If you bake A LOT like me its necessary to practice moderation or you can quickly slide into a place where all your clothes just laugh at you.  I generally am pretty good at eating my baked delights a little at a time…except when it comes to things of the peanut butter chocolate variety- I have NO CONTROL!  This is one of those desserts I want fed to me intravenously- I want to eat it with non-stop wild abandon! My friend Marci made these for dessert one evening when I was pregnant and I’ve been thinking about them ever since.  If it weren’t for these my baby might have been a dainty 9 pounds instead of a chocolate peanut butter filled 10.  I finally got the recipe from her and they turned out everything I wanted them to be and more.  Enjoy!

For the bars:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

For the frosting:
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 + cups confectioners sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan.  If you’re baking for a crowd double and put in a 9×13.
2. In a stand mixer of with beaters mix the melted butter with the sugars until well combined.  Add the egg, vanilla and peanut butter (I use Jiff creamy but natural would work too) and mix until everything has come together.
3. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a separate bowl and add to the butter/sugar mixture.  Once all of that is combined, add the oats and stir until they are well incorporated and there are no dry spots.
4. Spread into your baking pan, the batter is thick so press it into the corners and even it out.
5. Bake for 13-15 minutes until it’s just browned around the bottom and corners.  Let cool
6. For the frosting, melt butter and milk chocolate chips if using, if you’re not using them just melt the butter.  (I really like a more milk chocolate frosting on these bars because it’s sweeter and the perfect compliment to the saltiness of the peanut butter).  Mix butter (choc. chips) with 2 cups of powdered sugar then add the milk.  Now add the cocoa (I sift it in to avoid lumps) and keep adding more and more powdered sugar until you have a pretty light brown frosting that’s not too stiff but starts to harden if you stop stirring it.  Refer to photo’s for look/feel of frosting.
7. Spread frosting over the top of your bars as thick as you see fit.  You might have frosting left over, I had about 2/3 a cup left over.  Frosting will harden as it cools.  Keep in a airtight container to covered with plastic at room temperature, delicious for at least 5-6 days.