Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

These Peanut Butter Lunch Lady Cookie Bars bring back memories of school cafeterias with their soft, chewy texture and rich peanut butter flavor, topped with a smooth and decadent peanut butter frosting. They’re perfect for sharing and satisfying any peanut butter craving.

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

For the Cookie Bars:

For the Frosting:

Instructions:

1. Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a large cookie sheet (approximately 18×13 inches) or line it with parchment paper.
2. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Combine Wet Ingredients (Part 1): In a separate bowl, whisk together ½ cup of milk, the vanilla extract, and the beaten eggs. Set aside.
4. Melt Butter and Peanut Butter: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 cup (2 sticks) of the unsalted butter and 1 cup of the peanut butter. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
5. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Slowly add the flour mixture to the hot butter-peanut butter mixture, stirring constantly until partially combined. Then, slowly add the milk and egg mixture and continue to mix until all ingredients are well combined and the batter is smooth.
6. Pour and Spread Batter: Pour the peanut butter batter onto the prepared cookie sheet. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly to the edges of the pan.
7. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean.
8. Cool Completely: Allow the cookie bars to cool completely in the pan before frosting. This is important to prevent the frosting from melting.
9. Prepare Frosting: While the bars are cooling, make the frosting. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 stick of unsalted butter and ½ cup of peanut butter to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
10. Add Milk and Powdered Sugar: Add 2 tablespoons of milk to the melted butter-peanut butter mixture. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar until the frosting is smooth and well combined.
11. Frost the Bars: Once the cookie bars are completely cool, pour the peanut butter frosting evenly over the top. Use a spatula to spread the frosting to the edges of the bars.
12. Cool and Set: Allow the frosting to cool and set completely before cutting the bars into squares and serving. Enjoy this nostalgic and delicious treat!