Carmelitas

Sweet oatmeal cookie, rich creamy caramel, and chocolate chip flavor bombs make these Chewy decadent Carmelitas for serious cookie bar connoisseurs!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Carmelitas, Carmelitas Recipe, How Do I Make Carmelitas, How To Make Carmelitas

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 25

Total Time 50

Servings to 12 squares

Calories 504kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 (10-ounce) bag soft caramel squares, unwrapped
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line an 8X8-inch baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum with a 2-inch overhang on both sides.
In a large mixing bowl, add flour (1 cup), baking soda (1/2 teaspoon), oats (1 cup), brown sugar (3/4 cup), salt (1/8 teaspoon), vanilla (1 teaspoon), and melted butter (3/4 cup) to the bowl. Stir until combined. The dough will be crumbly.
Divide the dough in half, pressing one half of the dough into prepared 8" x 8" pan.
Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
While crust is baking, melt the caramel squares (10 ounces) and heavy cream (1/3 cup) in the microwave for 2 minutes on 50% power. Stir caramels and cream until smooth and completely melted. Return to microwave at 30-second intervals at 50% power until completely melted and caramel is smooth when stirred. Set aside to let cool and thicken.
Sprinkle chocolate chips (1 1/4 cups) and pecans (1/2 cup) over slightly cooled crust.
Spread cooled, melted caramel sauce over chocolate chips and pecans.
Break the remaining dough into small pieces then lay the pieces in a single layer over the caramel, chocolate chips, and pecans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown on the top. Let Caramelitas cool before cutting.

Notes

Press the crust firmly—but don’t smash it.
When you press the oat mixture into the pan, you want a solid, even base so the bars hold together, but still a little bit of that crumbly, cookie texture. Use your fingertips or the flat bottom of a measuring cup to press it in firmly, then stop before it looks compacted and rock-hard. And don’t forget to reserve about half of the mixture for the topping!
Watch the visual cues, not just the timer.
Ovens all run a little differently, so rely on how the Carmelitas look and smell. The bars are ready when the edges are deeply golden brown and the center is bubbling gently around the edges but not sloshing in the middle. If they still look pale and sleepy, give them a few more minutes.
Handle the caramel with care.
Warm the caramels and cream low and slow, stirring until just smooth and pourable. If you cook the mixture at a full boil, it can turn tough once cooled. Pour the caramel in an even layer over the crust, nudging it toward the edges but not all the way to the pan sides so it doesn’t weld to the metal.
Let cool completely for neat slices.
I know it’s tempting to dive in while they’re warm and gooey, but cooling is where the magic happens. Let the pan cool to room temperature, then chill it for an hour or so if you want perfectly tidy squares. Use the parchment overhang to lift the whole slab out onto a cutting board before slicing.
Plan ahead—Carmelitas are even better the next day.
These bars are wonderful the day you bake them, but the flavors deepen and the texture settles into that perfect chewy–gooey balance after they rest. If you’re serving them for a party, bake them the day before, let them cool completely, and store them tightly covered. Slice just before serving for the prettiest bars.

Nutrition