No Bake Cafeteria Peanut Butter Bars
Don’t miss a single post – Subscribe by e-mail (It’s FREE!)
I’ll be at Southern Living all day today and tomorrow filming a new series of webisodes I’m hosting for them called Quick Fix Suppers. To see behind the scenes throughout the day, join us over at the Behind The Scenes With Christy thread on the Front Porch by clicking here! Note: anyone can read our forums but you must register in the top right hand corner in order to join in the conversation. See ya on the porch!
My mother takes three of my nephews to school each morning and some interesting tales have risen up over the past few years from those fifteen minute car rides with three young boys. It’s amazing how much can occur in such a short span and how easy it is to see into a kid’s world based on what they talk about at the start of their day.
Recently, Mama read an ad in their local paper that the school needed crossing guards at certain spots near the campus and help kids cross the street. She mentioned in offhand conversation to my nephew Austin (10 years) that if she didn’t keep her youngest granddaughter during the day she’d take that job just to help out. Austin looked at her and remarked “Grandmama, you just like to help people, don’t you?”. Mama thought about it a minute and said “Well Austin, thats just what you’re supposed to do. Whenever you get a chance you are supposed to always help out other people, especially in your town, and there is always something you can do to help.”
Mama is right about helping people, but I think she also understands how good it makes us feel when we step up and help out. Just think about it. The last time you opened a door for someone, didn’t you perk up just a little bit yourself? Each time we reach out and help someone else, even in a small way, it boosts our heart just a little bit higher in our chest and makes our next smile come a little easier.
So many folks are trying to change the world in broad strokes these days and that is certainly commendable. But I think most significant change takes place on a smaller scale, and it can begin in your hometown – by helping a kid cross the street, opening the door for someone, or just looking around and offering a smile to someone who needs it. As the wisdom of our elders teaches us, “That’s just what you’re supposed to do.”
And now on to our recipe. Aren’t you lucky my soapbox was short today? You know how longwinded I can get!
These peanut butter bars are an old school cafeteria recipe from back in the days when the lunch ladies would come in at the break of dawn and set to making the day’s meals from scratch. They were our mothers away from home, always there to make sure we got enough to eat and offer a kind smile and hug whenever we needed it – and boy was their food ever good!
Peanut butter treats were usually in abundance since peanut butter was a government commodity, provided in large quantities to lunchrooms. This is a great recipe that requires no baking and ends up tasting like what a Reese’s cup aspires to be – all it needs is a sweet lady in a hair net to hum softly to it as she pats it into the pan.
This post is dedicated to all past and present lunchroom ladies. We sure do love you!
You’ll need: Creamy Peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, brown sugar, butter (or margarine), and semi sweet chocolate chips.
You don’t have to have a whole tub of peanut butter like I have pictured here so don’t worry about that. My family just happens to think peanut butter is the best thing since…well peanut butter, so I tend to buy it in large quantities. This jar is like the “Bubba” of peanut butter.
Okay, I did this the easy way.
Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
Microwave until the butter and peanut butter are both melted, this will take about a minute or so.
Check it after 45 seconds and make sure though because microwaves vary so greatly.
This is our melted “stuff”. Now take a spoon and give it a really good stir.
Like this.
At first it will seem like a big old mess, but after several stirs it will all come together and leave the sides of the bowl.
Like this.
Don’t you just love getting to see what these things are supposed to look like? I think the photos work so well for everyone, whether you are a new cook or a seasoned pro, because by the time you are done reading the post you’ve already mentally made the dish, so getting in the kitchen and making it in real life seems much less daunting.
Now transfer your peanut butter mixture into the bottom of a 9×13 pan and pat it out into the pan with your hands.
Until it looks like this.
Time to crank up that microwave again! Pour the entire package of chocolate chips into a bowl and microwave them at 30 second intervals, stirring in between each, until completely melted.
Pour the melted chocolate chips over your peanut butter mixture and spread it all around until the top is evenly covered.
Now the hard part: waiting for this to harden.
You can do this at room temperature or you can do like me and place it in the fridge for about half an hour or so.
Cut into bars and serve.
