How to Make Retro School Cafeteria Peanut Butter Bars - A Step-by-Step Guide

Remember the good old days of school lunches? The smell of the cafeteria, the scrape of chairs on linoleum floors, and the excitement of dessert time? One of the most beloved treats from those days is the classic peanut butter bar. These sweet and salty bars are a nostalgic favorite, and they're surprisingly easy to make at home. If you want to bring a taste of the past to your kitchen, then this recipe for Retro School Cafeteria Peanut Butter Bars is a must-try.

These bars are the pe...

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Ingredients

  • 1 ⅛ cups white sugar
  • 1 ⅛ 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 ⅔ cups rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons milk, or more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Information

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Additional Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
  • Servings: 20
  • Yield: 20 bars

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

    388 cal.

    • Total Fat: 18g
    • Saturated Fat: 9g
    • Cholesterol: 49mg
    • Sodium: 136mg
    • Total Carbohydrate: 52g
    • Dietary Fiber: 2g
    • Total Sugars: 37g
    • Protein: 6g
    • Calcium: 29mg
    • Iron: 1mg
    • Potassium: 141mg