Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars

These lunch lady peanut butter bars are sweet and salty with a chewy peanut butter oatmeal cookie base, chocolate frosting on top and more peanut butter in between!

Whether you grew up eating these in the school cafeteria or not, these lunch lady peanut butter bars are a classic! Every bite is so full of texture and flavor from the chewy oatmeal cookie base, rich peanut butter flavor in the middle and chocolate buttercream on top.

I swear I could have lived off these during school days in rotation with other easy peanut butter desserts like this easy scotcheroos recipe or peanut butter Rice Krispie treats!

Ingredient Notes

Oats, peanut butter, butter, sugar, eggs, cocoa powder and powdered sugar for lunch lady peanut butter bars.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

Oats: I prefer old-fashioned oats as they make the bars chewier, but you can use quick oats.
Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter in the base of the bars as the peanut butter and added salt add enough salty flavor.
Sugars: Granulated white sugar and packed brown sugar are needed for the base.
Peanut butter: I love to use Skippy or Jif creamy peanut butter but a crunchy peanut butter works, too. I would not use a natural peanut butter that you have to stir.
Chocolate frosting: Butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and cocoa powder. Unsweetened natural cocoa powder like Hershey’s or Ghirardelli are my preference.

How to Make Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars

In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened butter, granulated white sugar and brown sugar. Add vanilla, eggs and peanut butter and mix well. Stir in oats, flour baking soda and salt.

A bowl of creamed butter, sugar and peanut butter.

Spread dough on prepared parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean. Melt peanut butter until easy to spread, add on top of warm bars then cool completely.

Lunch lady peanut butter bars in a sheet pan.

Using a hand mixer or standing mixer, cream butter. Slowly add milk, vanilla, cocoa powder, powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix until smooth then spread on cooled bars.

Dollops for frosting on lunch lady peanut butter bars.

Recipe Tips

Size of pan: A 11×17 inch baking sheet will also work.
Reddit famous lunch lady peanut butter bars: While I recall there definitely being oats in the base, these no bake peanut butter bars are another lunch lady favorite.
Peanut butter frosting: Talking with friends and family, some schools didn’t make these with peanut butter filling but instead topped with a peanut butter frosting.
Add-ins: Mix in some chocolate chips to the dough, or top with Reese’s pieces, chopped peanut butter cups or even dry roasted peanuts.

Spreading frosting on peanut butter bars.

Storage

Store: Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 5 days. If your pan has a lid, even better! You can also store them in the refrigerator and serve them chilled.
Freezing: First, slice the bars into squares then flash freeze on a parchment lined paper baking sheet. Wrap in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn then transfer to a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Remove plastic wrap before thawing.

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