Carmelitas

This Carmelitas recipe makes gooey oatmeal bars layered with melted chocolate and buttery caramel. These chewy carmelita bars are simple to bake and always a hit at potlucks, holidays, or family gatherings. It’s an easy dessert you’ll want to make again and again.

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Ingredients Notes

Cookie Base

• All purpose flour
• Old fashioned oats – Quick oats can be used for a softer texture.
• Salted butter, melted – Unsalted butter works too; just add a pinch of salt.
• Light brown sugar – Swap in dark brown sugar for a deeper, richer flavor.
• Pure vanilla extract – Almond extract can be used for a fun twist.
• Baking soda
• Kosher salt – Table salt or sea salt also work.

Chocolate and Caramel Layer

• Milk chocolate chips – Semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips work well. Try white chocolate or peanut butter chips for a fun variation.
• Individually wrapped caramels –  Kraft Caramel Bits or even caramel sauce can be used instead.
• Heavy cream

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Carmelitas

1. Prepare the pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy lifting. Lightly grease with nonstick spray.
2. Mix the base: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
3. Bake the crust: Press half of the cookie base into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
4. Melt the caramel: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the caramels with heavy cream, stirring until smooth. (You can also microwave in 45-second bursts, stirring in between.)
5. Layer it up: Remove the crust from the oven. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, then pour the melted caramel over the top.
6. Top and bake again: Crumble the remaining oatmeal cookie mixture over the caramel layer. (It’s okay if there are gaps-they’ll bake together.) Bake for 20 minutes, until golden and set.
7. Cool and slice: Let the bars cool slightly, then refrigerate for 1 ½ to 2 hours until firm. Use the parchment overhang to lift them from the pan and cut into squares before serving. Enjoy!

How to Store Carmelita Bars

• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.
• Freeze: Wrap cooled bars in plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.
• Reheat: These bars are best served at room temperature, but you can warm individual squares in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to soften the caramel.
• Make ahead: Bake a day in advance and keep covered at room temperature or in the fridge until ready to serve.

More Easy Dessert Bar Recipes

• Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars – Rich and creamy with cheesecake filling and pecans.
• Salted Caramel Brownies – Fudgy brownies swirled with gooey caramel and a sprinkle of sea salt.
• Cookie Dough Bars – Egg-free cookie dough layered with chocolate for a no-bake treat.
• Magic Cookie Bars – A classic seven-layer bar with coconut, chocolate, and sweetened condensed milk.

If you’ve tried this Carmelitas Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it turned out in the comments below.

5 from 3 votes

Carmelitas

Author — Jennifer Fishkind

Serves — 16

This easy Carmelitas dessert recipe makes chewy oatmeal cookie bars layered with buttery caramel and melted chocolate. These gooey bars are always a crowd favorite.

PrintRatePin Save Saved

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

chill time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

Cookie Base

• ▢ 1½ cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 1½ cups old fashioned oats
• ▢ 1 cup salted butter melted
• ▢ ¾ cup light brown sugar tightly packed
• ▢ 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Chocolate and Caramel layer

• ▢ 1½ cup milk chocolate chips
• ▢ 11 ounce individually wrapped caramels
• ▢ ½ cup heavy cream

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper, leave a bit of an overhang to lift the bars out of the baking dish. Lightly grease the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray.
• Add the flour, oats, melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, baking soda and kosher salt. Stir until just combined.
  1½ cups all purpose flour, 1½ cups old fashioned oats, 1 cup salted butter, ¾ cup light brown sugar, 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Press half of the cookie base into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes. While the base is baking, unwrap the caramels.
• In a small heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, add the unwrapped caramels and heavy cream, stirring continuously until the caramels are completely melted. (You can also microwave the caramels and cream stirring 45 seconds until smooth)
  11 ounce individually wrapped caramels, ½ cup heavy cream
• Immediately after you remove the cookie base from the oven, sprinkle the chocolate chips.
  1½ cup milk chocolate chips
• Once the caramels have melted and the mixture is smooth, pour the caramel sauce evenly over the chocolate chips.
• Sprinkle the remaining cookie base over the caramel layer. (Don’t worry about small gaps in the cookie layer, they will close while baking)
• Bake for 20 minutes or until the top layer is golden brown and firm to the touch. Allow the carmelitas to rest for a few minutes before chilling in the refrigerator for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until completely cool.
• Use the overhang to lift the carmelitas out of the baking dish and place on a cutting board. Slice the carmelitas into 16 equal pieces before serving.

Jenn’s Notes

Storage :

• Store: Airtight container for 4 days (room temp) or 6 days (fridge).
• Freeze: Wrap and freeze up to 2 months; thaw before serving.
• Reheat: Serve at room temp or microwave 10–15 sec to soften.
• Make-ahead: Bake a day early and cover until serving.

Tips:

• Always line your pan with parchment or foil and spray it-this prevents sticking.
• Let bars cool completely before slicing. For clean edges, chill them first.
• Add flaky sea salt on top for a salted caramel twist.
• For thinner bars that stretch further, bake in a 9×13 pan instead of a 9×9 square pan.
• Store bars in the fridge before cutting if your kitchen is warm-they’ll hold shape better.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 398kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 297mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 510IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1mg

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