Peanut Butter Bars
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Peanut Butter Bars are one of the best treats! You get a chewy oat cookie base that’s loaded with peanut buttery flavor, then it’s topped with a layer of peanut butter after baking and finished with a decadent chocolate frosting. Trust me this is a staple recipe!
The Best Peanut Butter Bars!
These are one of my favorite all time favorite childhood treats. My mom and everyone else I know always made them. They’re just one of those old fashioned classics!
They are perfect for parties because they make a full cookie sheet, and adults and children alike absolutely love them.
I mean, who doesn’t love the chocolate and peanut butter combo, and who doesn’t love cookie bars and frosting?
I made them yesterday and it’s one of those things where I kept going back and cutting off a thin slice, then another, then another and then I woke up for breakfast at it was the first thing I just had to have a taste of.
They really are one of the most tempting desserts you’ll ever make! Try them and you’ll see what I mean.
Peanut Butter Bar Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour – for structure
- Quick oats – for texture
- Baking soda – so the bars rise
- Brown sugar, granulated sugar and powdered sugar – to sweeten
- Salt – to balance the sweetness
- Unsalted butter – to moisten and add richness
- Eggs – to bind
- Creamy peanut butter – to add flavor
- Vanilla – to add another light layer of flavor
- Cocoa powder – to add chocolate flavor to the frosting
- Milk – to thin the frosting
How to Make Peanut Butter Bars:
Even though these have several layers these really are a breeze to make.
- Preheat oven and butter a rimmed baking sheet.
- Whisk together dry ingredients.
- In an electric mixer cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar
- Mix in eggs one a time then blend in peanut butter and vanilla.
- Mix in dry ingredients.
- Spread mixture onto baking sheet.
- Bake until nearly set.
- Cool briefly then dollop over peanut butter, let peanut butter melt then spread.
- Prepare chocolate frosting then pour over peanut butter layer and spread even. Let set.
Tips for this Recipe
- Don’t use crunchy peanut butter or it will throw the recipe off.
- Add peanut butter while cookies are still warm so it melts nicely and sort of absorbs into the cookies a little.
- Be careful not to over-bake these or the edges will be dry. Plus they’ll continue to cook just a little once removed from the oven from the heat of the baking sheet.
More Peanut Butter Recipes You’ll Love!
- Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
- Crisp Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Peanut Butter Granola (Only 4 Ingredients)
- Peanut Butter Fruit Dip
Follow Cooking Classy
Peanut Butter Bars {with Chocolate Frosting}
Ingredients
- 2 cups (283g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (181g) quick oats
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups (260g) packed light-brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (243g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
- 1 cup (243g) creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup 113g) unsalted butter, diced into 1 Tbsp pieces
- 1/4 cup (26g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (60g) milk
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups (360g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a rimmed 18 by 13-inch cookie sheet.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy.
- Mix in eggs one at a time. Blend in 1 cup peanut butter and the vanilla. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in flour mixture and mix just until combined.
- Drop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet. Spray hands with non-stick cooking spray and spread dough into an even layer.
- Bake in preheated oven 12 - 15 minutes until golden (see notes).
- Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes, then dollop remaining 1 cup peanut butter by spoonfuls over top. Let sit 1 minute then spread peanut butter into an even layer to cover top.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in cocoa, milk and salt and bring mixture just to a boil over medium heat.
- Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla, then stir in powdered sugar and mix until well combined (if needed you can add 1 Tbsp hot water to thin).
- Immediately pour over bars and spread into an even layer. Allow frosting to set then cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Be careful not to over-bake or edges will be dry, don't wait for it to be golden brown. They should be puffed and beginning to set but still soft.
- Recipe adapted from Taste of Home