Peanut butter and butterscotch is such an awesome flavor combination, and so under-used.
One of my favorite peanut butter cookie recipes is in my cookbook and it’s a peanut butter-butterscotch cookie.
I was craving something with butterscotch so I made these easy, no-mixer, soft, chewy bars.
They begin like blondies with melted butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
Add peanut butter, flour, and quick-cook oats, which lend incredible texture and chewiness to the otherwise soft, buttery bars.
If you don’t typically buy quick-cook oats and only have old-fashioned whole rolled oats, simply pulse or blend the old-fashioned oats for about 10 seconds in your food processor or blender. Now you’ve got quick oats.
Before baking, sprinkle with butterscotch chips. The scent of melting butterscotch chips, peanut butter, and oats that wafts from the oven while the bars bake is positively intoxicating.
Bake the bars until the edges are slightly firm and the center has just set. It’s a little tricky to tell if the bars are done because the surface is covered in semi-melted butterscotch chips, but 25 minutes did the trick for me.
While the bars bake, make the frosting because it goes on right as the bars emerge from the oven. No waiting around for them to cool.
The peanut butter frosting is thick, luscious, and you’ll be tempted to eat the whole bowl during those 25 minutes while the bars bake.
The frosting sets up satiny smooth, creamy, and beautiful. I’m going to remember this frosting for other recipes because it’s so easy, the texture and taste are both wonderful, and it would be great on most any cake, muffin, banana bread, or cinnamon rolls.
The butterscotch flavor is prominent and really shines. Sweet with a bit of saltiness, caramely, and buttery. If you’re a fan of butterscotch, you’ll love these.
The bars taste much more complicated than the simple, everyday ingredients used. Love it when that happens.
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Peanut Butter Butterscotch Bars
Ingredients
Bars
- heaping 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup quick-cooking oats, not old-fashioned whole rolled
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- ¾ cup butterscotch chips
Frosting
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup cream or milk, I used half-and-half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- Bars – To the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer), add the peanut butter, butter, sugars, and beat on medium-high speed to cream, about 3 minutes.
- Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, oats, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute; don’t overmix.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Evenly sprinkle with butterscotch chips.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until edges are slightly firm and the center has just set. It’s a little tricky to tell if the bars are done because the surface is covered in semi-melted butterscotch chips, but a toothpick inserted in the center (if you can find a bare patch to test) should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. While bars bake, make the frosting.
- Frosting – To the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer), add the peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, cream, and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, satiny, and creamy, about 3 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover bowl with plastic wrap; set aside.
- As soon as you pull bars from the oven, add the frosting (don’t wait for them to cool). Smooth the top lightly with a spatula or knife, and allow bars to cool completely in pan before slicing and serving. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Your description of the frosting has made me decide to postpone Pilates , I’d rather daydream about a happy little spoon & its bowl of creamy peanut buttery bliss. ;)
YUM! I made these today and as I was making them I knew from sampling the dough and the frosting that it was a winner. They were finally cool and ready to cut, and my husband and I just ate one and let me just say, job we’ll done!! The only difference in mine, were that I used chinky peanut butter and I know you (Averie), don’t like nuts in your goodies but it’s what I had on hand and it tastes great and we LOVE them. Anytime I find a recipe for my non chocolate eating husband I’m thrilled, and this one is a keeper for sure because it’s so very unique. I always love that about your recipes! I haven’t baked in over a month because life is so busy but I had to make time for these because they just seemed like something I couldn’t miss out on! Thank you for a great recipe, I have missed making your goodies, I need to get back to it, and today I am so glad I did! Make these people, you will be more than happy :)
So happy that you tried these and that they were a hit! I appreciate you saying that my recipes are unique. That’s nice to know they’re not the same ole, same ole, you can find anywhere else. I try to be creative and it’s nice to know you appreciate that! And thanks for the glowing comment and field report!
This is just… wow. I love butterscotch and things like that, but this really takes the cake. It has that perfect balance of textures and a wonderful combination of flavors. I love it!
I practically fainted when I saw these on IG today. I kid you not! I just…just…want one so bad!!!! Something about butterscotch sounds so delicious today.
Pinned!
Oh my gosh these are screaming my name! I love the peanut butter and butter scotch combo!
I love the butterscotch and peanut butter combination! The frosting looks so luscious and creamy, and I love that it melts over the bars as it cools.
Uhh yes, I’ll take four.
Oh my Averie! These look superb.
Have a great evening!
Love these! Pinned it for me to make:)
Averie, these look so good! I love butterscotch flavor!
Oh my god, I want these right now! I love blondies so much, but I rarely bake so I don’t get to eat them often. I also love any and all desserts that have peanut butter in them. What a great combination!!
i haven’t made anything with butterscotch in forever! this needs to change shortly… like tonight.
Agreed. Such an underused and underappreciated combo. I think what makes puppy chow so addicting and delicious is that the chocolate is actually a mix of chocolate and butterscotch chips (at least, my mom’s version is anyway).
I also LOVE making peanut butter cookies with butterscotch chips. I can eat handfuls of butterscotch chips like they are going out of style. I do. Often.
YAY I finally have your cookbook, so I know exactly which cookies you’re talking about! :) For some reason, I’ve never thought to pair the two… Maybe it’s because I love PB so much more than butterscotch; a little butterscotch goes a super long way for me! Like, umm, at least a week or two. And then I chase it down with spinach or broccoli. Sad, strange but true. But I’ll take extra frosting and that’ll make everything better!
Perfect! One of my fave bar cookie recipes is Scotcharoos–a PB/rice krispie base with melted chocolate chips and butterscotch chips combined and swirled on the top. I lovelovelove the flavor combination (and licking the bowl of melted chips). Your cookie bars sound scrumptious. Especially since they use oatmeal.
I’ve got like 17 versions of Scotcheroos…here are just a few on my site. And there are more in my cookbooks. Actually my VERY FIRST recipe to ever make it onto Foodgawker like 5 years ago was my grandma’s Special K Bar recipe, which is basically scotcheroos. I LOVE THEM. And yes these bars do have a reminiscence to a baked scotcheroo, of sorts!
https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/10/chocolate-peanut-butter-kit-kat-crunch-bars.html
https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/08/no-bake-peanut-butter-marshmallow-cereal-bars.html
https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/06/chewy-peanut-butter-and-chocolate-cereal-bars.html <--- exactly what your comment described with the swirly top!
Thanks for the links! I can spend all day looking at recipes …
I’m beginning to think there isn’t an ingredient you haven’t worked with! Way to give PB and butterscotch some loving, especially with that frosting *swoon*
Well after 5+ years of blogging and a couple cookbooks, I feel like with baking, I have definitely covered a lot of ingredients :)