This peanut butter lunch lady inspired chocolate bar has a soft peanut butter oat cookie base layered with a thin coating of peanut butter and then iced with a chocolate frosting.
School is officially back for most of us, and these peanut butter chocolate bars will bring back all the memories. The memories our children today will never be able to experience. But don’t worry now they can.
If you don’t remember these peanut butter chocolate bars they are known as “Lunch Lady Bars.” You probably don’t remember them because your probably too young or your school just didn’t make them. My husband doesn’t know anything about these bars, but he grew up in the south and has lived here his whole life. So maybe it’s just a northern thing? I’m not so sure.
While this recipe isn’t the exact recipe it’s an inspired recipe of lunch lady bars. I have a faint memory of eating these bars, so this is simply just my take on it.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar Two Recipes
In the time I was experimenting with this recipe I must have made 10 peanut butter chocolate bars. But there were two winning recipes. One that reminded me of my childhood and the other was a discovery that I deeply fell in love with but just wasn’t exactly a cookie like bar. So, I will be sharing two lunch lady inspired peanut butter chocolate bar recipes.
Recipe A is on the left, it is my truly inspired lunch lady bars, it has the perfect oatmeal cookie texture with a soft baked like granola bar texture, not cakey, not like a cookie, just pure goodness with the chocolate icing.
Recipe B is on the right it has the same ingredients as recipe A, but only has two changes. I opted for less peanut butter and less oatmeal, but the secret here is using quick oats instead of rolled oats and blending them so you get a finer oatmeal texture in the recipe. I also added just a little bit more flour.
I truly recommend trying both and seeing which you love more! You can’t go wrong with either or.
Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar Ingredients:
- Peanut Butter: Just like moms I use Jiffs creamy peanut butter.
- Oatmeal: I used old fashioned rolled oats in Recipe A and then used instant oats in Recipe B
- Flour: I prefer unbleached all-purpose flour
- Milk: Just regular whole milk, or any milk you have on hand. You can leave this out if you want to, you may result in a harder more cookie like base.
- Cocoa powder: To make the taste simple I used Hersheys natural cocoa.
- Brown sugar/Sugar: A combination of both sugars in my recipe. Brown sugar helps with texture and flavor.
- Butter: I use regular unsalted butter.
How to make Peanut Butter chocolate bars:
In a bowl combine butter, both sugars, and peanut butter and cream until smooth. Add in the vanilla extract, 2 tbsp of mixed-up egg, milk and beat together, remembering to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add in all the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
In a parchment lined baking sheet put the peanut butter oatmeal batter onto the pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake at 375 for 16-20 minutes. The peanut butter bars should be golden brown on the sides and the top should be golden brown. When the bars are ready, I take them out of the oven and slam them on the counter to achieve the lip crust on the edge.
Right when the bars are finished baking plop on the peanut butter and allow it to spread, wait for a couple of minutes and then spread the peanut butter on the bars evenly. If you forget this step just microwave the peanut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds and then spread, it on the bars.
In a medium sized pot melt the butter and add in the cocoa powder. Turn off the heat and mix in the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. During this step you may get clumps of cocoa powder and powdered sugar. You’ll have to continue to mix until it goes away, but I found it easier to use my hand mixer. Once the frosting is ready let it cool for 5 minutes and then pour and spread evenly on top of the peanut butter bars. Let the bars cool down to room temp and then cut and serve to eat.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars FAQ:
- Storage: Keep the bars stored in airtight container for 5 to 7 days. because of the amount of butter and peanut butter in them they will continue to stay moist for a while.
- Freezer: I recommend freezing them up to 3 months. Freeze them in a tight storage container and cut them beforehand placing parchment paper in-between each slice. This will allow them to not stick and be eaten easier.
- Peanut Butter: If you choose to substitute peanut butter, I am fairly positive that you can choose a sunflower or almond butter to substitute, and it will be just as great! I would even want to try it with cookie butter!
The best lunch lady inspired peanut butter chocolate bars
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp egg whisked together
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup old fashioned oats
Peanut Butter Bar Icing
- 4 tbsp peanut butter
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1½ cup powder sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl cream butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and sugar until smooth
- Add 2 tbsp of mixed egg, vanilla and mix until combined.
- Put the rest of the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture and mix until all dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Line an 8×8 square pan or a 1/8 cookie sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the cookie batter evenly and bake in the middle rack of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes. The sides should be golden brown, and the middle should slightly rise.
- Once you've taken the peanut butter bars out of the oven bang the pan on a heat safe surface to create beautiful lips on the sides and to create a dense bar in the middle.
- While the peanut butter bars are still hot spread the peanut butter on top of the bars and spread. Allow the peanut butter bars to cool and make the chocolate icing.
- In a small saucepan melt the butter and add cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder clumps are gone. Take the pan off the stove and add in the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and mix until it all comes together. There will be clumps of cocoa powder and powdered sugar, but continue to whisk until it blends in. I used a hand mixer and mixed until the clumps were gone.
- Once the bars have cooled down pour the chocolate icing on top and spread. Allow the chocolate icing to set up before cutting and serving.
- Store them in an airtight storage container for 5 to 7 days. I find that the peanut butter chocolate bars taste best the next day once the bars have set and cooled.
Notes
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Wow, these bars are amazing! The peanut butter layer was so creamy, and the chocolate topping added the perfect amount of richness. I made a batch for a family gathering, and they disappeared within minutes. This recipe is definitely going into my dessert rotation – so simple yet so satisfying. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed them! They are a family favorite!