With minimal ingredients but full of flavor these Carmelitas are a fun, easy and delicious bar recipe that comes together quickly and feeds a crowd, the perfect baking recipe.
Caramel, chocolate, oats…how can you go wrong with that? I have been in love with Carmelitas since I can remember, which is too far back.
These bars are absolutely amazing and so delicious! With layers of goodness consisting of an oat mixture, chocolate chips and caramel sauce, you absolutely can’t go wrong with this recipe.
We make these bars all year long for various different occasions, it is one of the most requested bars by the whole family and one almost everyone knows how to make.
If this is your first time seeing Caramelitas, you have to make them! Trust me, they will become one of your favorite bars ever.
I love easy and tasty and these are both! With easy ingredients, they are also super quick to whip up and don’t take any time at all to bake.
The hardest part is waiting just a little bit for them to cool off which really isn’t that long anyways! So in reality like I said they really are the perfect dessert.
Some of my other favorite bar recipes we have on our site include: Hello Dolly Bars, Strawberry Shortcake Bars and Funfetti Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With minimal ingredients you can’t go wrong!
- You can make these thicker by baking in a smaller pan.
- Use your favorite flavor of chocolate to make these your own!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM):
All-purpose flour
Salted butter
Old fashioned oats
Brown sugar
Baking soda
Salt
Caramel squares
Half and half or heavy cream
Chocolate chips
HOW TO MAKE CARMELITAS, STEP BY STEP:
- Preheat 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 the melted caramel over the top, and then sprinkle on remaining oat crumb mixture. Try to distribute it as evenly as possible.
- Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the top is starting to turn golden brown and caramel is bubbling on the sides.
- Remove from oven and 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 squares while they are still slightly warm.
CAN I USE QUICK COOKING OATS?
Yes! If you don’t have rolled oats or perfer quick cooking oats you can substitute them for the same amount that is called for in this recipe.
DO I HAVE TO USE SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS?
No! You can use whatever type of chocolate is your favorite. Dark or milk chocolate chips would still taste equally delicious.
We have made them with a variety of chocolate and even chocolate chunks and they work well with this.
HOW DO I MAKE THESE THICKER?
If you would like your Carmelitas thicker, just bake it in a slightly small pan, try a 9×9-inch. You may need to adjust the baking times slightly if you choose this option. But not by much, just watch for them to turn golden brown.
HOW TO STORE:
Once cooled these can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Or they can be stored in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
These can also be frozen, place in an freezer container or bag layered separated by parchment paper and they will keep frozen for up to 1 month, let defrost on the countertop.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- These can be made thicker by baking in a 9×9-inch pan.
- Use your favorite chocolate chips for this recipe.
- Quick cooking oats can be substituted for old fashioned oats.
- You can cut these as large or small as you’d like!
- You can use heavy cream or half and half to help melt your caramels, this is your choice.
- These can be frozen, see tips above.
Looking for that easy but super tasty bar that you will not get sick of? Then you need to make a batch of these Carmelitas ASAP!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these CARMELITAS or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Carmelitas
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup salted butter melted
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces caramel squares 30-33 caramels
- 5 Tablespoons half and half or heavy cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat 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 the melted caramel over the top, and then sprinkle on remaining oat crumb mixture. Try to distribute it as evenly as possible.
- Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the top is starting to turn golden brown and caramel is bubbling on the sides.
- Remove from oven and 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 squares while they are still slightly warm.
Notes
- These can be made thicker by baking in a 9x9-inch pan.
- Use your favorite chocolate chips for this recipe.
- Quick cooking oats can be substituted for old fashioned oats.
- You can cut these as large or small as you'd like!
- You can use heavy cream or half and half to help melt your caramels, this is your choice.
- These can be frozen, see tips above.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
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