Carmelitas
Chocolate, caramel, and oats join forces in this Carmelitas recipe for the best cookie/bar combo dessert OF ALL TIME. Ever. Like, in the history of the world. They are like an incredibly soft, chewy oatmeal cookie loaded up with chocolate chips and plenty of gooey caramel, but in bar form.
Servings: 16 Servings
Ingredients
Oatmeal Dough
- 3/4 cup salted butter melted
- 3/4 cup (150g) light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (141g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (90g) old fashioned oats not quick or instant oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 1 1/3 cups milk chocolate chips
- 40 soft caramels unwrapped, like a 10.8-ounce bag of Werther's chewy caramels
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9-inch square baking pan with a parchment paper sling to make it easy to lift the bars out and cut them later after they have cooled completely.
- In a large bowl, whisk the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla together.3/4 cup salted butter, 3/4 cup (150g) light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt, stirring until everything is combined.1 cup (141g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (90g) old fashioned oats, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Press half of the oatmeal dough evenly into the prepared pan. It will be a very thin layer, but don't worry!
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until just golden.
- While the bottom layer bakes, heat the unwrapped caramels and cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the caramels are melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.40 soft caramels, 1/3 cup heavy cream
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the partially baked bottom layer, then pour the caramel over the chocolate chips. Scatter the remaining oatmeal dough over the caramel by breaking apart small chunks. No need to worry about completely covering the caramel. Gaps are just fine!1 1/3 cups milk chocolate chips
- Bake for another 16-18 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. The middle will continue to set as the bars cool. Remove from the oven and cool completely, at least 2 hours, before cutting into squares. You can slice them sooner, but they won't slice clean and you will have an ooey-gooey (albeit delicious) mess on your hands.
Notes
- These can be made in an 8x8-inch pan, but they will take slightly longer to cook and be slightly thicker.
- You can use an 11-ounce package of Kraft caramel bits in place of the soft caramels to save time unwrapping.
- Carmelitas will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 287mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 349IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg
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