Did you know that peanut butter doesn't always have to be paired with chocolate? Weird but true.
Thick, peanut butter-y bars topped with a creamy, fluffy marshmallow frosting. Perfect for after-school snacks or lunchboxes!
Maybe you've heard of a Fluffernutter sandwich? Creamy peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff (creme) sandwiched between two pieces of white bread - it's delicious. Honestly, why am I wasting my time with jelly?
While the sandwich combination has been around for a while, according to Southern Living, the name Fluffernutter first appeared in the 1960s.
Well, those Fluffernutter sandwiches are the inspiration behind these Peanut Butter Bars with Marshmallow Cream Frosting.
If your peanut butter dreams DO include chocolate, you'll want to make these peanut butter + chocolate recipes ASAP:
- dark chocolate peanut butter ice cream
- peanut butter swirl chocolate chip blondies
- peanut butter egg-stuffed peanut butter cookies
- chocolate peanut butter ice cream pie
- copycat levain bakery chocolate peanut butter chip cookies
Peanut Butter Bars with Marshmallow Creme Frosting
For the bars:
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
For the frosting:
1/2 cup marshmallow creme
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch sea or kosher salt
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13" pan, line with parchment, leaving an overhang on the long sides. Grease the parchment. (You can use foil instead.) While not essential, it does make the bars easier to cut since you can lift the entire batch out of the pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream the butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Beat in the sugars, until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, adding the vanilla with the last egg. On low speed, mix in the flour in two additions.
Spread the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
To make the frosting, cream the marshmallow creme and butter together until completely smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt on low speed until combined. Increase speed to medium and mix until fluffy. Use an offset spatula to spread on cooled bars.
*updated 2/2023, portions of this post were originally created by me for The Pioneer Woman blog 2017.