These peanut butter oatmeal bars are rich and hearty peanut butter cookie bars packed full of oatmeal, and topped with more creamy peanut butter and a rich chocolate frosting – perfect for a crowd!
These peanut butter bars are so irresistible. The recipe makes a big pan full, but its one of those things that you can’t stop eating, and you keep going back for another little piece, and then another, and then another. Oh, is that just me?
I got this peanut butter oatmeal bar recipe from Nate’s aunt. She made them a while back for a family party and I won’t tell you how many of these bars I ate that night. But I figured I should get the recipe so that I could make them again and home, and so that I could share the recipe with you.
These bars start with a peanut butter oatmeal cookie base. Its spread out thin into a rimmed cookie sheet. You’ll bake them until the edges just start to turn golden and the middle is no longer doughey. They keep cooking as the pan is cooling so you don’t need to worry about if they look a little underbaked right when you pull them out – that way the edges won’t be too dry and overdone.
While the bars are still warm, you’ll dollop peanut butter all over the top and spread it smooth all around to give the bars that perfect extra peanut buttery taste.
They’re then topped with a super easy, buttery chocolate frosting that brings it all together, just right.
These bars are chewy, soft, sweet and so delicious. And the perfect chocolate and peanut butter dessert. Everyone you share them with will LOVE them, that is, if you have enough leftover to share after you eat half (or all) the pan.
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Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
For topping the bars:
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup butter
- 6 TBS milk (whole or 2%)
- 4 TBS cocoa powder
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed half cookie sheet (13x18x1) with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the old fashioned oats, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together your peanut butter and butter.
- Add in the sugar and brown sugar and cream together till smooth, and light.
- Add in the eggs, and vanilla and stir to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir it all together.
- Press the cookie dough into the cookie sheet, spreading evenly to the edges. The dough is pretty sticky, so spray your hands or a rubber spatula with nonstick spray while you spread it.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until the middle is just barely set.
For Topping the Bars:
- Allow the bars to cool for about 5 minutes, then drop peanut butter dollops over the top of the bars.
- Allow to sit for about 1-2 minutes until the peanut butter starts to soften, then spread the peanut butter evenly over the top.
- In a medium sized heavy sauce pan over medium heat, add butter, cocoa powder and milk. Bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar till smooth.
- Spread chocolate frosting over the top of the bars and spread into an even layer.
- Allow frosting to set and bars to cool completely before cutting into squares to enjoy.
- Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-6 days.
Dana says
HELP!
When making the chocolate frosting for the Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars, failed to let it come to a boil. I only melted the peanut butter, butter, cocoa powder and milk.
Then I added the powdered sugar.
It is not working. It does not taste good.
What can I do?
Aimee says
It should taste the same, only likely won’t hold itself together – if you don’t like the flavor try melting chocolate chips and pouring over the top.
Annie says
We all LOVED the bars! Good thing I doubled the recipe, so we had plenty to share.
Thanks!
Aimee says
So glad you loved them!
Stephanie Schmidt says
My mom used to make a recipe like this from the 1950 something Pillsbury bake off coookbook. It was called “Peanut Butter Goozlies”. I lost the recipe and was hoping this was close enough. I liked that it was a thinner bar cookie (my mom’s were thicker). I also liked the layer of peanut butter under the frosting. But overall, I found them so sweet that it was hard to differentiate the flavors, outside of the sweetness. I know baking is a fairly precise alchemy of ingredients, but could you successfully make these with less sugar? And maybe more peanut butter (although with less sugar, the peanut butter flavor may come through more.
Aimee says
Ahh glad you gave this recipe a try. You could bake them in a 9×13 next time to make it thicker. To make it sweet you could definitely cut each of the flowers by 1/4 cup or so. Or just put melted chocolate (maybe dark so it’s less sweet) instead of the icing that has a lot of powdered sugar
Etteloc says
👍🏽
Monkey says
Don’t be a wuss. Double the recipie they go quick and use heavy whipping cream instead of milk.
Patti says
These are sooo good. Everyone loved them especially my picky grandson. He said they taste like a peanut butter cup! They were gone in no time. I have to admit I put more peanut butter on than the recipe states. So glad I did! Excellent recipe! Thanks for sharing! Excuse me as I’m off to bake another batch.
