Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Peanut Butter Bars


Whenever we would go into a bakery growing up, we would get peanut butter bars. 

Our local store bakery (the one that makes the bread that I am obsessed with buying) makes them and sells them by the dozen (heaven help me!) 

My mom cannot be trusted anywhere near a batch of these. 


These along with giant cinnamon rolls the size of my head, and bread sticks as long as my arm always remind me of elementary school - school lunch. I loved school lunch so much! If I could open a restaurant and just serve all the Mountain View Elementary school lunch lady recipes (with the exception of the HORRID boiled spinach) - I would make a fortune and eventually open an restaurant in Times Square and have a show of Food TV.

On a side note, It is beginning to really become apparent that I have been crazy about food my entire life. Too many of these blog posts have strange childhood back stories.


School Lunch Peanut Butter Bars

1 1/2 C Flour
¾ C Butter
¾ C Sugar
¾ C Brown Sugar
1 ½ tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 C Creamy Peanut Butter (3/4 C for Bars and 3/4 C for Pre-Frosting)
2 Eggs
1¼ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Baking Soda
1 ½ C Quick Oats

Frosting:

½ C Butter
3 ½ C Powdered Sugar
2 T Cocoa
¼ C Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla



Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugars, 3/4 C peanut butter, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add dry ingredients, just until incorporated. Then, stir in the oats.

Spread onto a greased cookie sheet (the kind with edges). Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes.

You frost in two steps

 First, whip the remaining ¾ C Creamy Peanut Butter until it becomes lighter colored and fluffy. Carefully spread the whipped peanut butter over the pan cookie.

Then, add butter to a small sauce pan and melt the butter. Add the milk and cocoa. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Heat just until boiling. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Then, gradually add the powdered sugar. Stir until thickened. Pour over the peanut butter and gently spread over the cookie. Cool completely, and slice into bar cookies.

The bakery slices them in huge squares - it is probably best not to do that since you really could end up eating the entire pan of them and then saying, "but I only ate 4 of them". I am probably giving away too much about myself there.