Peanut Butter Fingers I

When I was in elementary school, everyone looked forward to when Fish 'n' Chips was on the menu for school lunch. Part of the reason we liked this meal was that it came with tater tots. But mostly we looked forward to this meal because we knew the treat would be these peanut butter fingers. When I was in 3rd grade I somehow summoned enough courage to ask the lunch ladies for the recipe. It took several weeks before I could get the recipe because they had to whittle down the ingredients so it would make a suitable amount for a family. Even then, this makes several pans of cookies. To this day, I am still surprised that I asked for this recipe.

1-1/2 C. butter
1-1/2 C. sugar
1-1/2 C. brown sugar
3 C. smooth peanut butter, divided in half
3 eggs
3 C. flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3 C. oatmeal
1 Tbsp. vanilla
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Mix together butter, sugars, and half (1-1/2 C.) of the peanut butter until smooth. Add the eggs and mix again. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until well combined. Stir in the oatmeal and vanilla. Spread evenly over two cookie sheets. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Remove cookie sheets from oven and spread with remaining 1-1/2 C. peanut butter (whip peanut butter if desired) while still warm. Frost with chocolate frosting.

Variation: The above recipe makes several cookie sheets of cookies. Here are the measurements for a half recipe:

3/4 C. butter
3/4 C. sugar
3/4 C. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 C. smooth peanut butter
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 C. flour
1-1/2 C. oatmeal

Mix together butter, sugars, and peanut butter until smooth. Add the eggs and mix again. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until well combined. Stir in the oatmeal and vanilla. Spread into a large, lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until light brown around edges. Do not overbake. Remove cookie sheets from oven and allow to cool a bit. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on top while still warm. Frost with chocolate frosting.

Alternate chocolate frosting recipe:
1 lb. powdered sugar
6 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. shortening
3 heaping Tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
milk

Mix all ingredients together, drizzling milk into mixture until frosting reaches desired thickness and frosting is spreadable. Whip frosting for a long time for extra creamy frosting (the shortening also helps to make the frosting creamy).