Aimee says
Ahh that makes me so happy! So glad you loved them!
Karen says
These bars are awesome! They taste like a super thick Reeses peanut butter cup. I used a Pyrex 13×9 pan and cheated with the frosting and used store bought. I also frosted the next day after storing bars in the fridge. I’m saving this recipe and will make these again. Thank you for sharing this recipe! 🙂
Ellen says
Nothing wrong with helpers like store bought frosting. So glad you like these. Thanks for the review.
Kashipan says
Good recipe, but I for anyone who skims the comments before trying new recipes – PLEASE keep in mind that if you don’t spread this thinly, all over a large cookie sheet, you’re going to either have to bake it at a slightly lower temperature for longer, or deal with the consequences of an overly toasted top and mush for insides. I don’t have a cookie sheet that can properly serve as a baking tray, so I bet on putting the batter in the regular large rectangular brownie tray I usually use. I used the listed temp. but was careful to check to make sure it wasn’t over browning. I knew immediately that 15 minutes would be nowhere near enough time to bake it through, so after 20, I saw the top was browning and stuck a piece of foil in over the top and baked for another 10 minutes. When I took them out and let them cool a bit, I noticed it was still quite wet on the inside (the edges were golden brown and perfect!), but I’m hoping that by the time the tray has cooled off by morning, it will have solidified a bit more. Next time I bake these, I may add in an extra 100g of flour, since 2 cups of fat for that little flour is a LOT, even with the oats. Very tasty all the same. I’d’ve given it all the stars, but I think the poster should stress hard that if you don’t use the kind of cookie sheet specified, it makes a difference that could ruin the entire batch for someone less experienced with baking!
Kashipan says
Just wanted to chime back in to say that I just baked these again with the adjustments I listed above, and they turned out great! The only changes to the recipe itself that I made was to round the flour off at 300g and make it 10g of baking powder. I used a 180C temp., baked for 20 minutes, then checked to find them nicely browned, and left them to bake 10 more minutes, after which they were perfectly golden brown! After letting cool for a while, I found the consistency nice and toasted on top, but just underdone enough in the middle and bottom to keep them moist. I think these adjustments would work perfectly for those who only have the rectangular, standard sized deeper trays for sheet cakes or thick brownies. Really nice recipe!!!
Ellen says
Awesome tips.
Annie says
Thanks for these tips! I actually prefer a brownie type bar and would have used that type of pan and messed these up as I don’t have a lot of baking experience.
Jess says
Just like Annie, thank you for these tips (even more for doing it in a helpful, positive way! It’s such a turnoff when folks are condescending or basically recreate someone else’s hard work!)! I actually thought I DID have a decent amount of baking exp, but never considered this. Was about to dredge this beautiful batter into a regular 11 er 13×9, clueless to tangible differences (and the only one I currently have due to starting over), and honestly would’ve been the ‘final straw’ in my day (er decade? lol) to ruin this! You’re awesome for thinking of others too!
And of course THANK YOU, Ms. Aimee and Ms. Ellen!
JeninColorado says
Tasty good but my bars needed to cook a full 25 minutes, not 15. Not sure if my half sheet pan is a little smaller than others creating a thicker bar or not. I was craving oatmeal peanut butter – this was perfect!
Aimee says
Glad you watched them closely to make sure they were done for your pan/oven! And I’m so glad you liked them!
Steve says
Made this and completely love it! I’m not much of a baker, but this was easy enough to follow that it made it look like I knew what I was doing. Great recipe!
Janie says
Im about to start on making these i can already taste them too cant wait im not much of a baker although i do bake quite a bit hope they come out as good as they look
Aimee says
I hope you love them!!
Angie says
These are way too sweet. I would cut the brown sugar in 1/2
Bob says
Cream or no cream? Ingredients and instructions are different.
Aimee says
There is no cream listed in the ingredients or the instructions. You will use CREAMY peanut butter, unless you want peanut chunks in the bars. And you will CREAM together the ingredients in Step 4, but you won’t add cream anywhere.