Carmelitas

"These Carmelitas are a buttery, brown sugar and oats bar with chocolate chips, nuts, and caramel inside. These are a great dessert for a crowd!"

Carmelitas

Servings – 9 Prep Time – 10 Minutes Cook Time – 30 Minutes Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup quick cooking oats, (also works with old-fashioned oats)

• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, (6 ounces)

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, (optional)

Caramel Sauce using jarred caramel:

• 1/2 cup high quality caramel ice cream topping, (see note)

• 3 tablespoons flour

Caramel sauce using caramel candies:

• 34 caramel squares, unwrapped

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 8" or 9" square baking dish or line with parchment pan. An 8" dish will yield slightly thicker bars.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, oats, sugar, melted butter, baking soda, and salt. Mix to form crumbs.

Divide mixture in half. Press half of the mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes. 

Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts (if using) in an even layer over baked mixture.

Caramel Sauce: There are two ways to make the caramel sauce.

• If using store bought caramel sauce, in a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons flour with store bought caramel sauce to thicken it.

• If using square caramels, heat caramels and cream in a pot on the stove whisking and stirring until smooth.

Drizzle caramel filling over chocolate chips and nuts. 

Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top trying to cover most of the caramel. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. (Bake 12-14 minutes if using a 9"x13" pan)

Sprinkle with some kosher salt if desired.

Cool completely before cutting. This takes a really long time. You can speed these up by placing the bars in the fridge.

Serve and store bars at room temperature in an airtight container.

Notes:

This can be doubled and baked in a 9x13 baking dish.I've also made these without adding flour to the caramel mixture. Depending how thick your caramel sauce is you may not have to add the flour.

Nutrition:

Calories: 212 cal / carbohydrates: 26g / protein: 2g / fat: 12g / saturated fat: 7g / polyunsaturated fat: 1g / monounsaturated fat: 2g / trans fat: 1g / cholesterol: 27mg / sodium: 84mg / potassium: 44mg / fiber: 1g / sugar: 16g / vitamin c: 1mg / calcium: 16mg / iron: 1mg.

"These bars were introduced to me while taking a "Cake Walk" during a school fundraiser event. They were packaged in a pretty decorative container tied with a pretty ribbon and tag naming what was inside. It also included the recipe inside (which I didn't now until I opened the box). The name enticed me, I had never heard of them before so I took a chance... and snatched my winnings. Trust me, there were a box of chocolate fudge frosted brownies with walnuts that I had my eye on the entire round! These little gems instantly made a way into my heart and became a staple for my recipe box! These bars are fabulous. I could not believe that such an easy recipe would be so good."

CWT is not a certified dietician or nutritionist. Any nutritional information shared on this site is an estimate counted through measurements and package nutritional information used in each recipe. If calorie, macro counting and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through your choice of nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary depending on national brands used per recipe.