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Carmelitas are gooey caramel and chocolate chip oat bars that taste like you fussed all day, and I threw the first batch together one rainy Sunday afternoon when Maddie begged for something with caramel and Lizzie just wanted the gooey middle pieces. They come together with simple pantry staples, bake up buttery and rich, and disappear faster than I can cut them. If you love our oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars, these are the caramel loaded cousin to make next.
One bite of that molten caramel layer tucked between a brown sugar oat crust and you will understand why this pan never lasts a day in our house.
Carmelitas Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 25 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 40 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 24 bars
- ⚡ Calories: 192kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet, buttery, and rich with gooey caramel and melty chocolate
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, about as simple as our easy chocolate chunk blondies
Quick Answer
To make Carmelitas, melt caramel squares with half and half in a double boiler, then stir together a brown sugar oat crumb from flour, melted butter, oats, baking soda, and salt. Press half the crumb into a 9 by 13 inch pan and par bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, scatter on chocolate chips, pour over the melted caramel, top with the rest of the crumb, and bake 15 to 20 minutes more until golden and bubbling before cooling and cutting into bars.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Double boiler caramel stays silky. Melting the caramels gently with half and half over simmering water keeps the caramel smooth and pourable instead of seizing or scorching, so it bakes into that signature gooey ribbon.
- Half the crumb on the bottom, half on top. Splitting the oat mixture gives you a sturdy par baked base that holds the filling plus a craggy golden topping, so every bar has structure and a little crunch.
- Par baking the crust prevents a soggy bottom. Ten minutes in the oven before the caramel goes on sets the base so it can stand up to all that gooey filling without turning mushy.
- Brown sugar and oats build deep flavor. Packed brown sugar brings molasses depth and the old fashioned oats toast as they bake, giving the bars a buttery, almost shortbread chew.
- Chocolate chips melt into the caramel. Scattering the chips over the warm crust lets them soften and marble into the caramel layer for pockets of melty chocolate in every bite.
- Cutting slightly warm gives clean bars. Letting them cool just enough to firm up, then slicing while still a touch warm, keeps the caramel from shattering and gives you neat squares.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Pantry staple simple. Just nine everyday ingredients and no mixer required, so you can start the moment a craving hits.
- That gooey caramel center. A molten layer of real caramel tucked between buttery oat crumb makes these feel bakery special with zero fuss.
- Crowd pleasing and freezer friendly. They travel beautifully to potlucks and bake sales, and if you love an easy bar, our soft chocolate chip cookie bars are a natural next bake.
Key Ingredients
These Carmelitas lean on a handful of pantry staples, so the quality of each one really shines. Here is what each brings to the pan.
- Caramel squares: Soft individually wrapped caramels melt into the gooey center. Unwrap them ahead of time, since that is the most tedious part of the whole recipe.
- Half and half: A few tablespoons loosen the caramel into a pourable, spoonable layer that stays soft and gooey even after baking.
- Old fashioned oats and flour: Together they build the buttery crumb crust and topping. Quick oats work in a pinch, but old fashioned oats give the best chew.
- Salted butter and brown sugar: Melted butter binds the crumb while packed brown sugar adds caramel notes, the same cozy combo behind our soft double chocolate cookie bars.
- Semi sweet chocolate chips: They soften over the warm crust and marble into the caramel. Swap in milk or dark chips, or even the chunks we use in our chocolate chunk blondies.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Carmelitas are easy to make your own. Here are a few ways we like to switch them up.
- Salted caramel: Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the caramel layer before adding the top crumb for a sweet and salty bite.
- Nutty crunch: Add a half cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the crumb for extra texture.
- Different chips: Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or butterscotch chips all work in place of semi sweet.
- Thicker bars: Use a 9 by 9 inch pan for taller, gooier squares and add a few minutes to the bake time.
- Espresso boost: Stir a teaspoon of instant espresso into the crumb to deepen both the chocolate and caramel flavor.
- Make it candy: If you love working with caramel, try our easy salted caramels next.
How to Make Carmelitas
- Unwrap the caramels into the top of a double boiler and add the half and half. Set it over a shallow layer of simmering water over medium high heat and stir occasionally until the caramel is smooth and melted, then set it aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, melted salted butter, old fashioned oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt until the mixture is crumbly and evenly moistened.
