Peanut Butter Bars

Davis family favorite! My husband Jordan and his entire extended family grew up on these deliciously sweet, chocolatey, salty peanut buttery, chewy oat, and creamy frosting BARS! There is a debate in calling them peanut butter bars, squares or fingers (that's kind of a weird one?) depending on how they are cut. What is your vote and how would you prefer to cut and serve them? Back to the bars- they are so dang good. I make a large tray and freeze them on paper plates and then zip lock bags to have on hand. We even love them frozen. These bars/squares/fingers are at EVERY Davis family gathering for a reason. When we get together with our Davis cousins Aunt Kathy bring them out after dinner. She serves them in a round flexible and durable plastic Tupperware with a secure lid, from the 1950's, that we can't find anywhere now a days! All hands fly for the corner pieces first and the rest is history. The tray is gone by the end of the evening. They will be when you make this recipe too- guaranteed!

Made with Amore,

Elena

Ingredients

Cookie:

¾ cups butter, softened but not melted

¾ cups sugar

¾ cups peanut butter (smooth or crunchy depending of preference)*

2 eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups of flour

½ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ cups rolled oats

Chocolate:

1 cup of of semi sweet chocolate chips

Frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar

¾ cup smooth peanut butter

¾ Cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup of milk

Instruction

Cookie layer:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Grease a 12x17 in cookie sheet pan
3. Wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl cream together (using hand or stand mixer): butter, sugar, peanut butter, eggs and vanilla until fluffy
4. Dry ingredients: Sift in flour, salt, baking soda to the creamed mixture
5. Add oats
6. Mix together until combined (cookie dough texture)
7. Press the dough onto the prepared baking pan sheet until it forms a uniform layer on the bottom of the pan
8. Bake at 375 F for about 10 minutes until slightly golden on top
9. Turn off the oven

Chocolate layer:

1. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the cookie layer and place back in the warm oven (that is turned OFF) for 2 minutes
2. Take out the cookie sheet and spread the warm chocolate all over the cookie with a spatula or knife- creating a smooth even layer
3. Place in fridge to let chocolate layer harden a bit

Peanut Butter Frosting layer:

1. In a medium mixing bowl cream together (using hand or stand mixer) the powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and milk
2. The end result should be a uniform creamy frosting
3. With a spatula gently spread the frosting over the chocolate layer

Final step:

1. Let the bars harden in the fridge for about an hour before cutting
2. Keep in fridge (2 weeks) or freezer (3 months)

*special note on the peanut butter- if you use organic no-stir peanut butter the oat cookie layer will be more dry and less chewy (I personally like them that way). This is because there aren't added oils or binders that make it more oily and therefore, add moisture. If you use regular peanut butter (think Jiffy) they will be more chewy and dense (I love this way too).

If you make this recipe please write a comment to tell me your thoughts! I want to connect with all of you through your experience with my recipes.

Love, Elena

Peanut Butter Bars

• Author: Elena
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours
• Yield: 6
• Category: Dessert

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Description

Deliciously sweet, chocolatey, salty peanut buttery, chewy oat, and creamy frosting BARS!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Cookie:

• ¾ cups butter, softened but not melted
• ¾ cups sugar
• ¾ cups peanut butter (smooth or crunchy depending of preference)*
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups of flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ cups rolled oats

Chocolate:

• 1 cup of of semi sweet chocolate chips

Frosting:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ¾ cup smooth peanut butter
• ¾ cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup of milk

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Instructions

Cookie layer:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Grease a 12×17 in cookie sheet pan
3. Wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl cream together (using hand or stand mixer): butter, sugar, peanut butter, eggs and vanilla until fluffy
4. Dry ingredients: Sift in flour, salt, baking soda to the creamed mixture
5. Add oats
6. Mix together until combined (cookie dough texture)
7. Press the dough onto the prepared baking pan sheet until it forms a uniform layer on the bottom of the pan
8. Bake at 375 F for about 10 minutes until slightly golden on top
9. Turn off the oven

 

Chocolate layer:

1. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the cookie layer and place back in the warm oven (that is turned OFF) for 2 minutes
2. Take out the cookie sheet and spread the warm chocolate all over the cookie with a spatula or knife- creating a smooth even layer
3. Place in fridge to let chocolate layer harden a bit

 

Peanut Butter Frosting layer:

1. In a medium mixing bowl cream together (using hand or stand mixer) the powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and milk
2. The end result should be a uniform creamy frosting
3. With a spatula gently spread the frosting over the chocolate layer

 

Final step:

1. Let the bars harden in the fridge for about an hour before cutting
2. Keep in fridge (2 weeks) or freezer (3 months)

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Notes

if you use organic no-stir peanut butter the oat cookie layer will be more dry and less chewy (I personally like them that way). This is because there aren’t added oils or binders that make it more oily and therefore, add moisture. If you use regular peanut butter (think Jiffy) they will be more chewy and dense (I love this way too).