Carmelita Bars have sweet, crumbly oatmeal cookie layers sandwiching a creamy caramel and chocolate chip filling for the perfect combination of gooey, melty, and crispy in every bite.
It’s an easy-to-make bar cookie with a gooey caramel and chocolate chip middle. The combination is wonderful and crowd-pleasing all year long.
Carmelitas
Carmelitas are a popular bar cookie at church potlucks in my area.There are three layers to these bar cookies: the top and bottom are made with oats and brown sugar. They stay softer in the center and like a cookie, the edges are a little crisper.
In the center is a creamy chocolate chip and caramel layer. But don’t be intimidated by making caramel, this is a fun short-cut recipe that starts with Kraft caramel candies!
Speaking of caramel, you’ll want to unwrap the caramels and have all your ingredients ready before you start. These bar cookies come together quickly.
Ingredients
- Flour
- Rolled oats
- Brown sugar
- Butter
- Kraft Caramels
- Evaporated milk
- Heavy cream
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Recipe Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add melted butter and mix until combined well. Spread half of the mixture in prepared pan, pressing down to cover the bottom. Bake 10 minutes. When 10 minutes are up, remove from oven but do not turn off oven.
- While oat mixture bakes, place unwrapped caramels, evaporated milk, and cream in a saucepan over low heat. Stir frequently until caramels are melted and mixture is thoroughly combined.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked mixture and then pour melted caramel evenly over the chips. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over caramel and bake 15 minutes.
- Let cool completely and cut into bars when ready to serve.
You’ll be able to tell when the bars are done cooking because they pull away from the edges.
When you remove them from the oven, the caramel needs time to set up again. So you do not want to cut these while they’re hot. If you can make them the night before you’re serving them, they’ll be easier to cut.
Certainly. You can freeze a whole batch or individual bar cookies. Wrap them tightly in plastic or a zip-top bag and keep them in the freezer for up to three months. You can defrost the cookies on the counter before serving.
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Carmelitas
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust and Topping
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅓ cups butter melted
Filling
- 1 ½ 11-ounce bags Kraft Caramels, unwrapped
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each side for easy lifting later. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. (I used nonstick aluminum foil.)
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add melted butter and mix until combined well. Spread half of the mixture in prepared pan, pressing down to cover the bottom. Bake 10 minutes. When 10 minutes are up, remove from oven but do not turn off oven.
- While oat mixture bakes, place unwrapped caramels, evaporated milk, and cream in a saucepan over low heat. Stir frequently until caramels are melted and mixture is thoroughly combined.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked mixture and then pour melted caramel evenly over the chips. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over caramel and bake 15 minutes.
- Let cool completely in pan on wire rack. Use foil to lift out of pan and cut into bars when ready to serve.
Carmelitas have sweet, crumbly oatmeal cookie layers sandwiching a creamy caramel and chocolate chip filling for the perfect combination of gooey, melty, and crispy in every bite.
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