We love these crowd-pleasing Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars – they taste just like the ones you used to get with your school lunch (if you were lucky!) The cookie bar is soft and chewy with lots of oatmeal, then a thin layer of creamy peanut butter, and topped off with a layer of chocolate buttercream.
These bars are baked in a regular-sized cookie sheet. Cut them into 24 bars if you like them bigger, or 48 for lots of smaller servings.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
24
bars30
minutes15
minutesIngredients
- Peanut Butter Bars:
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups peanut butter + 3/4 cup for frosting
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 cups flour
3 cups quick-cooking oats
- Fudge Frosting:
14 Tbsp butter (1 3/4 sticks,) at room tempurature
8 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp half & half
1 Tbsp very hot water
1 tsp vanilla
Directions
- For the Peanut Butter Bars:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a rimmed cookie sheet with cooking spray.
- Cream the butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the 1 1/2 cups peanut butter and vanilla, then beat until combined.
- Add the eggs, one at a time and beating well between each addition.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
- Add the oats and mix just until incorporated.
- Press the dough evenly onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the center is puffed and set, but still soft. Don’t overbake.
- For the Fudge Frosting:
- While the peanut butter bars bake, make the frosting by beating the butter in a large mixing bowl until it’s light and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar, cocoa and salt, then mix well.
- Add the milk, half & half, and vanilla and mix well. Add the hot water little by little until the consistency is similar to buttercream. Add a bit more powdered sugar if it’s too runny.
- When the cookie is done baking, let cool, then spread the 3/4 cup reserved peanut butter on the top. Pour the fudge frosting on top and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Cut into 24 or 48 squares and serve.
Notes
- I like to use smooth peanut butter for this recipe but you can use crunchy for the cookie bars. Just don’t use crunchy peanut butter for the layer that’s spread on top.
