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Carmelitas are the ultimate chocolate caramel oatmeal bars that are ooey-gooey, rich, and decadent! This is an easy dessert bar that everyone will love – each bite is filled with gooey caramel sauce and chocolate.
The BEST Carmelita Recipe
Chocolate, caramel, and oatmeal – what’s not to love? The original carmelita recipe won the Pillsubry bake-off – can you see why? This is my version and I love it even more.
Carmelitas, also known as oatmeal gooey bars are a layered dessert bar that with a buttery oatmeal cookie and caramel chocolate filling! My carmelitas recipe starts with a layer of oatmeal cookie crust topped with caramels, chocolate, and then an oatmeal topping. Bake until golden, and then try to resist slicing them until cooled. It’s a tall order!
Ingredients Needed
- Butter: I always use unsalted butter, and be sure it’s softened to room temperature. To use salted butter, reduce salt by 1/2 teaspoon.
- Sugar: This recipe uses a combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar to make the cookie bar base.
- Cinnamon: Always a must in any oatmeal recipe!
- All-Purpose Flour: Be sure to measure it correctly! You will also need a bit of flour for the filling.
- Quick-Cooking Oats: I prefer to use quick oats in my cookie recipes – did you know you can make your own quick oats if you have old fashioned rolled oats?
- Caramel Squares: For the filling you’ll need unwrapped caramels. You can use the traditional Kraft square caramels or Werther’s Chewy Caramels.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: To melt the caramel, no substitutions here – you must use heavy cream.
- Chocolate Chips: Use your favorite, I used semi sweet chocolate chips, but you can also use milk chocolate chips. You can also add pecans or walnuts.
How to Make Carmelitas
1. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch metal pan lined with foil or parchment paper. Metal is best for baking blondies and cookie bars and the lining is for easy cleanup in case the caramel leaks out.
2. Cream your butter and sugars until fluffy, 1-2 minutes with a hand mixer or stand mixer.
3. Mix in eggs and vanilla. In another small bowl, whisk baking soda, salt, cinnamon and flour, then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
4. Press about 2/3 of the cookie dough in the bottom of the pan. Pre-bake the crust while preparing the caramel.
5. To prepare the caramel, add the unwrapped caramels and heavy cream to a microwave safe bowl and heat until smooth. You can also do this in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour.
6. Top base cookie bar with caramel and chocolate chips.
7. Drop pieces of remaining oatmeal cookie dough on top. Return to oven to finish baking.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to line the pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. The spray will ensure the bars don’t stick to the foil, and the foil will make it easy to lift the bars out in one piece before slicing. I always recommend a metal pan when baking cookie bars (like revel bars).
- When you make the dough for the crust, it will be very sticky to work with. Spray your hands with cooking spray to make it easier to press into the pan.
- If you don’t feel like making caramel, you can skip that step and use jarred caramel sauce (ice cream topping). Just omit the cream and caramels and use the jar of sauce, but still stir in the flour. Or you can use my homemade caramel recipe.
- It’s important to allow the bars to cool COMPLETELY before slicing or they might fall apart.
FAQ
You can use 12 ounces of (homemade or store bought) caramel sauce in place of the caramel squares and omit the heavy cream. I have tested this recipe with my homemade caramel recipe. You just need to make sure and add the flour so it isn’t too thin.
It works best with quick oats, but if you only have old-fashioned oats you can turn them into quick oats by pulsing them in a blender or food processor.
If you want to make a smaller batch, simply cut all the ingredients in half and bake in a 9×9-inch pan.
I recommend Kraft squares or Werthers chewy caramels. Werthers is the easiest to unwrap – but make sure to buy chewy (not soft).
Carmelitas Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1¾ cups (217g) all-purpose flour
- 3 ¼ cups (289g) quick cooking oats
- 11- ounce bag (317g) caramel squares , unwrapped
- ⅓ cup (79ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 cups (340g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (You can also use a large bowl and a hand mixer.) Cream until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla, beat until smooth. Gradually mix in baking soda, salt, cinnamon and flour until smooth, being careful not to over mix. Mix in oats. Press two thirds of the batter in the prepared pan in a thin layer. (Batter is sticky so spray your hands with cooking spray.) Bake for 10 minutes.
- While bottom layer is baking, place caramels and cream in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Whisk in flour until smooth. After the 10-minute bake, pour caramel mixture over hot cookie dough in pan, leaving a small border around all the edges. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.
- Break off pieces of the remaining dough and flatten between your hands (dough will be sticky). Lay on the top of caramel. Continue until the entire pan is covered, pressing the edges to seal them together. A little of the caramel may peek through, that’s okay.
- Bake for an additional 24-28 minutes, or until the bars are light golden around the edges and on top. Cool completely before slicing.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Substitute 12-ounces of homemade or jarred caramel sauce for the caramel squares, but omit the heavy cream.
- Add nuts or chocolate chips to the batter, if desired.
- Add M&Ms to the batter for some color!
- You can use old fashioned oats but pulse them in a blender or food processor first (then measure for the bars – see my post on how to make quick oats).
- Do not slice bars until completely cooled for best results.
- Don’t skip the foil or parchment lining in the pan – it gets gooey and messy!
Recipe Nutrition
Caramelitas are an easy oatmeal caramel chocolate chip bar! These Oatmeal Gooey Bars are full of caramel and chocolate and are SO good and easy to make with caramel squares or jarred caramel.
Came out exactly as pictured! Make sure you follow directions and use cooking spray. Won’t be messy if follow directions!! Yum!
These were a HUGE hit – my husband loved how gooey they were!
These look fantastic but way too messy to make. Messy hands, messy to cut into bars, messy to get off the liner. Messy to eat. Sorry.
If they’re messy on the hands, spray your hands with cooking spray so they don’t stick, if they were messy after baking they weren’t done baking.
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