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Carmelitas Feature
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5 from 1 vote

Carmelitas

Carmelitas are soft oatmeal cookie bars with a delicious crust and topped with a chocolate and creamy caramel filling. Seriously the best cookie bars ever!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Carmelitas
Servings: 12 bars
Author: Jill

Ingredients

For The Filling

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350oF. Line an 8” square baking pan with baking parchment.
  • Add the oats, flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, and sea salt to a large bowl and mix tocombine.
  • Pour in the melted butter and mix very well until all the ingredients in the bowl are completelycoated with the butter.
  • Tip two-thirds of the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Use a spatula to press it down.Use your fingers to press the mixture into an even layer with clean hands. The warmth fromyour hands will make the process easier.
  • Put the pan into the oven for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, make the caramel by putting the soft caramels and heavy cream into a smallsaucepan set over low heat. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the caramels havemelted. Remove from the heat and reserve 2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce in aseparate bowl (you will use this for drizzling later). Set the caramel aside for now.
  • When the base of the Carmelitas has had 10 minutes in the oven, take the pan out andsprinkle over the chocolate chips and chopped chocolate.
  • Pour the caramel in an even layer over the top.
  • Spoon the remaining oats and flour mixture on top, and press down gently.
  • Return the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the Carmelitas are a light goldenbrown.
  • Remove from the oven and leave to set in the pan for an hour or so. Turn the Carmelitas outand use a sharp knife to cut into 12 equal squares.
  • Drizzle over the reserved caramel and serve.

Notes

  • If you don’t have an 8” square baking pan you can make these Carmelitas in a 9”x13” brownie pan however you will need to double the recipe. You can also use a 9” square pan but your Carmelitas will be slightly thinner and crispier. We wouldn’t recommend altering the recipe for a 9” pan.
 
  • We used Werther’s soft baking caramels to make the caramel.
    Kraft soft caramels will also work well in this recipe. If you’re in the UK you can use a tin of Carnation Caramel and omit the heavy cream. Just add the caramel in a layer to the Carmelitas straight from the tin.
 
  • You can use quick oats to make this recipe but since they are not as chunky as rolled oats the Carmelitas will not be as chewy.
 
  • For an extra decadent dessert, warm with a scoop of your favorite ice cream. If left to cool overnight the caramel and chocolate will harden making the Carmelitas difficult to remove as a slab from the pan. We suggest turning them out while they are still slightly warm.
 
  • If you have any leftovers and the caramel and chocolate harden you can warm them up in the microwave or oven for a few minutes until you see the center starting to soften.
 
  • Storage: Carmelitas will last for at least 3 days stored at room temperature in an airtight container. To freeze add the Carmelitas to a zip lock bag with parchment paper in-between. They freeze well for up to one month.