I just watched my 3rd movie for the weekend. It’s November, which is surreal, and I had a great day working on Halloween, dressed in a pageboy costume. I was uplifted to see the spirit of the holiday alive and well with hundreds of young trick or treaters flooding the streets. The costumes were aplenty. And to give myself and my coworkers a treat, I made oat and peanut butter bars. A mash up treat inspired by all my favorite Halloween candies.

Oat and Peanut Butter Bars

Tuesday kicked off the Halloween season for me. I spent the day indulging in horror movies, cooking, and walking with my mom. The air was crisp, and the leaves are fully turned now. It was the last week, too, of no daylight savings time. Now I’ll be driving home from work at 5pm in the pitch dark. It’s always a mental health hump to overcome, but I’m confident my community, art projects, and positivity will get me through. I also wanted to create the ultimate halloween treat to take to work Friday.

Wednesday came and went, which was a great work day. We talked about our favorite horror shows and movies. American Horror Story, the new Carrie, and Practical Magic. I saved Practical Magic 2 (the original is one of my all time favorite movies) to watch on Halloween. I planned to stuff my gob with chocolate and chill at home after my work week was over. And I was so excited to get to experience Halloween again after years of staying at home.

Planning for Halloween

My attention shifted Thursday to the halloween dessert I would make. It had to be delicious, first of all, sweet, and easy to share. So no fresh fried donuts or savory pasta dishes. I thought of my memories of Halloween: trick or treating at my parents friends houses as a kid. My power rangers suits and magicians capes. The most magical part was the ambiance, followed by the rush of getting home and sorting through candy. I wasn’t a big sweets kid, so I mostly stuck to peanut butter cups, M&Ms, and Kit-Kats. I can almost smell the plastic pumpkin pale I used to stuff and swing.

Peanut butter and chocolate is my ultimate favorite. In 2024 I made peanut chocolate eclairs and peanut butter cup cookies with Jake in Portugal on Halloween. I also had a phase where I ate Mounds bars, and I’ve always loved coconut and chocolate together too. I even love Twix bars – the snappy shortbread covered in chocolate and caramel. So I considered making my oatmeal peanut butter bars with a peanut butter caramel. But I didn’t want to risk making something too chewy or hard. Breaking people’s teeth.

Peanut Butter Ganache

I thought of my rhubarb cheesecake bars from last summer, which have a beautiful oat-based streusel crust. I referred back to the recipe for my oat and peanut butter bars because I knew it’d make a great base. Kissed with cinnamon and ginger and rich with oats and butter and brown sugar. I made it again Thursday and pushed it all into the bottom of a square baking pan, lined with parchment. While it baked, I plotted my next move. The next layer. I also decided against caramel when I realized that they’d be too similar to my caramel squares, which my boss loved, but is too recent in my memory.

So I endeavored to create some sort of silky, flavorful peanut butter fudge layer that I could simply pour chocolate on top of. But just spreading peanut butter out of the jar was too simple. Ultimately I thought of a recipe I’ve made with chocolate where you melt it down and combine it with butter and egg yolks, which, when cold, sets firm. So I gave it a try. This time, though, I melted down brown butter in my favorite new Hestan pan. It was infused with cinnamon and vanilla and then I stirred in a whole heaping cup of peanut butter. Which melted beautifully.

Battling Anxiety + Baking

It all swirled up into a luscious peanut butter sauce. Then, I returned it to the heat to evaporate some of the liquid. And I added two egg yolks, one at a time, to emulsify. It started to thicken quickly and I took it off the heat, straining the peanut butter ‘ganache’ through a sieve to keep it silky smooth. Directly on top of the baked oat shortbread base. At first I thought it was too thin. But it was so rich. Any more would have overpowered the chocolate and oat layers.

I was unusually tired that day. Possibly from exerting so much energy at work focusing on being my best. Socializing to the max and teaching people about pots and pans. Maybe because of the weather, or the darkness arriving closer in the day. Anyway – I forged on with my oat and peanut butter bars. I realized they would look a lot like my caramel squares, and I wanted to differentiate them in some way. So I visited my dying fall garden. Most things are far gone. Brown or grey. But I found some yellow tomatoes on vines, verdant scallions, and purple edible flowers slowly emerging.

Melted Chocolate + Coconut

I picked one, despite it not being fully bloomed. Just to give my recipe a pop of color. I also decided to slice them in triangles, not squares. So ignore the name “oatmeal and peanut butter squares” I guess. The recipe was in the fridge for over an hour. I took a nap and shook off my anxiety. And finally, I checked on the peanut butter fudge layer and it was set. I pumped my fist in victory and found a bar of dark chocolate in the cupboard. Which I chopped and microwaved on half power for a few minutes. I’ve done this more times than I can count – for brownies, oat bowls in the summer, and for drizzling on things.