- Press half of the oat crumb into a parchment lined 9 by 13 inch pan, covering as much of the bottom as you can, then bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until just barely golden.
- Pull the pan from the oven and sprinkle the semi sweet chocolate chips evenly over the warm crust.
- Pour the melted caramel over the chocolate chips, spreading it gently toward the edges of the pan.
- Sprinkle the remaining oat crumb over the caramel, bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden and bubbling, then cool before lifting out and cutting into 24 bars.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Unwrap the caramels first. Getting all the wrappers off before you start keeps the melting step quick and mess free.
- Line the pan with parchment. Leave an overhang so you can lift the whole slab out and cut clean squares on a cutting board.
- Do not skip the par bake. A set crust keeps the bottom from going soggy under all that caramel.
- Watch the edges. They are done when the top is golden and the caramel is bubbling around the sides, usually right at 15 to 20 minutes.
- Cool before cutting. Give them at least 25 minutes so the caramel firms up enough to slice without running.
- Store airtight. They keep at room temperature for up to four days, or freeze the squares for up to three months.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Carmelitas are rich enough to stand on their own, but they are even better with a little something on the side. We love them slightly warm with a scoop of our no churn caramel ice cream so the caramel goes extra melty.
For a dessert spread, set them out next to a plate of our fudgy brownies and some easy salted caramels so everyone can graze. A warm dish of easy sticky toffee pudding rounds out a cozy caramel themed table.
They also make a thoughtful homemade gift. Stack a few squares in a box alongside slices of our old fashioned caramel cake for a caramel lover care package. Cut them small and a single pan goes a long way at any party.
Carmelitas FAQs
Carmelitas are gooey dessert bars made of a buttery brown sugar oat crumb layered with melted caramel and chocolate chips. They bake up rich and chewy with a molten caramel center, somewhere between a cookie bar and a blondie.
Overbaking is the usual cause. Pull Carmelitas as soon as the top is golden and the caramel is bubbling at the edges, around 15 to 20 minutes, and let them cool rather than baking until firm. The caramel sets as the bars cool.
Yes. Carmelitas keep well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to four days, and the flavor only deepens. You can bake them a day before serving, which makes them a great make ahead treat for parties.
Absolutely. Cool and cut the Carmelitas, then freeze the squares in a single layer before transferring them to an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature, or warm them briefly so the caramel softens again.
Soft individually wrapped caramel squares melt the most smoothly for Carmelitas, so avoid hard candies. If you only have caramel bits, the same weight works, just watch them closely as they melt with the half and half.
Quick cooking oats can be substituted in Carmelitas and still give a tender crumb, though old fashioned oats give the best chewy texture and a little more structure to both the crust and the topping.
Looking for your next bake? Try our thick and chewy monster cookie bars for another easy, crowd pleasing treat.
Carmelitas
Ingredients
- 8 ounces caramel squares
- 5 Tablespoons half and half
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup melted salted butter
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare a 9 x 13 inch pan by lining it with parchment paper. (The parchment paper isn’t necessary, but it makes cleanup a breeze!)
- Unwrap the caramel squares and place them in the top pot of a double boiler. Add the half and half.8 ounces caramel squares, 5 Tablespoons half and half
- Fill the bottom pot of the double boiler with a shallow layer of water.
- Put the top pot over the bottom and place on a burner over medium high heat.
- Heat until the caramels are melted – stirring occasionally. Set aside while you assemble the oat bar mixture.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, melted butter, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.1 cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup melted salted butter, 1 cup old fashioned oats, ¾ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pat ½ of the oat crumb mixture in the bottom of the 9 x 13 inch pan. Try to cover as much of the pan as possible. But if there are small holes, that will be ok.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until it is just beginning to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the warm crust..1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Pour over the melted caramel, and then sprinkle on remaining oat crumb mixture. Try to distribute it as evenly as possible as you sprinkle it on.
- Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the top is starting to turn golden brown and caramel is bubbling on the sides.
- Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then pull on the parchment paper to remove the squares from the pan.
- Cool 10 minutes more and then cut into 24 squares while they are still slightly warm.
Notes
- These can be made in a smaller pan to be thicker.
- You can use any of your favorite chocolate chips for this.
- Quick cooking oats can be substituted.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
- These are good served warm or cooled.
Nutrition
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