Carmelitas
User Reviews
4.6
Carmelitas
Description
The Carmelitas recipe starts with mixing oats, flour, brown sugar, melted butter, baking soda, and salt to create a crumbly base and topping mixture. Half of this oat mixture is pressed into a prepared baking dish and baked briefly to set a sturdy base. Chocolate chips and optional chopped pecans are spread evenly over the partially baked crust.
For the caramel filling, two methods are provided: thickening a high-quality store-bought caramel ice cream topping with flour or making caramel by melting caramel squares with heavy cream on the stove until smooth. This caramel layer is drizzled over the chocolate and nuts. The remaining oat crumb mixture is then sprinkled on top, aiming to cover most of the caramel.
The assembled bars are baked until golden brown and can be sprinkled with kosher salt for a sweet-salty contrast. Once cooled, Carmelitas develop a firm but chewy texture from the oatmeal layer combined with creamy caramel and chocolate. The bars can be doubled in quantity using a larger pan, such as 9x13 inches, for thicker layers.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup oats also works with old-fashioned oats, quick cooking
- 3/4 /4 cup brown sugar packed
- 3/4 /4 cup butter melted, unsalted
- 1/2 /2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 /2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips 6 ounces, semi-sweet
- 1/2 /2 cup pecans optional, chopped
Caramel Sauce using store bought caramel sauce:
- 1/2 /2 cup caramel ice cream topping see note, high quality
- 3 tablespoons flour
Caramel Sauce using caramels:
- 34 caramel squares unwrapped
- 1/2 /2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 8" or 9" square baking dish or line with parchment pan. An 8" dish will yield slightly thicker bars.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, oats, sugar, melted butter, baking soda, and salt. Mix to form crumbs. Divide mixture in half. Press half of the mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts (if using) in an even layer over baked mixture. For the Caramel Sauce: There are two ways to make the caramel sauce. 1) If using store bought caramel sauce, in a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons flour with store bought caramel sauce to thicken it. 2) If using square caramels, heat caramels and cream in a pot on the stove whisking and stirring until smooth.Drizzle caramel filling over chocolate chips and nuts.
- Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top trying to cover most of the caramel. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with some kosher salt if desired. Cool completely before cutting. This takes a really long time. You can speed these up by placing the bars in the fridge. Serve and store bars at room temperature in an airtight container.
Notes
- This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9x13 inch baking dish for larger quantities.
- Adding flour to the store-bought caramel sauce helps thicken it, but depending on caramel thickness, it may not be necessary.
- Use a high-quality caramel ice cream topping for better flavor if choosing the store-bought caramel method.
- Melting caramel squares with heavy cream over the stove creates a smooth homemade caramel filling alternative.
- Sprinkle kosher salt on top before baking to add a subtle salty contrast to the sweetness.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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