A super indulgent, gooey treat these Carmelitas are a minimal ingredient recipe that come together quickly and easily and are a hit among everyone.
If you don’t love the mixture of oats, chocolate and caramel then you’re crazy! No, I completely understand if you don’t but we absolutely love it.
These Carmelitas are one of those recipes that we can’t help but make over and over again. They are super easy to make, make a large batch, and are just so tasty.
I love when I have a nice gooey dessert that is still contained so each and every bite is just heaven. I may be biased but if you have never tried Carmelitas before, you need to.
Pantry ingredients really help these come together quickly so if you are an avid baker, you most likely have all the ingredients at home already.
These are usually ones that we keep on hand at any given time since they are used in many other various recipes, so that means they get made often and brought to allll the things!
Some of our other favorite bar recipes that we have on our site include: Cherry Cheesecake Bars, Blueberry Bars and Golden Oreo White Chocolate Cheesecake Bars.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Minimal ingredients are used, and ones that are easily found in your pantry.
- These can be enjoyed warm or cooled.
- This makes a large batch, but you can halve it if you’d like!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
All-purpose flour
Salted butter
Old fashioned oats
Brown sugar
Baking soda
Salt
Caramel squares
Half and half
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
HOW TO MAKE CARMELITAS:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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..
- 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.
HOW CAN I MAKE THESE BARS THICKER?
If you would like a caramel bar that is thicker, just bake it in a slightly smaller pan. You may need to adjust the baking times slightly if you choose this option.
WHAT CHOCOLATE CHIPS ARE BEST FOR THESE?
We like to use semi-sweet to balance the sweetness in the bars but you can essentially use any flavor, so you can use milk or dark if you would prefer!
DO I HAVE TO USE HALF AND HALF IN THE CARAMEL SAUCE?
You can substitute heavy cream for the half and half and it will still be amazing! The half and half is a little less heavy and have fewer calories, and no one but you will know you didn’t use heavy cream.
CAN I USE QUICK COOKING OATS FOR THESE?
While we like the texture and flavor of the old fashioned oats in this recipe you can substitute with quick cooking, just use the same measurement.
HOW TO STORE:
These bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature where they will keep for up to 1 week or in the refrigerator for 10 days.
They can also be frozen, to do this place them in a freezer container and they will keep frozen for up to 1 month, let defrost on the countertop.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- 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.
Looking for that bar that is super easy, gooey, tasty, and indulgent? Then these Carmelitas are exactly what you need to make.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these CARMELITAS let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Carmelitas
Ingredients
- 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
- 8 ounces caramel squares
- 5 Tablespoons half and half
- 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.
- 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.
- 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..
- 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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