Tea Room Recipe #34 - Country Cottage Tearoom (Mountain Home, Ark.)

This week I was in the mood for something sweet that was easy to make and bake, and these Peanutty Bars made with a boxed cake mix were just the thing!

I found this recipe in the 1989 cookbook "Welcome to the Country Cottage" by Pat Graves. This is, I believe, the fourth tea room cookbook from Arkansas that I've featured this year, so I believe Arkansas must have been a real tea room mecca at one time.

These bars took just minutes to whip up, and when I cut them into 1-inch squares, they were just the right size for a bite or two of sweetness along with the afternoon's tea. Definitely a keeper for when you need an easy-to-make sweet treat!

Peanutty Bars

Base:

1 package yellow cake mix
3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
1 large egg

Frosting:

1 can ready-to-spread chocolate fudge frosting
1/4 cup peanut butter

Garnish: 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl of mixer, add all base ingredients and combine until crumbly. Press into a 13 x 9-inch pan prepared with cooking spray. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. In another bowl, combine frosting and peanut butter. Spread on base and sprinkle with chopped peanuts if desired.