Carmelitas

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Carmelitas are rich dessert bars with gooey caramel, melted chocolate, and a buttery oat crumble topping. Easy to make and perfect for any occasion!

A GOOEY DESSERT BAR RECIPE

Have you ever had a Carmelita? If you like caramel and chocolate then you will adore these! They are the ultimate ooey-gooey dessert bar! Caramelitas are super indulgent and have layers of buttery oatmeal crumble sandwiching melted chocolate and a simple homemade caramel sauce. These bars are slightly chewy and are the perfect rich dessert to whip up for holidays, gatherings or potlucks. Watch how fast they fly!

These are absolutely decadent! I think they even taste better the next day when the flavors have time to meld together!
– Sarah

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What do Carmelitas taste like?

These bars are rich, caramely, and chocolatey, the base and top have a slight crunch and caramel oatmeal cookie flavor. They are soft and gooey.

Which type of caramels were used for this recipe?

Kraft brand 11 ounce caramel bits were used for this recipe.

Do I really have to wait over 2 hours for these to cool before cutting them?

Yes! Waiting a couple hours for them to cool completely is vital before cutting them, as they would be extremely messy if you do not wait. You can also chill them in the fridge if you’d like, but still please wait at least two hours before slicing into them to prevent a mess.

Can I use jarred caramel sauce instead?

I haven’t tried it with the jarred sauce yet, but I suppose you could try it. It may be too thin for this recipe, but it may work out. If you experiment, please let me know how ti goes!

What’s the best way to eat these?

These Carmelita bars are super gooey. They can be really sticky if you are just eating them with your hands. If you have a sensory issue or don’t like sticky fingers, grab a fork when digging in to these treats. Keep them chilled in the refrigerator – this will help it be less gooey.

Can I use anything else in place of the oats?

I know some people just don’t like oats in their desserts because of the texture that they bring. But honestly, I don’t have a substitute on what you can use in place of them because they really help hold the base layer together and I can’t think of anything else that would work just as well.

How do I store leftover Carmelitas?

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5-6 days.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

salted butter– You can use unsalted butter if that’s what you have on hand. Just add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
packed light brown sugar – I have not tested this with white sugar. I suppose it would work but I haven’t personally tested it out.
all purpose flour
old fashioned oats – I have not made this without oatmeal. I am sure you could but I haven’t tested it to be able to tell you how it would turn out. If you experiment, please let me know how it goes! You could also use quick cooking oats.
baking soda
vanilla extract
caramel bits – you can buy the individually wrapped caramel pieces – you’ll need 11 ounces. The caramel bits are so much easier and even I can find them in my small town. They are a lot more readily available than they used to be.
heavy cream – it has to be heavy cream here – not milk or half and half. They just aren’t thick enough and don’t have enough fat in them to make this turn out properly.
semi sweet chocolate chips – if you want this sweeter, you could use milk chocolate but I think they’re pretty sweet as is so I would stick with the semi sweet.

Carmel bits, semi sweet chocolate chips, butter, light brown sugar, heavy cream, baking soda, flour, oats, and vanilla.

HOW TO MAKE CARMELITAS:

Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Stir together the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla, then add in the flour, oats, and baking soda and stir well to make a dough.

Ingredients in bowls to make Carmelita’s.

Press half of the mixture into your baking dish and bake for ten minutes.

While the base is baking, melt the caramels and heavy cream in a medium saucepan until all of the caramels are melted, this can take about 7 to 10 minutes on medium to low heat, do not use high heat.

Once the base is done baking, sprinkle the chocolate chips onto the warm base layer. Then pour on the caramel sauce.

Chocolate chips on top of base layer and caramel layer poured over top.

Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture on top.

Bake on the middle rack for 20 to 25 minutes, let cool completely (at least 2 1/2 hours) before cutting into 9 slices to enjoy. You can pop them into the refrigerator to help them cool quicker.