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These Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars are soft, chewy, and packed with rich peanut butter flavor. Made with simple pantry ingredients, they’re a crowd-pleasing dessert that’s easy to make and hard to resist.
If you have ever been to this site before you know that I love just about anything with peanut butter and chocolate. Reese’s Fudge is one of the most popular recipes of all time on this site, so I know that you guys love it too!
I have been trying to come up with the perfect peanut butter oatmeal bar for a long time. I have gone between a healthier version, a real cookie texture version with chocolate chips, but in the end this almost fudgy peanut butter oatmeal bar with the chocolate “frosting” was the winner hands down!
This Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie is probably my favorite cookie of all time. It is super peanut butter-y, and just might be the softest cookies you will ever make. So I wanted to turn that into bar form, with oats and more chocolate.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter in baking
- Brown Sugar
- White Sugar
- Creamy Peanut Butter – Commercial brand (Skippy/Jif) are best
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Old Fashioned Oats – see notes below for picking and subbing oats
- Baking Powder
- Salt
The frosting isn’t really a frosting. It is really just milk chocolate chips and peanut butter that are melted together. The peanut butter keeps the chocolate from re-solidifying after it cools. So it is perfectly creamy and delicious.
How To Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
- Cream Butter. Using an electric mixer cream together the softened butter with both kinds of sugar and the peanut butter. You want it to come together and be light and fluffy.
- Add Wet Ingredients. Mix in the eggs and vanilla until they are fully incorporated.
- Add Dry Ingredients. Add in the oats, flour, baking powder and salt and mix until it is just combined.
- Bake. Press into a 13×9 inch baking pan and bake for about 25 minutes, just until the edges are golden and the center is set.
- Make Topping. To prepare the topping place the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 60 seconds. Remove and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Finish and Serve. Pour over the bars and spread into an even layer. The the chocolate set and then serve!
Old Fashioned Oats vs Quick Cooking Oats
This recipe calls for old fashioned oats, and that is because of the texture they give the bars. The bars are very fudge like in texture, so the old fashioned oats brings everything together and gives the bars and nice bite. If you use quick cooking oats, the bars will work, but they will not be the same texture. The oats will disappear more into the bars and you won’t get quite the same experience.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- As you can see these bars are pretty thick. I like to bake them in a 13×9 inch pan, because we like them this thick. but if you want thinner bars, you can press the dough into a small jelly roll pan, and you will get thinner bars.
- The amount of peanut butter in the topping is what makes it stay cream and not solidify, so don’t skimp on it!
- Be careful not to over bake. Just like when you make brownies or cookies, when you take the pan out of the oven it is hot, and the bars will continue to cook. So it is ok if they are slightly under done when you take them out.
- These bars turn out best with commercial brand peanut butter. All natural or the 100% peanut brands will cause separation and change these bars quite a bit.
Storage
Store peanut butter oatmeal bars in an airtight container or cover the baking pan with foil or plastic wrap. They can sit at room temperature for 4-5 days. If it is super hot, you may want to store them in the fridge as the topping can get soft.
Freezing
Let the chocolate set completely and then slice into bars. Store them in an air tight container for up to 3 months in the freezer.
So the next time you are craving something sweet or that beloved chocolate and peanut butter combination, look no further! These bars are the ultimate treat of a thick, sweet, almost fudgy cookie bar topped with a creamy layer of chocolate. And they are so easy to make! No shaping balls of dough and baking 3 different trays of cookies. Just one pan in the oven and you are done!
More Delicious Dessert Recipes
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies
- Easy No Bake Avalanche Cookies
- No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- Peanut Butter Cream Pie
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 whole large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Topping
- 12 oz milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Using an electric mixer cream together the softened butter with both kinds of sugar and the peanut butter. You want it to come together and be light and fluffy.1 cup butter, 3/4 cup light brown sugar, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla until they are fully incorporated.2 whole large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add in the oats, flour, baking powder and salt and mix until it is just combined.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups old fashioned oats, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
- Press into a 13×9 inch baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, just until the edges are golden and the center is set.
- Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- To prepare the topping place the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 60 seconds. Remove and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.12 oz milk chocolate chips, 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- Pour over the bars and spread into an even layer.
- Let the chocolate set and then serve!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Amazingly good out of the fridge. This is better than bake sale good. Like sell caterer good!
These were delicious. Tasted just like the famous peanut butter cups. Everyone loved. Thank you.
I can’t believe anyone would rate this lower than a five. So so so so so tasty. Will make again and again. Thank you!!!!!
Hello! What can I use instead of eggs in this recipe for the same effect? Looks yummo 🙂
I have not tested this with any egg alternatives. There are a few out there you can try. Let me know if you try it.
Can you use gluten free flour or coconut flour?
I do think all-purpose gluten free flour would work well. I have not tried almond flour, so I don’t know about that. I doubt coconut flour would work without adjustments as it absorbs so much more liquid that others.
I am unclear on how much peanut butter goes in the crust and how much in the frosting. It’s listed as an ingredient in both bottom and top layer in the recipe
The recipe card shows 1 cup in the bars and 1 cup in the topping. So you need 2 cups total, divided as the recipe says.
Can Quick Oats be used??
Yes, there is a whole section of the posts that talks about what oats to use and why.
I have made these bars several times. My family and coworkers devour them. The 13×9 pan gives plenty to keep and share. 5 ✨✨✨