Leftovers can be stored in your cookie jar on the counter or in the refrigerator, whatever cranks your tractor 
.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (or margarine, whatever you have)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark, again whatever you have)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups peanut butter
- 2- 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the chocolate chips in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave until butter and peanut butter are melted, one to two minutes (time will vary by microwave).
- Remove from microwave and use a large spoon to stir all of the ingredients together until they form a ball of dough that leaves the side of the bowl. Pat into a 9x13 pan.
- Pour chocolate chips into another microwave safe bowl and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until completely melted. Spoon over top of peanut butter mixture and spread evenly.
- Allow to cool completely at room temperature until chocolate hardens again or place in the refrigerator for faster hardening. Cut into squares and serve to some awfully happy people!
Print This Recipe
“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.”
-J.M. Barrie
Submitted by April. Submit your quote by clicking here.
~~~~~~~~~
Click here to join us on the Front Porch where we’re talking about food, books, family, and more!
*Must register to post but anyone can read!
Related posts:
Posted by Christy Jordan
on Apr 20 2011. Filed under Dessert.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
How do I get them to cut evenly and nice like yours? My topping is breaking apart and I even used a heated knife. Suggestions, please?
Kirsten
Oh my goodness do I ever have one happy husband! I made these for him today after telling him about them last night. He got so excited when he heard the ingredients. He said they sounded just like his favorite cafeteria treat from his high school days. When he tasted them tonight he was just ecstatic! And he is a Yankee, born and raised in Danville, PA! I now have a standing request to make them at least once a week! Can’t wait to try them out on grandkids! Thanks Christy!
I just love hearing all the memories that these bring back to folks.
It sounds like your chocolate is cracking when you cut them. That represents chocolate that has been heated too high. Like any candy, chocolate goes thru various stages as it’s temperature rises, from soft to hard. Try heating it in smaller time periods like 20 seconds each time and be sure to stir thoroughly in between each microwave session so you distribute the heat evenly from the hot spots throughout your bowl. You’ll see more chocolate melting as you stir as the heat distributes. Quit heating just as soon as it’s all melted. I hope this helps!
Kirsten,
I cut mine after they had been refrigerated about a half hour…that way the chocolate isnt hard enough yet to break. Lacy
If you overheat the chocolate it makes it brittle. I use the mini chocolate chips and microwave them just til they are soft enough to smooth out with a spatula but they still have their shape until you start to stir them up. By the time I get them all spread out over the PB the chocolate is nice and smooth, even though it still looked lumpy when I took it out of the microwave. If you chill them in the fridge let them come almost to room temp before slicing. Hope that helps. It worked for me.
use a long strand of dental floss and use a sawing motion to cut.
Use a pizza cutter!
Looks fabulous, I will make these this weekend!
Made these two nights ago….so easy & yummy
OH my word. These things are awesome. I made um, shared um, and this morning they are ALL gone. I didn’t even get ONE….thank you for sharing a great recipe. This is going in the vault!!:)
Oh Michelle, I must have forgotten to tell you that the first rule is to cut one out and hide it for yourself. That way you will always be sure to get one before they all disappear.
Thanks to the respondents for including the graham cracker tip! I made these and sent them to my husband’s office so I would not eat them all! We did not have chocolate chips on hand but almond bark worked just fine (although some semi-sweet chocolate chips would be better).
Yummm! I made these yesterday and blogged about them ! Soooooo good! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I am going to make these for my kid’s Easter baskets. They will love these, they are like the buckeyes that I make but s much easier! Thanks for this recipe. Love your recipes, I’m a southern girl, born in Selma, Al. and live in Tennessee. You cook “my” kind of food!
I just had to check this recipe out. I remember getting something similar to this at lunch. They were made with chuncky peanut butter and there was no chocolate used. I remember them tasting so good. I have searched for the recipe, but have not been able to find it. I plan to try this recipe without the chocolate to see if it is the one I remember from my childhood.
Thank you for all of your wonderful recipe offerings.
Christy, I made these thursday when I got to keep two of my grandbabies. Everyone loved them! My 2 1/2 year old keep going to the kitchen saying “I need MORE chocolate”.
