"Egg-less" Sun Butter Fingers With Chocolate Frosting (AKA School Lunch Bars)

I am only somewhat off the ball when it comes to posting - like it is still Thursday so I'm not late, just later. These few weeks during the holidays have been crazy busy. Throw in some stomach flu and I am just now getting on top of the mess in my house and everything else I am supposed to be doing. So, we are finally back with a new recipe. Hope you didn't miss us too much over the holidays and that your holidays were wonderful!

Peanut Butter Fingers are one of my absolute favorite goodies (well, I should say anything with peanut butter was an absolute favorite of mine). Although, I am getting over my long-time addiction to peanut butter and all things peanut butter thanks to The Princess. Isn't it funny how if you haven't had something in a long time, you honestly don't really miss it and somehow it isn't quite as wonderful as you remember it being? Well, that is how I feel about peanut butter now. After a year and a half of mostly avoiding it, I don't miss it much.

Anyway... sometimes though, I still like to make things from the past and these are one of those things. This is actually one of the first recipes I recreated after The Princess's diagnosis - yet we haven't made them again until now. We needed a yummy recipe for our New Years Eve party (which consisted of the 5 of us at home watching a movie - well The Princess was in bed because she had the stomach flu) and these sounded so good. I substituted sun butter in place of the peanut butter but you could use any kind of nut butter. The sun butter gives the bars a slightly greenish tint after baking (can anyone explain this to me) but the taste is still super yummy. Cover them in chocolate frosting and if it is an extra special occasion (or you are looking to put yourself in a sugar coma) add some ice cream on top!

"Egg-less" Sun Butter Fingers With Chocolate Frosting 
(AKA School Lunch Bars)

For Bars:

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups whole grain flour (I used wonder flour)

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup sucanat

1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 Tbsp. water)

3/4 cup sun butter (or any nut butter)

1/2 Tbsp. vanilla

For Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/8 tsp salt

5 Tbsp butter, softened

5 Tbsp. boiling water

1/2 tsp vanilla


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.

Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl until well incorporated and set aside. Mix all wet ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until well blended. Add dry ingredients to wet ones and mix until just blended.

Scoop dough into 9 x 13 inch pan and press with fingers until bottom of pan is completely covered.

Bake until light brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 15 minutes (but it really depends on how thick yours end up).

While bars are cooking, make the frosting. Whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Add softened butter, boiling water and vanilla. Beat until smooth and glossy.

When bars are cool to the touch, spread on frosting and cut into squares. These can be eaten still warm and gooey or completely cooled (and don't forget to try them with some ice cream!).

Recipe adapted from an old family recipe book

Jana

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