I am unsure of how that could change the outcome of the recipe!
• Granulated Sugar
• Brown Sugar – This helps give the bars a nice rich & warm depth of flavor.
• Eggs
• Vanilla Extract
• All-Purpose Flour
• Old Fashioned Oats: I haven’t tested this recipe using quick oats so I would strongly suggest using old fashioned oats for this recipe.
• Salt
• Baking Soda

Chocolate Icing 

• Salted Butter
• Cocoa Powder – We are looking for unsweetened cocoa powder here.
• Milk – I just use what I have on hand, sometimes that is skim milk and sometimes it is whole milk! It all will be sufficient for this recipe.
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla

How to Make Peanut Butter Bars

1. Prep by preheating the oven to 350°F and greasing a 9×13 pan. 
2. With an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream together the peanut butter, butter and sugars until light and fluffy. 
3. Add in the eggs and vanilla, mixing until just combined.
4. To the mixture, add in the flour, old fashioned oats, salt and baking soda.
5. Mix until a slightly sticky dough forms. 
6. Next, spread and press the finished dough into the bottom of your greased pan. 
7. Place your pan in the oven and bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes.
8. Remove your peanut butter bars from the oven when the edges are starting to turn golden and begin making the frosting. 
9. To make the frosting, melt the butter, cocoa powder and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a soft boil. 
10. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. 
11. Let the icing cool for 10 minutes. 
12. After it has cooled, stir the icing to break up the crusting on top and then pour over the peanut butter bars.
13. Allow the bars + frosting to cool completely before cutting. (You can put it in the fridge to speed up the process, if desired.) Enjoy!

How to store Peanut butter bars?

Store your peanut butter chocolate bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a 3 days. These also freeze really well up to 3 months. Just let them thaw on the counter when you’re ready to serve.

Can I make peanut butter bars dairy free?

Absolutely! With dairy free chocolate chips, vegan butter and a dairy free milk, this recipe can easily be made dairy free and still turn out delicious!

More Classic Desserts to Devour!

• Puppy Chow
• Reese’s Fudge
• Microwave Peanut Brittle
• No Bake Cheesecake
• Cookie Dough Bites
• Oreo Pie
• Rice Krispie Treats
• Buckeye Balls