Thank you for being you!
Made these and they were FANTASTIC! Another keeper recipe from you! Thanks so much!!!
These were really good and easy!
No kidding Reese’s aspires to these! I have a bunch of peanut butter AND Reese’s fans (more like fiends!) in my house. Grandson informed me we no longer need to buy Reese’s. He’s taking half the pan to school tomorrow, so I’ll be making another pan before his grandpa gets home on Friday. Thanks for the fabulous ‘receep’, as my grandma called them. A definate keeper!!!
I made these for a church supper last night and they were devoured!! I’m not crazy about Reese’s but these are so much better! So easy and delicious, I will make many more times. Thanks for the recipe and wonderful stories!!
I remember these so well and I adored them! I will have to make these soon. Thanks for sharing.
love…love…love…so good
I made these yesterday. For some reason I read the butter as 1/2 stick instead of 1/2 cup. I realized it when I was stirring them up and the mixture was crumbly instead of holding together. I melted the rest of the stick of butter and poured and mixed some more and all was right after that. My family loved these and I took some to my sweet little neighbors too. Thanks for the memory of these. They’re awesome.
What could be better than peanut butter & chocolate? We loved them & it is wonderful to break up & mix with vanilla ice cream! :0)
If I had some vanilla ice cream in the house I would be SO doing just THAT!
Made a batch of these last night and to quote a mutual friend of ours, “OhMyStinkinHeck”! They are better than a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup! Now if I could make them in a mini size…those are so cute! But not as tasty now that I have tried THESE!!!
I wonder if you could use a mini muffin pan with mini liners so all you have to do is pop them out?
I’ve decided to make this tonight for my sweetie. It’ll be great after spaghetti, right?
Oh and Debbie, I’ll bet you could roll these into balls and dip them in the chocolate if you wanted to make them smaller. If I remember right that would be called a buckeye since it leaves the brown spot on one side when you pick it up from the waxed paper or tray.
Made these and they did not last long. So good, brought back great memories. Hid some in the freezer and they are good frozen too!
I sure don’t remember our cafeteria ever serving anything this! I’ve now made at least 10 batches of this since this recipe debuted. Needless to say it’s a hit. But I’m gaining weight! You forgot to warn us about that one!
I happen to be enjoying one of these as I write this…
Made them yesterday to take to our wonderful vet’s office, since there is a fur baby doctor and staff there 24/7…and it’s the weekend…so, of course they need something wonderful to ‘keep their strength up’. And, what better food groups to do that than chocolate and peanut butter…?????? These are sooooooooo yummy…!!!!!
These are yummy and super easy….when they were gone my son said…Mom, we need more peanut butter squares!
That is the best compliment!!
I madee these not long ago. After seeing the recipe on here, I just HAD to have them. Even my little girl,who hates peanut butter liked them and asked that I make them for her school banquet tonight. Thanks for all the great recipes.
Wow!! Fabulous! Had a dessert bar catered for my daughters graduation open house and at the last minute made these…….they were the hit of the party! Thanks!
OMGoodness!!! I was soooo excited to find this recipe. I used to have one of these just about every day in Jr. High school in Tiffin, Ohio!!! I LOVED these!!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I can’t wait to try it!!
Our cafeteria ladies sometimes stirred in some Rice Krispies for crunch – gonna try that today!
God will not take you to, what he won’t see you thru.
Yum! Hubby is a huge PB fan so I’ve got to make them for him!
I have been looking for this version of the peanut butter bar forever! We called the them “E.T. Bars” in school. Just wanted to add 2 tips for the chocolate: 1. add a tablespoon of shortening for every 2 cups of chips. 2. I use a hot chef’s knife to cut my bars. I just fill my sink part way with the hottest water possible, dip the knife, wipe dry and make a cut. And just to echo grammaw and amy g. – always melt your chocolate at the lowest temp possible – it keeps the chocolate from “seizing” – turning crumbly and sandy
Oh my goodness gracious, Christy! These look just like the ones that we had in school and I could eat the entire pan of them!
