Description
Soft & Chewy Carmelitas are rich, buttery dessert bars layered with chewy oats, gooey caramel, and melty chocolate in every bite. This easy dessert recipe is perfect for bake sales, holiday trays, party food ideas, after-dinner treats, and cozy weekend baking when you want a simple homemade sweet that feels extra special.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
11 ounces soft caramels, unwrapped
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the sides.
2. In a large bowl, mix the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt until combined.
3. Pour in the melted butter and stir until the mixture becomes evenly moistened and crumbly.
4. Press a little more than half of the oat mixture firmly into the prepared pan to form the crust.
5. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges.
6. While the crust bakes, melt the caramels and heavy cream in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth.
7. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the warm crust.
8. Pour the melted caramel over the chocolate chips and gently spread it into an even layer.
9. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the caramel layer.
10. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the topping is golden and the caramel bubbles slightly at the edges.
11. Cool completely in the pan, then chill for cleaner slices before cutting into bars.
Notes
For the cleanest slices, let the bars cool completely and chill them for 30 minutes before cutting.
Use soft wrapped caramels instead of thin caramel sauce so the filling sets properly.
A small sprinkle of flaky sea salt balances the sweetness and gives the bars a bakery-style finish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 24g
- Sodium: 175mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 39g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 32mg
Keywords: Soft & Chewy Carmelitas, carmelitas, caramel oat bars, chewy dessert bars, easy dessert recipe, chocolate caramel bars, oat crumble bars, party dessert ideas