Carmelitas Recipe
Carmelitas are incredible cookie bars loaded with chocolate and caramel! A delectable sweet treat you and your family will love.
Servings 9 bars
Calories 575kcal
Equipment
- 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch pan
- Microwave or small saucepan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted (170g)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar firmly packed (165g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (100g)
- 36 caramels unwrapped (220g)
- ½ cup heavy cream (120ml)
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (4 ounces, 112g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil.
- Combine the melted butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and brown sugar in a large bowl and mix to combine. (If using salted butter omit the salt.)
- Add the flour, baking soda, and oats, and mix until combined. Divide the mixture in half and crumble one half into your lined baking pan. Press into an even layer, then bake for 10 minutes.
- While the base bakes, combine the unwrapped caramels, cream, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a microwave-safe bowl and cook for 40 second bursts, stirring in between each burst. (You’ll need 3-4 bursts depending on your microwave.) You can also melt this in a pot over low heat if desired, but make sure to stir frequently.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips in an even layer over the baked base then pour the melted caramel over the chocolate chips.
- Crumble the remaining oat mixture in the bowl, then sprinkle it over the top. Bake for about 20 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting.
Notes
- Baking pan sizes: These are baked in an 8x8-inch square pan. A 9x9-inch square pan will also work, though the bars will be slightly thinner, and the overall baking time should be reduced by about 5 minutes.
- Line the pan with parchment paper so the dessert bars are easy to remove from the pan.
- Weigh the flour. Using too much flour will cause the oatmeal caramel cookie bars to turn out dry. The best way to measure flour accurately is with a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff up your flour in its canister, spoon it into the measuring cup, and use a knife to level off the top.
- Add vanilla. For a little more complexity, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the oatmeal base mixture.
- Instead of chocolate chips, you can chop up a semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate bar into small- to medium-sized pieces.
- Let the cookie bars cool. For neat slices, let the carmelitas cool completely. Otherwise, the bars make quite a mess.
Nutrition
Calories: 575kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 491mg | Potassium: 260mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 691IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 2mg