Carmelitas

These oatmeal carmelitas are a cookie bar crowd pleaser with a chewy, buttery brown sugar oatmeal crust and a thick layer of chocolate and gooey caramel!

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Let Cool: 1

Total Time: 1 40

Servings:

Ingredients

11 ounce package caramels or caramel bits , unwrapped (about 35)
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup light brown sugar , packed
¾ cup butter , melted (I used salted)
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9" baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside
Make caramel layer. Combine 35 unwrapped caramels and 1/2 cup heavy cream in a medium-sized pan. Heat over low heat until smooth, stirring constantly. Set aside.
Make oatmeal crust and topping. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, rolled 1 cup oats, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup melted butter and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Stir until combined. Press a little more than half of the dough into the bottom of the pan.
Bake. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Chocolate layer. Remove from oven and sprinkle 3/4 cup chocolate chips over top. Then pour caramel mixture evenly over the chocolate (leaving about 1/2 inch from the edge). Crumble the rest of the oatmeal dough over the top and gently pat down.
Bake, cool and serve. Place back in the oven and bake an additional 13-17 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and cool at least 1 hour before cutting.

Notes

To make these easier, you can use 1/2 cup store bought caramel sauce instead of making the caramel (omit caramels and heavy cream), however you'll need to mix it with 1 1/2 Tablespoons flour.
You can also add chopped nuts when you add the chocolate chips, if desired.
To speed up the cooling process, I usually stick the bars in the fridge.

To store: Store at room temp in an airtight container for about 3-5 days.

Freezing: Add bars to an airtight container or freezer bag and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition