Carmelitas

Three stacked caramel oat bars drizzled with gooey caramel on a white plate.

5 from 3 votes

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.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

chill time2

Total Time2 50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 398kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

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 9x9 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.

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 9x13 pan instead of a 9x9 square pan.
Store bars in the fridge before cutting if your kitchen is warm-they’ll hold shape better.

Nutrition