Carmelitas Dessert Bars
Carmelitas Dessert Bars are buttery, chewy oatmeal layers stuffed with thick, melty caramel and chocolate chips inside. SO rich and decadent!
Carmelitas are decadent buttery oatmeal bars filled with caramel and chocolate chips. They are simple to make and don’t take long to bake. Don’t let their simplicity fool you because they taste amazing!!
From what I’ve read, these delicious bars originated from a lady named Erlyce Larson from Kennedy, Minnesota. She won the Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1967 with these Carmelitas bars. I can definitely see why she won!
You do not want to miss this recipe! Scroll down for more.
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour
- quick-cooking rolled oats
- brown sugar
- baking soda
- salt
- butter, melted
- caramel bits or caramel squares
- heavy cream
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. (I butter the dish before adding the parchment so the parchment will stick.)
Step 2. Add caramel bits and heavy cream to a large glass measuring cup or a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave bits for 1 minute. Stir. Then microwave for another minute and stir until completely melted and smooth. Set aside.
Step 3: Add flour, quick oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Step 4: Melt butter in a medium-sized glass measuring cup or a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments until completely melted.
Step 5. Pour melted butter into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.
Step 6. Mix melted butter with dry ingredients until completely combined.
Step 7. Pat half of the crumb mixture into the baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes.
Step 8. Remove the baking dish from the oven after 10 minutes.
Step 9. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the baked crumb bottom.
Step 10. Pour melted caramel evenly over the chocolate chips.
Step 11. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the top of the caramel and chocolate chips.
Step 12. Return the baking dish to the oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes.
Step 13. Once the carmelitas are lightly browned, remove from the oven and let them cool completely. (I don’t recommend cooling the bars in the refrigerator because they will be too hard to slice.)
Step 14. Once the carmelitas are completely cooled, slice into 12 bars with a sharp knife.
Hint: I would not cool bars in the refrigerator because I find that it makes it harder to cut them.
Variations
- Different flavor chips – if you would like to change up the semi-sweet chocolate chips to milk chocolate or add white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips, that would also work well too. I would not add more than 1 cup of chips though.
- Double the recipe – this recipe can be doubled if you’re wanting to feed a crowd. You would just use a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or pan.
Equipment
- 8 x 8-inch baking dish or pan
- medium-sized mixing bowl
- medium and large glass measuring cups or medium and large size microwave-safe bowls
- large, sharp knife
- parchment paper
Storage
Store carmelitas covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Carmelitas can be wrapped in an airtight freezer bag or container and frozen for up to 3 months.
Top tip
Make sure to cool the bars completely. If you try to slice the bars before they have cooled, you will have a melty mess. I recommend letting them cool overnight or for at least 4 hours.
Related
Looking for other dessert recipes? Try these:
Carmelitas Dessert Bars
- 8 x 8-inch baking dish or pan
- 1 medium-sized mixing bowl to mix the dry ingredients
- 1 medium-sized glass measuring cup or medium-sized microwave-safe bowl to melt the butter
- 1 large-sized glass measuring cup or medium-sized microwave-safe bowl to melt the caramel
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (89g) quick-cooking rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (159g) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (169g) butter melted
- 11 ounces (311g) caramel bits or caramel squares
- 1/2 cup (113g) heavy cream
- 1 cup (170g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. (I butter the dish before adding the parchment so the parchment will stick.)
- Add caramel bits and heavy cream to a large glass measuring cup or a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave bits for 1 minute. Stir. Then microwave for another minute and stir until completely melted and smooth. Set aside.
- Add flour, quick oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Melt butter in a medium-sized glass measuring cup or a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments until completely melted.
- Pour melted butter into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Mix melted butter with dry ingredients until completely combined.
- Pat half of the crumb mixture into the baking dish.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over the baked crumb bottom.
- Pour the melted caramel evenly over the chocolate chips.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the top of the caramel and chocolate chips.
- Return the baking dish to the oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes.Once the carmelitas are lightly browned, remove from the oven and let cool completely. (I don't recommend cooling the bars in the refrigerator because they will be too hard to slice.)
- Once the carmelitas are completely cooled, slice into 12 bars with a sharp knife.
I have been wanting to try Carmelitas for SO long. I’m finally in the club! They are delicious and did not disappoint. Please let me know if you make them and love them too by leaving me a comment below.
Sweet regards,
Michele
Recipe originated from 1967 Pillsbury Bake-Off by Erlyce Larson
