OH BOY, I hope you guys are ready for these! These Carmelitas are going to steal your heart and lock it away forever. And the best thing is they are super easy to make! They are basically caramel and chocolate sandwiched between two buttery oatmeal cookie layers…
But all you really need to know is that they are AMAZING!
I tasted these a few years ago at a ladies lunch at church a few years ago and kind of forgot about them until I saw them on Pinterest (from The Baker Upstairs, who got them from Lulu the Baker) and pretty much HAD to make them right away. Luckily, we had family coming over the next day for an early Mother’s Day celebration, so I had plenty of people to share them with.
What I LOVE about Carmelitas!
- You can make the oatmeal cookie layers in one bowl by hand.
- You can take a short cut and buy the bag of “caramel bits” instead of unwrapping caramels.
- You can make them a couple of days ahead, and they still taste soft, gooey, and delicious! You can even freeze them for later.
Maybe make these for your Mother’s Day gathering? They are definitely a crowd pleaser! Or send someone a gentle little note requesting that they make them for you?
Either way, they’ll make your day that much sweeter!
Carmelitas
Super easy to make and always a crowd pleaser! Soft, gooey and delicious!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 32 caramel squares, unwrapped or 11 ounces caramel bits
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup salted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (I used dark brown, but light is fine too)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 by 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal later.
- Add the caramels and cream to a small saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until completely smooth and then set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of an 8 by 8 inch baking pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel evenly over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the caramel is bubbly.
- Remove from oven and allow it cool for several hours before cutting, or chill in the fridge. At room temperature, they will be soft and gooey and absolutely delicious!
Notes
I found the recipe for these cookie bars on Pinterest from The Baker Upstairs, who got the recipe from Lulu The Baker.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Bar
- Calories: 326
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 193mg
- Fat: 21g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6.6g
- Trans Fat: 0.6g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 1.7g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 44mg
They look so good. I love anything with caramel, thanks for the idea
Me too, Keith! Hope you get the chance to try them!
I haven’t ever tried caramelita bars before but I sure love anything buttery and caramely. Love the photos.
You should definitely give these a go Thalia. I think you’d love them!
I live in Mumbai. Where do I source caramel bits to make Carmelitas,the recipe sounds very yummy.
Hi Aruna, Here is a link to that product on Amazon. Hope that helps!
http://www.amazon.com/Kraft-Caramel-Bits-11-Ounce/dp/B00Z9YSN1K/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1462805793&sr=8-1&keywords=caramel+bits
These look AMAZING. I’d be afraid to be in the house alone with them 🙂 I’d have to make sure lots of company was coming!
Exactly! Thanks Chris!
Made these for dessert tonight. Very good, but very rich. Cut it into 12 bars and should have done the recommended 16! I had a sugar high when I was done!
Glad you liked them, and yes, a little dab will do ya!
Surprisingly easy to make. These bars are delicious! Very sweet, so grab a big glass of milk. I refrigerated these after they cooled, just to help them hold together better. At room temperature these are so oooey and gooey, not that that’s bad, I just didn’t want them that messy.
Seriously, no matter what y’all are doing, stop doing it, go gather the ingredients, and make these! YUM!!!!
Hi Christine, so glad you liked these too! Totally agree with your description of them!
Mine stuck to the parchment paper. So instead of bars i got goop. 🙁