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Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Bars

by Jamie

The school year has begun, ladies and gentlemen.

Labor Day Weekend is a thing of the past and kids all across the country have hit the books.  It has been a  year of firsts in our family as my little twin boys started kindergarten this year, while my oldest (sigh) started high school. When my MyTeenSonMark headed out the door for his first day at the big school, I was saying things like…wow, you look so nice, honey! I can’t wait to hear all about it, you are going to lu-huv high school it’s so much fun! It seems like I went to high school only 10 minutes ago, honestly and truly it does.

I also told him that on my own very first day of high school I tripped down the front steps of the school and bloodied both of my knees while all kinds of really cool, really popular, really totally awesome kids were hanging around. It’s one of my many glorious and classy moments.

My boy Mark just chuckled when I told him about it and said…

“Wow, Mom. I’m surprised you can remember THAT FAR BACK!”

“I didn’t go to school in the dark ages, you know.” is what I’m sure I said.

Which is true, at least it was the last time I checked. When I went to school they made these yummy peanut butter and oatmeal chocolate bars in the school cafeteria. Which proves that I didn’t go to school in the dark ages, because everyone knows there was no peanut butter in the dark ages,  right?

Totally right.

These beatutiful Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars are soft and chewy on the inside with a yummy peanut butter filling and a tasty chocolate frosting on top. The recipe makes a ton of bars, and they freeze really well. They would be great to pack in your kids’ school lunches!

Let me show you how to make it happen!

1. Toss 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of butter into your stand mixer, or large mixing bowl.

2. Cream the ingredients together until light and fluffy, about 2 or 3 minutes.

3. Add 2 eggs,

1 teaspoon of vanilla

and 1 cup of peanut butter. Mix until well combined.

4. Into a medium sized mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt. Toss it around to combine.

5. Add 2 cups of old fashioned oats to the dry ingredients. Give it all a nice stir with a wooden spoon

and add it to the creamed mixture, in your mixer. 🙂

6. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and place the dough onto the sheet.

7. Spray your hands with cooking spray

and then press the dough evenly over the pan.

Like this!

8. Bake the dough at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

9. Let it cool and set up for about 5 minutes. Then find yourself 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter and heat it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so. This will make it easier to spread.

10. Pour the peanut butter on to the bars and then spread it around evenly. Let the bars cool completely. You may want to stick them in the fridge to help speed up the cooling process.

11. In your stand mixer or medium sized mixing bowl combine 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and 3 cups powdered sugar. Beat until glossy and smooth. Spread it over the top of the cooled bars.

Cut, serve and enjoy!

 

Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Bars

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 1 large jelly roll pan, cut as small or large as you like

Ingredients

BARS:
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
1 C butter, softened
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
1 C peanut butter (I used chunky)
2 C old fashioned oats
2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
FILLING:
1 1/2 C peanut butter (I used chunky)
FROSTING:
1/2 C butter, softened
1/4 C milk
2 t vanilla
3 T cocoa powder
3 C powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Toss 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of butter into your stand mixer, or large mixing bowl.
2. Cream the ingredients together until light and fluffy, about 2 or 3 minutes.
3. Add 2 eggs,1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 cup of peanut butter. Mix until well combined.
4. Into a medium sized mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt. Toss it around to combine.
5. Add 2 cups of old fashioned oats to the dry ingredients. Give it all a nice stir with a wooden spoon and add it to the creamed mixture, in your mixer. 🙂
6. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and place the dough onto the sheet.
7. Spray your hands with cooking spray and then press the dough evenly over the pan.
8. Bake the dough at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
9. Let it cool and set up for about 5 minutes. Then find yourself 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter and heat it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so. This will make it easier to spread.
10. Pour the peanut butter on to the bars and then spread it around evenly. Let the bars cool completely. You may want to stick them in the fridge to help speed up the cooling process.
11. In your stand mixer or medium sized mixing bowl combine 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and 3 cups powdered sugar. Beat until glossy and smooth. Spread it over the top of the cooled bars.
Cut, serve and enjoy!
https://jamiecooksitup.net/2012/09/lunch-lady-peanut-butter-oatmeal-chocolate-bars-4/

Recipe from Six Sisters Stuff

Pinterest friendly image below…

Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars at Jamie Cooks It Up!

 

Leave a Comment

13 comments

Melissa B September 4, 2012 - 1:17 pm

I loved your post! lol… no…there was no peanut butter in the dark ages.. =)

How did the first day of school go for all the kids in your house?

Reply
Jamie September 4, 2012 - 10:08 pm

School has been great this year for all of my kids…fingers crossed it will last. Thanks for asking! 🙂

Reply
Pam September 4, 2012 - 1:24 pm

Maybe I went in the dark ages cause I don’t remember having these when I went to school. Miss getting you updates by RSS feed since the changeover. Can you tell me how I can still get them? Thanks

Reply
Laureen September 4, 2012 - 1:26 pm

This looks amazing though our kids can’t take peanut butter to school but maybe a good after school snack!

Reply
Betty September 4, 2012 - 2:33 pm

Hi, i work a school kitchen, we make a PB bar and the kids love them. They do not have a filling but are full of healthy yes I said healthy ingredients such as Peanut Butter, oatmeal and WWheat flour. (We won’t talk of all the margarine in them) have a great day

Reply
Heidi September 4, 2012 - 3:08 pm

Oh, Jamie I remember these delicious bars from
That exact same high school. I loved them too!
Do you think you could reinvent their deliciously fattening
cheese bread too? By the way, I sent my first to high school
And last to kindergarten too this year.

Reply
Camille (SixSistersStuff) September 4, 2012 - 3:13 pm

So happy to hear that you loved them! Aren’t they delicious?! 🙂
Hope you are having a great day!!
Camille
SixSistersStuff

Reply
Janelle September 7, 2012 - 6:46 pm

If you aren’t up for making the frosting, you can sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the PB while it is still warm. Spread with a knife after they soften and melt. 🙂

Reply
Tonya January 30, 2013 - 6:49 pm

I make at least 3 of your recipes every week and every single one is amazing and delicious! I feel like your blog was written according to our taste buds. 🙂 Thank you!

Reply
Almond Crunch Granola February 27, 2013 - 6:14 am

[…] I’m sure when I purchased it I had plans for making all kinds of yummy things. Like these and this and some of these. But then I forgot about my big bucket of oats (and its 3-5 year shelf […]

Reply
Denise February 13, 2014 - 10:19 pm

I made these for a treat for our school for the teachers to eat during Parent Teacher Conference and they loved it and the school Secretary asked for the recipe because teachers loved them so much!! They were a hit!

Reply
Theresa April 13, 2017 - 12:44 pm

Hi, My mom worked in a cafeteria for years but is elderly now and couldn’t remember the recipe. I tried this one but First, I don’t have that size pan so mine were thicker. They came out more cake like, dry and crumbly. Not the gooeyness I remember. Can someone tell me what I did wrong.

Reply
Stephanie December 20, 2020 - 9:39 am

Wow! I can’t wait to cut these up and try them! What would be the best storage for them? I’m passing these out on holiday cookie platter’s, for my family this year.
Thank you!!

Reply

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