Oatmeal Caramelitas are an incredible oatmeal chocolate dessert bar with caramel! Layers of oats, brown sugar, butter and chocolate chips with a delightful layer of gooey caramel baked inside.
These Mexican dessert bars are such an easy bar cookie recipe and unlike other oatmeal carmelita bars, this recipe doesn’t contain condensed milk! Making them just a tad more simple, who doesn’t love simple?
Oatmeal Caramel Bars
There are so many different ways to make Oatmeal caramelitas that recipes vary all over the place. I personally love this one because it’s about as simple as it gets.
The ingredients are all easy to find and because we use caramel topping (like the jar you find in the ice cream sections) there’s no plastic waste and time consuming candy unwrapping involved!
Oatmeal Carmelita Ingredients
-1 cup flour: I generally use all purpose flour, but you can also use bread flour
-1 cup quick oats or old fashioned oats, both work well in this recipe
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-Semi-sweet chocolate chips: 1 cup needed for the recipe. You can use what you’d like, but I do find milk chocolate makes these bars unbearably sweet.
— Caramel Topping: Homemade or store bought works well! You’ll need 3/4 cup caramel topping mixed with 3 TBSP flour
-1/2 tsp baking soda & 1/4 tsp salt add leavening & flavor
-3/4 cup butter, melted: salted or unsalted, use what you have on hand!
Should I Use Quick Oats or Old Fashioned Oats?
You can use either one for Caramelitas. The recipe requests that you use quick oats, however I’ve used regular oats a few times and it turned out fine. The texture is a little different, but having the chew from a stronger oat and the softness from quick oats is two different textures that work great for this dessert. Try them both and see which one you prefer!
How to Make Oatmeal Caramelitas
In a bowl, mix the flour, oats, sugar, soda, salt and butter.
Press half of the mixture onto the bottom of an 11×7 pan, and set the other half of the mix aside. You can use a 9×13 pan if that’s what you have on hand, but keep in mind that it will be a little thinner.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes and then remove from the oven.
Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips.
Warm up your caramel topping in the microwave for about 30 seconds. You just want it thin enough to pour.
Pour the caramel into a small bowl or liquid measuring cup and whisk in the 3tbsp of flour until well mixed.
Drizzle the caramel flour mixture over the chocolate chips.
Sprinkle the rest of the oat mixture (the one you set aside in the beginning) over the top of the pan and spread it out evenly.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes until it’s golden brown.
Let the caramel cookie bars cool completely before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
Oatmeal Caramelitas
Ingredients
- 1 cup Flour
- 1 cup Quick Oats reg oats work fine too!
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 3/4 cup Caramel Topping
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup Melted Butter
- 3 tbsp Flour
Instructions
- Mix flour, oats, sugar, soda, salt and butter. Press half of the mixture into a 11X7 pan and set the other half aside. (I used a 9X13 and it still works fine, but is just a little thinner.)
- Bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
- Warm up caramel topping in the microwave for about 30 seconds, just enough to make it a little runnier and easier to pour.
- Blend the caramel topping with the 3 tablespoons of flour until well mixed and then drizzle over the chocolate chips.
- Sprinkle the rest of the oat mixture evenly over the top and then bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
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Can I Freeze Oatmeal Caramelitas?
Yes you can! I recommend letting the cookie bars cool down completely before trying to freeze. For maximum efficiency, it also makes sense to cut into individual serving sized pieces and wrap each in plastic wrap before placing it in a Ziploc style bag or airtight container. This will allow you to store them without the mess. Just take a piece (or more) out and rest them on the counter until they’re thawed enough to eat.
How should I Store Caramelitas?
If you aren’t planning on freezing these caramelitas, then I recommend cutting the bars and covering the pan they were baked in and storing them either at room temperature or in the fridge for up to a few days. They should last up to a week on the counter, and slightly longer in the fridge.
Can I Use Caramel Baking Chips Instead of Caramel Sauce?
Absolutely! Use what you want, it turns out great either way! I just really love the gooeyness of the caramel sauce when it gets warmed up and baked into this dish, it’s soooooo good!
More Caramel recipes:
- Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Squares
- Caramel Banana Cream Tiramisu
- Caramel Popcorn Cake
- Homemade Caramels
- Chocolate Caramel Apples
- Caramel Apple Nachos
- Better Than Caramel Popcorn
- Cinnamon Caramel Apple Dip
- Caramel Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn
- Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Caramel Turtle Pie
- Chocolate Caramels
- Caramel Banana Nut Bread
- Salted Caramel Bars
These oatmeal caramelitas are delicious gooey bars of layered cookie dessert. With chocolate, caramel, and oats in every bite, it’s a treat you simply can’t beat!
Oatmeal Caramelitas are an incredible oatmeal chocolate dessert bar with caramel! Layers of oats, brown sugar, butter and chocolate chips with a delightful layer of gooey caramel baked inside.
Kari Lindsay says
These look so butter, caramelly and chocolaty, yum! And since there's oatmeal I can eat without remorse!
Vanessa @ Our Thrifty Ideas says
Yum!!!!!!!!!!
Brie @ Darling Doodles says
Yum, yum, yum! I think I am in trouble. I found your blog through the link party at Delightful Order and I can't stop looking around at your delicious recipes. Can't wait to try them out!
Ruthie Armstrong says
Holy Moly… these look delightful 🙂 Thanks so much for coming to my link-up party yesterday, I hope you’ll come back again next week! xoxo~ Ruthie
Jeanne says
I’ve been make ng these for years just slightly different than your recipe but haven’t made them for awhile. Just made them from memory & forgot you need to bake just crust for 10 min. In the oven now & don’t know what to do-put the whole thing in at once! Help!
Nellie says
Oh no! Hopefully they turned out for you! Even if they are a bit more gooey than normal, they are probably still delicious!