Caramelitas Recipe
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.
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 333kcal
Cost: 15
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 9x13-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.
Video
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!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 313IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg