These delicious lunch lady peanut butter bar cookies are delicious and tasty! Also in a peanut free and nut free version!
I grew up in California where we were often subjected to the latest craze in our school lunches. When low fat diets were the trend, kids lunches became low fat. When healthy, low saturated, low fat diets became the trend, school lunch treats became an apple and those pretty little decorated sugar cookies that my mom would never let me eat at home were no more. And then my school lunch became nut, grain, gluten, soy, refined sugar, dairy and corn free. So pretty much school lunch became a salad everyday with different veggies on top.
It's no wonder that later down the road I became a sugar addict.
So, to relive my childhood and help my kids understand that treats in a school lunch are OK!! and FUN!! I made these delicious tasting lunch lady peanut butter bar cookies. I made them refined sugar free though and you can make them peanut free too.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup crunchy or creamy peanut butter or nut free butter like Sneaky Chef, SunButter or Wow Butter
- 1 cup white or coconut sugar
- 1 cup brown or coconut sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 ½ cups all purpose unbleached flour, white whole wheat flour, or gluten free flour blend
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter
- 2 ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1-2 tbsp milk (can substitute dairy free)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
- On medium speed in a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars.
- Turn the mixer to low and stir in the eggs, stopping to scrape the bowl if necessary. Slowly stir in the flour, baking powder and baking soda and salt. Mix until dough is well blended.
- Drop dough by tablespoon onto the cookie sheets, leaving two inches of space between cookie.
- Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes, or until the edges of the cookie begin to brown and the cookie cracks. Remove from oven and allow to cool for several minutes on the cookie sheet before moving to a cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth and fluffy. Once smooth, turn off mixer and frost a generous layer on each cookie.
Leave a Reply