Carmelita Bars

by Chris Fowler on May 23rd 2026 Recipe Source

Ooey gooey oatmeal, chocolate chip, caramel bars

Ingredients:

Oatmeal Dough

  • 1 1/2 cup salted butter melted
  • 1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cup old fashioned oats
  • 2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Filling

  • 2 2/3 cups milk chocolate chips
  • 80 soft caramels unwrapped
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9x13 dish.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla together.
  3. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt, stirring until everything is combined.
  4. Press half of the oatmeal dough evenly into the prepared pan. It will be a very thin layer, but don’t worry!
  5. Bake for 8-10 minutes until just golden.
  6. While the bottom layer bakes, heat the unwrapped caramels and cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the caramels are melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.
  7. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the partially baked bottom layer, then pour the caramel over the chocolate chips. Scatter the remaining oatmeal dough over the caramel by breaking apart small chunks. No need to worry about completely covering the caramel. Gaps are just fine!
  8. Bake for another 16-18 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. The middle will continue to set as the bars cool. Remove from the oven and cool completely, at least 2 hours, before cutting into squares. You can slice them sooner, but they won’t slice clean and you will have an ooey-gooey mess on your hands.
Notes:

You may want to add pecans, walnuts, or shredded coconut to the caramel layer. Use your imagination!

Smaller Batch: You can halve the recipe and bake in a 9x9 dish if you only want 9-12 bars. You may need to adjust cook times.

dessert, bars

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