Christy, when I saw this recipe it really took me back to the treats that were so lovingly made by my mom and others when I was a boy. I made these peanut butter bars for a meeting at the office yesterday – and they were a huge hit! As we were all enjoying them, I could see all these middle-aged people being transported back to a simpler time. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, and the other wonderful thoughts and insights you have on your site.
I just ordered your cookbook and can’t wait to read it and enjoy the recipes with friends and family!
[...] from the Front Porch – I made the No Bake Cafeteria Peanut Butter Bars. They were my favorite in school! I remember watching the cafeteria menu to see when we were [...]
[...] Peanut Butter Squares (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) [...]
I’m thinking I will use white chips then add red/white/blue sprinkles for a July 4th cook-out treat:)
Thx for the easy yet delish idea!
Ok, so I have been trying to hold off from making these! I knew I would probably eat them until I was sick. I however, refrained by only eating 3! I hope my family doesnt find them! haha!!
[...] Butterfinger Cake, Embarrassingly Easy Ham and Potato casserole, melt in your mouth doughnuts, No Bake Cafeteria Peanut Butter Bars(all in the last week)! I have the white bread dough laid out thawing to make your Easy Cinnabuns [...]
Good googly moogly! These are the bomb…exactly what my friend told me when she tried it. Super easy and reminded me of “Buckeyes” but are so much simplier to make. I lined my pan with foil so that I could lift them out and cut into squares more easily. This is so great that I will add this to my collection of Christmas candy recipes that I make for family and friends!!!!
Good googly moogly!! I like that saying!!
I made these just today but for some reason the peanut butter part turned out a little crunchy from the brown sugar. I made sure not to over heat it or to use too much brown sugar but I can’t figure out what exactly I did wrong. They’re still good though! I guess I’ll just have to keep practicing!
[...] was Pinning, naturally, and TJ saw a picture of these beauties and he insisted that he loves them, so I had every intention of making them for him. But of [...]
I went to the Great American Cookie company to buy this for my hubby for our annv tonight and they were out. I searched the net and this was the first recipe that came up. I LOVE it!!! Quick, easy and I already had the ingredients in the cabinet…. He loves them. An instant favorite…. Win – Win. I made an inexpensive gift and he is in heaven…. thanks so much! P.S. I read the comments before cutting and used the tip to use a cookie cutter which made them come out more even.
Love them!! Have made them a few times since first pinning! I added a cup of rice crispies to the peanut butter layer just after melting it in the microwave, cause I love a little crunch! Such a huge hit and so easy and quick!!
Thanks for the new recipe!!!
[...] to eat on Mother’s Day, and as I’m dairy-free, my options are limited. When I saw this recipe over at Southern Plate, I realized how easily it could be adapted for dairy-free and even nut-free! [...]
[...] No Bake Cafeteria Peanut Butter Bars [...]
Gosh, not one negative post! These MUST be super delicious. I’m definitely trying them. I will have to remember to toss a little flour on myself so everyone will think I slaved over them!!!
Christy, is your second cookbook out yet? If not when do you expect it to be?
I have your first book and just treasure it!
It isn’t out yet Lisa. I am working on revisions and such now and it should hit stores next spring. I will keep you updated!!
Just wanted to say I took a batch of these to church yesterday for lunch and left with a clean plate! They were so good! I bet they would be even better cold!
Christy — you have made my whole family happy with this recipe. Living in Germany, Reese’s peanut butter cups are extremely hard to come by, and IF you can get them, they’re super expensive. I made this recipe yesterday and my family (husband and 2 kids) couldn’t get enough — my husband said they taste even better than Reese’s! So easy to make, and all the ingredients easily available in Germany, this recipe satisfies those peanut-butter-cup-cravings…. Thanks again!!
I am so glad to hear it was a hit with your family!!!!
Thank you! I remember these fondly from Bear Road Elementary in Clay, NY. Our cafeteria ladies would just dot the top with chocolate chips, instead of melting it, so that’s how I made them. I ran out of creamy, so I substituted cruchy for the second cup. It made for a pleasing texture.
I bought some white chocolate reese cups recently and I bet the white almond bark would be great with this too. May just have to try it!!!!!
Oh Yummy!!! I bet it would be too Ginger! Great idea!!