A treat back from nostalgia these Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars have peanut butter, oats, chocolate and more. A tasty treat that is easy, flavorful and a hit among all.

I grew up in a really small town where our lunches were still served the way they were back when my parents were in school. We didn’t get the option to leave or have ala carte.

We got what was on the menu and that was it, no options. You eat it or you go hungry, but they sometimes served dessert and on of them were these delicious Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars.

Now like I said coming from a small town where our class size literally consisted of 50 students, everyone knew everyone, including the town, teachers, cooks and more.

This was the case as well back in my parents day and that is where this recipe comes from! This is the recipe that our school would use and we have been making these bars for many many years.

It is so easy and delicious and it is just one of those recipes that you don’t ever forget. Now over the years I have made a few tweeks to the recipe itself to suit my flavors more.

But I think this recipe was pretty much universal to a lot of places around the US and who else knows where. All I know is that they are completely irresistible and I can never stop at just one.

Also they make a nice large batch that you can save for later, give to friends and family or just sit and eat all day long like I feel like I have the urge to.

Some of my other favorite bar recipes that we have on our site include: Carmelitas, Brookies and Funfetti Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

With pantry staple ingredients these can be whipped up in no time.
3 different layers make this over the top delicious.
They store really well so you can have some now and keep some for later.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM):

Old fashioned oats
All-purpose flour
Salt
Baking soda
Unsalted butter
Light brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Creamy peanut butter
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Powdered sugar
Cocoa powder
Whole milk

HOW TO MAKE LUNCH LADY PEANUT BUTTER BARS, STEP BY STEP:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 11×15 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the oats, flour, salt, and baking soda, set aside.
In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 2 minutes.
Add ¾ cup of the peanut butter, the eggs, and vanilla, mix until combined. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Press the dough into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Place small dollops of the remaining 1 cup peanut butter on top. Wait 10 minutes to warm the peanut butter and carefully spread the peanut butter all over. Let cool completely.
While the bars are cooling, make the frosting. Place the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and stir to combine.
In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the butter until smooth. Start adding the powdered sugar mixture a little at a time until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and 3 tablespoons of the milk, stir it in. Place the mixer on medium-high and whip the frosting for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. If it seems a little too thick to spread, add an additional 1 tablespoon of milk.
Once the bars are cool, spread the frosting on top. Let them sit for 30 minutes to give the frosting time to crust, or cut and serve immediately.

WHAT IS THE TEXTURE AND FLAVOR OF THESE BARS?

The cookie bottom is soft and chewy with a great texture element from the oats. The middle peanut butter layer is thick but not too much and adds a ton of extra peanut butter flavor.

The chocolate frosting is just the right amount of chocolate needed for these bars.

CAN I USE QUICK COOKING OATS?

No, you will need to use old fashioned oats for these because of the length of time that they cook and the texture. Quick cooking would make them too soggy and would be too small.

DO I HAVE TO USE CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER?

While creamy peanut butter is the standard in these Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars, switching to chunky would be fine.

It would add a little more texture to these and some crunch that a lot of people would like! So I say that that should be absolutely fine to use crunchy peanut butter for this recipe.

HOW TO STORE:

These can be stored on the countertop in an airtight container where they will last for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week.

They can also be frozen, place cut bars in a freezer container separated by parchment paper and they should keep for up to 3 months.

Let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then you can place them on the countertop to come to room temperature before eating.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Make sure that you are using old fashioned oats and not quick cooking oats.
You can use chunky peanut butter to add a little texture to this recipe.
You want to add the peanut butter while the bars are still warm so it spreads out nicely.
If you want to use canned chocolate frosting you can in a pinch.
These can be frozen, see my tips above.
Want to add something extra? Top these with chocolate chips, chopped peanuts or even Reese’s.

Love nostalgic recipes that bring back memories or are just a fan of chocolate and peanut butter? Then you have to make a batch of these Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars!

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If you’ve tried these LUNCH LADY PEANUT BUTTER BARS or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!

Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars