caramelitas
melty chocolate and gooey caramel sandwiched between an oatmeal cookie crust
baked in January 2026
yield: 16 bars
prep time: 25 minutes
cook time: 25 minutes
difficulty level: easy
image from Dessert Now Dinner Later
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 and 1/4 cups (150 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
- 1 cup (80 g) old fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar, gently packed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 35 caramel squares, unwrapped (almost a full 11 ounce bag)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup (170 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, (half of a 12 ounce bag)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line a 9×9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper leaving a couple inches of overhang to easily lift the bars out of the pan to cut them.
- Unwrap caramels and place in a small saucepan with the heavy cream. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the melted butter and stir until combined. Press half of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Bake at 350˚F for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden.
- Meanwhile, melt the caramels and heavy cream over medium-low heat. Stir frequently until completely smooth; remove pan from heat and set aside.
- Remove the crust from the oven and sprinkle evenly with the chocolate chips.
- Pour the caramel mixture evenly over the chocolate chips. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over caramel. Gaps are ok. Press/flatten the oat mixture carefully into the hot caramel.
- Return pan to oven and bake at 350˚F for an additional 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and cool completely (about 2+ hours) before pulling the bars out of the pan to cut. This allows time for the caramel to set back up, or you'll have a big mess.
