Peanut Butter Bar Cookies

I'm learning to adjust to Ryan carrying a lunch in a paper bag. Oh, making bread or rolls and being sure he has an interesting sandwich - breadwise if not fillingwise - is easy. So are carrots, raisins, dried apricots or whatever else suits his fancy. Baked goods are the hard part. We tried cake with frosting one day; I even wrapped it in waxed paper so he'd have a nice sort-of plate when he opened it up. No good; the frosting stuck to the paper.

So this week, I'm trying these. So far, so good.

PEANUT BUTTER BAR COOKIES

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk
1/4 cup quick oats

Cream together the butter and peanut butter; add the egg, vanilla and brown sugar, and beat until combined. At low speed beat in the flour, soda and salt, then add the milk and beat until smooth. Stir in the quick oats, turn into a greased 8" square pan, and bake at 375F for 16 to 18 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool and cut into 16 squares.


These are not terribly sweet; they could be sweetened up by frosting with a combination of about 2 tbsp peanut butter, 2 tbsp cream and maybe 2 cups confectioner's sugar. But then, that would go against my effort to make a frostingless confection for my boy, wouldn't it? They've stayed very soft for 3 days, and both boys love them. I have a feeling that I'll be making pans of these for lunches many weeks.