Retro School Cafeteria Peanut Butter Bars

4.8
(6)
6 Reviews
4 Photos

It's taken me a while to find this recipe. There are many versions of "the peanut butter bar" but, I believe this recipe comes the closest to what I remember eating in the 1960's (via our elementary school lunchroom). Boy those ladies could really cook back then!

Submitted by Deborah Olson
Updated on August 11, 2021
4
4
Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
20 mins
Additional Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 5 mins
Servings:
20
Yield:
20 bars
Jump to Nutrition Facts
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 20 servings

Bars:

  • 1 â…› cups white sugar

  • 1 â…› cups brown sugar

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

  • 2 large eggs

  • ¾ cup peanut butter

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 â…” cups rolled oats

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 pinch salt

Frosting:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

  • 2 tablespoons milk, or more as needed

  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 15x10-inch baking pan.

  2. Cream white sugar, brown sugar, butter, and eggs together in a mixing bowl. Mix in peanut butter and vanilla extract. Add flour and blend well. Add oats, baking soda, and salt and mix to combine. Spread into the prepared pan.

  3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool or chill in the refrigerator, about 30 minutes.

  4. While bars cool, blend powdered sugar, butter, milk, and peanut butter together in a bowl, adding more milk to give frosting the desired consistency. Frost cooled bars and cut into 20 pieces.

Cook's Notes:

You can use margarine instead of butter.

Refrigerating bars before frosting works best in my opinion.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

388 Calories
18g Fat
52g Carbs
6g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 20
Calories 388
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 18g 23%
Saturated Fat 9g 44%
Cholesterol 49mg 16%
Sodium 136mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 52g 19%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 37g
Protein 6g 12%
Calcium 29mg 2%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 141mg 3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

You’ll Also Love

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
26 Ratings
Monster Cookie Bars with Peanut Butter and Oatmeal
3 Ratings
Passion Bars
351 Ratings
Peanut Butter Bars VII
21 Ratings
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Monster Cookie Bars
4 Ratings
Peanut Butter Fingers II
42 Ratings
Butter Finger Bars
13 Ratings
O' Henry Bars
60 Ratings
Baseball Bars
22 Ratings
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
14 Ratings
Peanut Butter Monster Cookie Dream Bars
3 Ratings
Bird Seed Squares
29 Ratings
Rice Cereal Energy Bars
78 Ratings
Oatie Petes
3 Ratings
Fudge Nut Oatmeal Bars
10 Ratings
Chocolate Oat Bars
Fruity Chocolate-Oat Bars
2 Ratings