Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
Bars
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 2½ cups peanut butter divided
- 2 cups oats (not quick-cooking)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
Mom's Chocolate Frosting
- ½ cup butter or margarine softened
- ¼ cup milk
- 1-2 tsp vanilla (to taste)
- 3 Tbsp cocoa
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Bars
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Grease a 13x8 inch jelly roll pan.
- In a large bowl, cream together sugars and butter.
- Add vanilla, eggs, and 1 cup peanut butter and mix well.
- Stir in oats, flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Spread dough on prepared pan and bake 15 minutes until golden brown.
- While hot, spread remaining 1½ cups peanut butter on top. (Fred’s note: works better to melt pb in microwave and pour/spread on top.)
- Cool so that the peanut butter solidifies again. (I usually chill them in the fridge so they set up faster and we can eat these bad boys sooner!)
- Spread Mom's Chocolate Frosting on top.
- Cut into bars when ready to serve.
Mom's Chocolate Frosting
- Beat all ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add more powdered sugar or milk until you reach desired consistency.
Notes
This is from the Six Sisters STUFF Cookbook. When I first saw this recipe, it immediately took me back 50+ years to the Waterville, WA Elementary lunch cafeteria where I remember having these periodically when I was in grades 3-6. I'd not had them since. It's one of only two memories I have of elementary school lunches. They are THAT memorable!!!
The other memory? Me being unfamiliar with school cafeteria lunches and thinking a bowl of mayo was whipped cream (I'd never seen mayo served in a bowl before, duh!) so I put a BIG spoonful on top of my chocolate pudding. My friend, Rory Eggers, exclaimed "You like mayonaisse on your chocolate pudding?!?!" Being made aware of my mistake but too embarrassed to own it, I suppressed my horror and simply said "yes"...and ATE it to prove it. I only proved it once, though. Never again. Ahhhh, grade school. Sweet memories.