I poured the chocolate and spread it into a thin layer on top of the peanut butter fudge. It was shiny and glossy and a deep reddish brown. The last thing I did was sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on top and a generous dash of shredded coconut. For color, texture, and that Halloween candy flavor. I put my oatmeal and peanut butter bars in the fridge to chill for a few more minutes. The chocolate hardened and I sliced them all up before artfully arranging them in a Tupperware container. I photographed a triange with a perfect purple flower on top.

Hobnobs + Coffee

And finally I dedicated the rest of the afternoon to relaxing. My anxiety was unusually high. So I took long, deep breaths as I watched some TV. I actually missed working. I wished I was in the store walking around. Meeting people. Talking. Showing crowds the shiny stainless steel pots and pans and Vitamix blenders. Grinding coffee and organizing British chocolates. Joking with my co-workers and feeling like a part of a community. At first, when I started my part-time job, I dreaded it. It felt like giving up my hard-earned freedom to work for myself only.

It felt like failure. But quickly I attributed that fear to my OCD. There is no record to lose or sense of pride to break. I failed to focus on what it could add to my life. Which it has in many ways. Friendships. Community. Purpose. Feeling in service of the greater good. Helping people learn about cooking and baking. Feeling tired and disciplined and proud of my hard work. Earning my relaxation at night and enjoying extra cash in my bank account. To spend on hobnobs and Hestan pans and other fun things.

Halloween Treats

Speaking of hobnobs, they are becoming my all time favorite snack. We sell British snacks, which we import, because of our former British owner. The first time I tried dark chocolate hobnobs (oat cookies) was when my boss offered them to me. The bag broke so we couldn’t sell them. And I scarfed one down behind the counter. At first I thought it was dry and not chocolatey enough. But one day I bought a package for myself to have at home. They grew on me. I ate a bunch during Survivor and completely fell in love. The more I ate the better they tasted.

We haven’t had them in stock for a couple months now. Which has been driving me crazy. I tried the milk chocolate version and it was a good replacement. But each day at work I check in the basement to see if they’ve arrived yet. And I’m still waiting. Until then, I thought the oat and peanut butter bars would tide me over. My coworkers seemed to love them. One almost got sick from eating too many. I ate a couple after my lunch breaks.

Horror Movies + Candy

They made a great dessert on Halloween. The oat streusel bottom is crumbly and short and buttery. I love oats, so they reminded me of my beloved hobnobs, too. The peanut butter layer, as I said, wasn’t too thick or intense. But deliciously flavorful and fudgy. The chocolate on top was dark and slightly salted and the texture of the coconut added texture and earthiness. It really was like a mashup of all my favorite Halloween treats. I dressed in costume during work, which was a very fun and upbeat day. I want to wear my little pageboy hat more often. And I have since polished off the rest of the oat and peanut butter bars at home.

I watched Scream 7, which was not my favorite, and I loved Practical Magic 2. The time has changed and it was dark out at 5 today. I can’t believe it’s November – this month is Thanksgiving! Time is flying by. I’m excited to see the store though the holidays and to push my limits a little more. To focus on togetherness and celebrations and food for a couple months. And to wear my favorite sweaters and jackets and see Maine become a winter wonderland. This week is the election – please vote! I have my eyes on a bottle of champagne for Wednesday.

Thank you so much for reading! Be sure to check out my Etsy shop for 100’s of recipe cards and art prints, and use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. Happy November!

Print Pin

Oat and Peanut Butter Bars

Rich layered dessert bars filled with peanut butter, chocolate, and coconut

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate, coconut, oats, peanut butter

Prep Time 3 hours hours

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 24

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup + 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 oz dark chocolate
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and sea salt.
• Add your 10 tbsp butter, cubed, to the oat and flour mixture and work into a sandy crumb texture. Then add 1 tbsp peanut butter and mix again.
• Line a 9 x 9 square baking pan with parchment paper with an inch or two of overhang on each side.
• Place your oat mixture in the pan and spread evenly over the bottom. Press down firmly.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden brown. Let cool.
• In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt 6 tbsp unsalted butter and cook until browned. Add vanilla extract, maple syrup, and stir.
• Add 1 cup peanut butter and stir until it melts. Return to heat and whisk in 2 egg yolks, one at a time, until incorporated.
• Strain mixture through a fine sieve on top of the oat crust. Smooth into an even layer and place in fridge to set for 30-60 minutes.
• Once set, heat chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave on half power until fully melted. Pour on top of the set peanut butter layer.
• Garnish melted chocolate immediately with 1/2 tsp sea salt and shredded coconut.
• Chill again for 10-30 minutes and slice into even bars.

Notes

• I use Justin’s peanut butter, which is my favorite. I would recommend creamy and non-processed brands for the best results. 
• You can leave these are room temperature because the eggs are pasteurized with heat, but I recommend storing them in the fridge for safety and longevity.