Peanut Butter Bars Recipe

4.89 from 9 votes
14 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.

This Peanut Butter Bars Recipe with chocolate frosting reminds me of the yummy homemade bars served with school lunch in my hometown. Only 30 minutes to make!

Bite out of a Peanut Butter Bar on parchment paper.
Featured with this recipe
  1. Ingredients in Peanut Butter Bars
  2. Regular or Quick Oats?
  3. Tips for Perfect Squares
  4. Chocolate Topping Ideas
  5. Frequently Asked Questions About Peanut Butter Bars
  6. Peanut Butter Snacks
  7. More Peanut Butter Recipes
  8. How to Make Peanut Butter Bars
  9. Peanut Butter Bars Recipe Recipe

When I was a kid, one of the best parts about school lunch was dessert, especially when the lunch ladies would make homemade peanut butter bars. I know some kids make fun of school lunch, but honestly, there were a lot of great things to eat. And even kids who didn’t really like to each school lunch still loved the peanut butter bars. Flash forward several years and I realized I missed those peanut butter chocolate bars of my youth. So when my sister made these peanut butter bars the other day and I think I ate about half of the pan all on my own. Ah! Sweet, delicious memories. Now you can enjoy these peanut butter cookie bars yourself — no lunch tray needed.

Cut squares of frosted Peanut Butter Bars on parchment paper.


Ingredients in Peanut Butter Bars

All you need are a few pantry staples and some chocolate frosting on top of the peanut butter layer and you’ll have a pan of delicious lunch lady peanut butter bars in no time!

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Bars including butter, eggs, vanilla, milk chocolate frosting, peanut butter, sugars, flour, oatmeal, salt and baking soda.

Regular or Quick Oats?

Thanks to our awesome readers, here are a few tips and tricks to making these delicious cookies. For starters, you can use either quick oats or regular oats. The texture will change slightly, depending on which you choose. With regular oats the texture will be a little more coarse, which some people prefer. With quick oats, it’s a little more smooth.

Tips for Perfect Squares

To get those perfectly cut peanut butter squares here are a few tricks to do while making a batch:

  • You don’t have to grease the pan, but it doesn’t hurt if you do. Use some cooking spray if you’re concerned about easy cleanup.
  • Line a square baking pan with parchment paper so that the layers can be removed easily.
  • After baking, let the baking dish cool completely, then cover with foil and place in the refrigerator to chill before cutting with a knife.
Two Peanut Butter Bars stacked together. Milk and peanuts on the side.

Chocolate Topping Ideas

For these delicious bars the topping can be completely up to you! I’ve topped them with frosting, but you can use these other ideas:

  • Make your own icing with our Easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
  • Spread the top of the bars with melted semi-sweet chocolate chips. Just melt them in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for about a minute or so, stirring until melted.
  • Use chocolate melts and follow the same instructions as melting the chocolate chips.
  • Sprinkle the top with graham cracker crumbs or a dusting of powdered sugar.
  • A reader suggested spreading melted chocolate chips with a few dollops of peanut butter on top until it all melts together. YUM!

Frequently Asked Questions About Peanut Butter Bars

Should I frost these cookies right out of the oven or wait until it cools?

If using buttercream frosting, wait until the cookie layers cool completely before frosting. If melting chocolate chips on top, you can melt directly on the warm cookie.

Can these cookie bars be frozen?

Yes! Cover completely with foil and store in the freezer for up to two months.

Are peanut butter and oats good for you?

All things in moderation, of course, but yes! The oats and peanut butter combo is a good source of carbs, fat and protein. These bars will fill you up and are most definitely healthier than other cookie options out there.

READ MORE: 100+ Snack Ideas for Kids

Lots of Peanut Butter Bars frosted and cut into squares. Milk on the side.

Peanut Butter Snacks

Seriously, peanut butter makes so many things taste better, not just school lunch. Have you ever put peanut butter on a pancake? Or smeared some peanut butter on a banana for a quick and filling snack? Of course there’s the classic Bugs on a Log, featuring celery slathered with peanut butter and topped with raisins. And when you need a quick dollop of protein to keep your hunger at bay before dinner, I’ve been known to enjoy a spoon full of plain peanut butter.

More Peanut Butter Recipes

How to Make Peanut Butter Bars

Two Peanut Butter Bars stacked together next to milk. Extra whole peanuts on the side.

Peanut Butter Bars Recipe

4.89 from 9 votes
This Peanut Butter Bars Recipe with chocolate frosting reminds me of
the homemade bars that used to be served with school lunch in my
hometown. Only 30 minutes to make!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 36

Video

Equipment

  • Cookie Sheet Pan (18×26)
  • Conventional Oven

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Blend butters and sugars together, then stir in eggs and vanilla.
    Mixing bowl with creamed butters and sugar mixture for Peanut Butter Bars. Mixing paddle on the side.
  • In a separate bowl, stir flour, salt, baking soda, and oatmeal together.
    Bowl of dry ingredients combined for Peanut Butter Bars. Wooden spoon on the side.
  • Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.
    Mixing bowl of Peanut Butter Bar dough and mixing paddle.
  • Press dough evenly onto an ungreased cookie sheet/jelly roll pan.
    Cookie sheet of spread out Peanut Butter Bar dough.
  • Bake at 350-degrees for 12-14 minutes (do not overcook).
    Baked cookie sheet of Peanut Butter Bars without frosting. Spatula and milk chocolate frosting container on the side.
  • Allow to cool, then spread chocolate frosting evenly over the bars.
    Spreading milk chocolate frosting with a spatula on top of baked Peanut Butter Bars.
  • Cut into individual squares.
    Cookie sheet of cut up Peanut Butter Bars in squares.

Notes

  • You don’t have to grease the pan, but it doesn’t hurt if you do. Use some cooking spray if you’re concerned about easy cleanup.
  • Line a square baking pan with parchment paper so that the layers can be removed easily.
  • After baking, let the baking dish cool completely, then cover with foil and place in the refrigerator to chill before cutting with a knife.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 179kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 142mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 131IUCalcium: 11mgIron: 1mg

Love this recipe?

We want to hear from you! Please leave a review.

Rate and Review



Share This With the World

PinYummly

About the author

Echo Blickenstaff

Echo lives in Pleasant Grove, Utah with her husband, Todd, who works in advertising, and her four kids: two girls and two boys. She deploys her accounting degree as the blog’s resident problem solver. In her time outside the kitchen, Echo loves to get away from the phones and busy schedules and spend quality time with the family. Anywhere’s great – but getting out into nature in the mountains or on the beach – is the best kind of getaway.

More about Echo Blickenstaff

Similar Recipes

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

How many stars would you give this recipe?




Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Yummy. Lucky you. In my school days (early 40’s) the peanut butter was mixed with over ripe (almost black) bananas and put between two slices of bread. But, they were actually pretty good and we were fortunate to have them. Times do change.

  2. 4 stars
    I am glad to get this recipe as I have misplaced mine! I always topped them with chocolate chips. Let them melt on the hot bars and then spread.

    1. Sorry about that, it is an 18×26 cookie sheet. I just updated it on the recipe. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

    1. You can use quick or regular oats. The cookie bar will be a little more coarse with the regular oats, which I like, or a more fine and smooth with the quick oats. Enjoy!

  3. 5 stars
    I make something like this, but my topping is different. After it cools for maybe five minutes I sprinkle chocolate chips, and sometimes add a few dabs of peanut butter, on the top. Let it melt for a minute and spread it around. So, so good. I am going to compare my recipe to yours and try switching it up.