Description
Carmelitas are rich, gooey dessert bars made with layers of buttery oat crumble, melted chocolate chips, and creamy caramel. Perfectly chewy and indulgent, they’re a crowd-pleaser for any occasion.
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 (11 oz) bag soft caramels, unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease or line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, baking soda, and salt until crumbly and well mixed.
- Press half of the oat mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- While the crust bakes, melt the caramels with heavy cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth.
- Sprinkle the baked crust with chocolate chips and chopped pecans (if using).
- Pour the melted caramel sauce evenly over the chocolate and nuts.
- Crumble the remaining oat mixture evenly over the top.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 15–20 minutes, until the top is golden and caramel is bubbling at the edges.
- Let the bars cool completely in the pan before slicing to allow the caramel to set properly.
Notes
Bars must cool completely before slicing to prevent caramel from being too runny.
You can substitute the caramel mixture with 1 1/4 cups of thick store-bought caramel sauce.
For a gluten-free version, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and certified gluten-free oats.
Nuts are optional; feel free to omit or substitute with other types like walnuts or almonds.
To freeze, wrap tightly in plastic and foil. Reheat individual bars in the microwave for 10–15 seconds.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
