What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Splurge-Worthy Goodness: School Cafeteria Peanut Butter Bars! Remember the good old days when the grade school menu would come out and we’d peruse it like the Sears and Roebuck Christmas Catalog? We’d jump for joy when we saw Fish Sticks, Baked Meatloaf, Apple Crisp, Chocolate Cake, and Pizza Squares. On the other hand, Creamed Spinach made us wince and turn up our noses. Back then you had two options, buy a hot lunch ticket or bring a sack lunch from home. No in-betweens. As a general rule, the good canceled out the bad, especially in the category of scrumptious desserts. The “Lunchroom Ladies” really knew their business when it came down to sweets. Nobody could layer on the frosting like they could. And it was always homemade right there. I wonder who got to lick the spoon.
SCHOOL CAFETERIA PEANUT BUTTER BARS
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup peanut butter, creamy
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
Ingredients for Icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, melted
2 tablespoons hot water
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9”x9” square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Melt butter and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl on 50% for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat, if necessary. Set aside to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, sift together sugar, brown sugar, and kosher salt. Whisk in one egg at a time until combined. Add vanilla extract. Whisk in peanut butter mixture until combined. Sift in flour; mix until flour disappears. Do not over mix. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cake tester comes out with tiny moist crumbs. Cool pan on a wire rack. Once the pan has cooled, remove the cake from pan and transfer on the parchment paper to a rimmed baking sheet. Combine powdered sugar, creamy peanut butter, and hot water. Stir until frosting has a smooth consistency. Drizzle over dessert. Allow icing to set up before cutting into individual bars.
You had me at peanut butter 😀
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I can totally relate. Yummy in my tummy. 😋🍂
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My schools never served anything like this. Wow.
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I’m sure you had something just as good, though. 😜
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Another one for the file.
And the milk . . oh me goodness yes.
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Sometimes only milk will do. Am I right? 😜🍃🥛🍪
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You are SO right!
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I have a thing for anything with pb. This sounds great.
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I’m right there with you. 😋🍂
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and Happy Thanksgiving!
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Wow delicious.. good for my hiking snack I’m sure 😉
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Most definitely. 😍🍂
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Where did you go to school?!?
I remember hamburger day was a treat when everyone bought lunch. Our fav dessert was frozen OJ. Never anything more spectacular than those. Certainly no PB bars!!!
They look super yummy!!
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Illinois. Pretty lucky, right?!?! 😍🍂
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Winnetka/Wilmette? I had a friend from there and recall it was very “posh”.
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Yummy!
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Who doesn’t like peanut butter? 😜
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