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Three Carmelitas stacked on top of each other.

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…

A wood bowl of the melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda, with a wooden spoon in it.

But all you really need to know is that they are AMAZING!

Two step pictures - the first showing the melted butter being poured into the bowl of brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda and the second is of all those ingredients mixed together.

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.

A parchment paper lined baking pan with the bottom layer of the oatmeal mixture in it, sitting on a cutting board with a small bowl of chocolate chips, with the sauce pan of caramel and the bowl of the remaining oatmeal mixture next to the cutting board.

Two step pictures - the first showing the chocolate chips spread on top of the oatmeal mixture crust, and the second showing the caramel being poured on top of the chocolate chip layer.

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?

Carmelitas cut into squares on a cutting board.

Either way, they’ll make your day that much sweeter!

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #lovelylittlekitchen

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Carmelitas

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Author: Julie
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 16 bars 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Description

Super easy to make and always a crowd pleaser! Soft, gooey and delicious!

Ingredients

Scale

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

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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