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Gooey oatmeal carmelitas are loaded with chocolate and caramel flavor. These favorite dessert bars are perfect for sharing!
Dessert bar recipes are perfect for feeding crowds, and carmelitas are always a crowd-pleaser! For some other favorites be sure to try M&M Chocolate Bars or Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars.
Delicious Oatmeal Caramel Bars
Imagine a creamy chocolate filling surrounded by chewy caramel on an oatmeal-brown sugar crust. Yum!!
Carmelitas are super easy to make and require only a few ingredients. The best part of these by far is the gooey caramel and chocolate middle.
Sometimes you just need a bit of warm gooey-ness to warm your belly and lift your spirits. The kids especially love these as an after-school treat with a nice cold glass of milk. Bars are also perfect for potlucks or gatherings, they are sure to disappear quickly!
I love all things oatmeal…it gives such a nice chew. That chew goes perfectly with the gooey caramel and oozing chocolate. Oh my! These chewy bars are just so irresistible & a perfect balance of tasty flavors.
A Favorite Bar Dessert!
PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 9 baking dish or line it with parchment or foil.
CARAMEL. Add the caramels or caramel bits and the heavy cream to a small saucepan. Heat the caramel over low heat, stirring frequently, until the caramels are completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
CRUST. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pour the melted butter into the bowl and mix to combine.
Press half of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes (do not turn off the oven).
LAYER. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and walnuts over the baked crust, then pour the melted caramel over the top, spreading gently to cover. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the top of the caramel (it’s okay if it doesn’t cover the caramel completely).
BAKE + SERVE! Bake for 15-20 minutes, until light brown. Remove the carmelitas from the oven and cool them completely before slicing and serving.
Recipe Tips
Just a few things to keep in mind for this carmelitas recipe to make them perfect every time.
Caramel sauce. I have not personally tried baking these with pre-made caramel sauce. To try it, simply replace the “caramel and heavy cream” ingredients with a thick good quality caramel sauce.
- I did see one recipe that called for ½ cup caramel sauce mixed with 1-3 tablespoons of flour. That might give a good starting point for those adventurous bakers out there. Don’t forget to leave a comment for me (and other readers) on what you used and how it turned out.
Pan. Some people have had better success baking them in a glass or ceramic pan versus a metal pan. You may need to add a little extra to the baking time.
I recommend sticking with a 9×9 pan for texture purposes, but an 8×8 can be used in a pinch. You can also double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 pan.
Cutting tip. Line the pan with foil or parchment paper. Once the bars have cooled completely, lift them out of the pan and slice them without the sides of the pan getting in the way. You can use the fridge to speed up cooling time, but be careful you don’t chill them for too long otherwise the signature gooey caramel may harden.
Variations
Just a few ideas on how you can change these up:
- Chocolate chips. Dark chocolate works well in this recipe. For sweeter chocolate use milk or white chocolate chips. Balance out the extra sweetness by adding a pinch or two of salt.
- Nuts. Sprinkle chopped nuts on when adding the chocolate chips. Chopped pecans, walnuts, or slivered almonds would all taste great.
- Oats. We used old-fashioned rolled oats in the recipe, but you can use quick oats. They are a finer oat and make the oat mixture more like dough. Both types of oat work, it just comes down to your personal preference on texture. Do not use steel-cut oats.
SToring Bars
STORE. Keep carmelita bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
FREEZE. To prep them for the freezer, wrap the entire carmelita dessert bar, or individual bars with plastic wrap. Then you can either wrap them again with aluminum foil or place them in an airtight container or freezer Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 4 months.
Recipe FAQ
The recipe calls for old-fashioned oats, but you can use quick oats instead. Just note they will not be quite as chewy. Do not use instant or steel cuts oats.
Begin with the end in mind – line the baking dish with parchment paper. After the carmelitas have cooled ALL THE WAY you can lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper and make even clean cuts.
You will need good quality soft caramels to make this dish so that you end up with an oozing caramel center. It is worth the effort of unwrapping the caramels to use in the recipe. In a pinch, you can substitute the homemade caramel sauce with a good-quality jar of caramel sauce.
For more Bar Recipes, try:
- Millionaire Bars
- Magic Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
- Almond Toffee Bars
- Cookie Bars
Carmelitas Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 11 ounce package caramels or caramel bits
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons butter melted
- 6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 9 baking dish or line it with parchment or foil.
- Add the caramels or caramel bits and the heavy cream to a small saucepan. Heat the caramel over low heat, stirring frequently, until the caramels are completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pour the melted butter into the bowl and mix to combine.
- Press half of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes (do not turn off the oven).
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips and walnuts over the baked crust, then pour the melted caramel over the top, spreading gently to cover. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the top of the caramel (it’s okay if it doesn’t cover the caramel completely). Bake 15-20 minutes, until light brown.
- Remove the carmelitas from the oven and cool them completely before slicing and serving.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
OMG!!! I could have eaten this whole thing by myself. Sooo good. I used wrapped caramels but I think next time I might try a jar of caramel, just for the convenience of it. The only variable I used was coffee chocolate chips as that’s what I had plus pecans instead of walnuts because, once again, that’s what I had. These bars were delicious warm out of the oven . Very messy and gooey or once they set up and we’re firm after being in the fridge. Either way they were to die for. I’ll be making these again soon. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Yes caramel sauce worked! Just make sure it’s thick!
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These were very good. Everyone at work loved them. I will say that I switched things a bit because of what I had on hand. I made the caramel sauce with wrapped caramels and heavy whipping cream. I didn’t melt them on the stove top, but in the microwave at 30 second intervals. I didn’t add the chocolate chips because I don’t care for chocolate. Next, I didn’t add walnuts because I had pecans on hand. They were really good. Success all around. I will be making them again. Thank you!
These were very good. Everyone at work loved them. I will say that I switched things a bit because of what I had on hand. I made the caramel sauce with wrapped caramels and heavy whipping cream. I didn’t melt them on the stove top, but in the microwave at 30 second intervals. I didn’t add the chocolate chips because I don’t care for chocolate. Next, I didn’t add walnuts because I had pecans on hand. They were really good. Success all around. I will be making them again. Thank you!
Oooey goooey goodness. Easy to make and delicious to eat!! I took these to a party they were a HUGE hit and gone in minutes! Many people said it was the best bar they have ever eaten! I have never gotten so many compliments before! I will definitely be making these over and over again!!
Oh I’m so happy to hear that!! So glad to hear the Carmelitas were a hit!
These are delicious! One of my favorite bars to make.
These are a family favorite! So ooey gooey yummy! Thank you for great recipes!!
You are so welcome! Thank you for trying them!
These are so yummy!!
These are a crowd favorite! Yum!!
These are the best to make and freeze for later. And they’re the first to go at our neighborhood bake sales!