Carmelitas: The Ultimate Gooey Oatmeal Caramel Bars

Carmelitas

You know those caramel bars where the gooey center just squirts out when you bite in, and you end up needing more napkins than you expected? That is exactly what you get with Carmelitas.

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These soft, chewy layered bars are packed with caramel and chocolate, and the best part is they come together in one bowl with no mixer required. If you love desserts that are indulgent, messy, and totally worth it, these bars are for you.

The Best Carmelitas Recipe

These oatmeal caramel bars have a rich, creamy, buttery caramel center that oozes when bitten. Think of a soft oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with a streusel crumble topping and an abundance of melted caramel.

I have made a lot of dessert bars over the years, and this recipe is the one that gets the most requests from my family and friends.

The recipe is a no mixer layered bar adapted from an early 2012 Caramel and Chocolate Gooey Bars recipe. I increased the flour and decreased the oats slightly so the bars hold together better.

Even after they are fully cooled, the bars stay soft, gooey, and messy with intense caramel flavor. That is because the butter and brown sugar in the crust and topping mixture caramelize during baking, adding even more caramel goodness.

Now, a fair warning: these bars are both very sweet and very rich. If you are someone who does not enjoy desserts that are too sweet or too rich, you might want to skip this one.

But if you are a serious caramel lover, you are in for a treat. A pinch of salt can balance the sweetness beautifully.

You can add salt to the crust and topping mixture, or to the caramel sauce, or both, to create a salted caramel sauce. The semi sweet chocolate balances the sweet caramel, and the oats add a light texture and chewiness to the buttery soft bars.

I like to use a combination of chocolate chips and chunks for pockets of melted chocolate in every bite.

What’s in Carmelitas?

Carmelita bars are easy to make and use just a handful of ingredients. Here is what you need:

Amounts and more complete directions are in the recipe card below. But trust me, you probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry right now!

How to Make Carmelitas

Making these bars is a simple process. The crust and topping share one buttery mixture of brown sugar, vanilla, oatmeal, and flour.

Half of it gets pressed into the pan and baked for 10 minutes as the crust, and the other half is crumbled over the top.

The filling is caramels and heavy cream melted together, and you can melt them in the microwave or on the stovetop. Let me walk you through it step by step.

1. Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line an 8×8 inch pan with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. Lining your pan is highly recommended for ease of cleanup because the caramel is super sticky. Set the pan aside.
2. Melt the butter. In a large microwave safe mixing bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 90 seconds.
3. Add sugar and vanilla. Add the brown sugar and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
4. Make the thick mixture. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and optional pinch of salt. Stir until combined. The mixture will be quite thick.
5. Press the crust. Add half of the mixture to the prepared pan (just eyeball it), and smooth it with a spatula or the back of a spoon to create an even, smooth, flat layer. Set the remainder aside.
6. Bake the crust. Bake for 10 minutes. While it bakes, make the caramel sauce.
7. Make the caramel sauce. In a large microwave safe mixing bowl, combine the caramels, cream, and salt. Heat on high power in 60 second bursts to melt the caramels, stirring after each burst. It will likely take about 4 to 5 minutes total to melt. Heat until the mixture can be stirred smooth. Alternatively, combine the caramels and cream in a medium saucepan, and heat over medium low heat to melt, stirring nearly continuously, until the mixture can be stirred smooth.
8. Add chocolate. After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and evenly sprinkle the chocolate over the crust.
9. Pour caramel. Slowly and evenly pour the caramel sauce over the chocolate.
10. Crumble topping. Evenly crumble the reserved oatmeal brown sugar mixture over the top.
11. Bake again. Return the pan to the oven and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes. I baked mine for 16 1/2 minutes. You want the edges lightly browned and the center bubbling slightly.
12. Cool completely. Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving, giving the molten caramel time to firm up. This can take up to 4 hours, or overnight, at room temperature. You can speed it up by placing the pan in the fridge with a sheet of foil over the top to prevent fridge smells. If you do not wait for the bars to cool completely, they will be a literal hot mess. They will taste fine, but they will not slice neatly with clean cuts.

What Kind of Caramels Should I Buy?

I use and recommend Werther’s Soft Caramels. They are excellent for baking, and the wax paper wrapper slides off easily, which makes unwrapping more than 30 caramels quick and painless.

If you cannot find Werther’s, Kraft baking caramels are a good substitute, though the squares are usually individually wrapped. Unwrapped Kraft caramel bits are another option that saves even more time.

In general, choose an old fashioned style caramel that is square, soft, and chewy rather than hard. Hard caramels will not melt into that gooey filling we are after.

Can I Use Caramel Sauce Instead?

I have not tried jarred caramel sauce in this recipe, so I cannot say for sure. However, I think a thick, higher quality jarred caramel sauce would likely work fine. If you are not using melted caramels with cream, that would be my first choice.

Just make sure it is thick, not a thin syrup, so it sets up properly in the bars.

Can I Use Instant Oats Instead of Rolled?

No, you cannot use instant oats in this recipe. Old fashioned oats, also called rolled oats, must be used. Instant or quick cooking oats are too powdery and will not give the right consistency. They would make the bars mushy instead of chewy. So stick with whole rolled old fashioned oats for the best texture.

Can I Double This Recipe?

Yes, you can double this recipe easily. Just double all the ingredients and bake in a 9×13 inch pan.

You may need to adjust the baking time slightly, but start with the same times and check for doneness. The edges should be lightly browned and the center bubbling. Doubling is great for parties or holiday gatherings.

How to Store Carmelita Bars

Store your carmelita bars in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for up to 1 week. If you stack them, place a piece of parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking. They stay soft and gooey, and honestly, they taste even better the next day.

Can I Freeze Carmelita Bars?

Absolutely! You can freeze carmelita bars for up to 4 months.

Wrap them individually or place them in a freezer safe container with parchment paper between layers. To thaw, just leave them on the counter overnight. They will be ready to enjoy the next day.

Tips for Making Carmelita Bars

Let the bars cool completely before cutting them. This is the most important tip. Cooling can take up to 4 hours at room temperature, or you can leave them overnight.

I know it is tempting to dig in right away, but if you slice too early, you will have molten caramel and melted chocolate everywhere. They still taste amazing, but you will not get clean, intact cuts.

I like to make these bars in the evening and let them cool overnight. By morning, they are set but still gooey and drippy in the best way. Chilling the pan in the fridge speeds up the cooling process.

Just cover the pan with foil to prevent fridge smells from getting into the bars. Another tip: these bars taste better the next day after the flavors have married and the caramel and chocolate have soaked into the oats. So if you can wait, you will be rewarded.

Quick tip: Line your pan with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. The caramel is sticky, and this makes cleanup a breeze.

What Readers Are Saying

This carmelitas recipe has ranked among the top desserts on my site for years, and readers have left countless five star reviews. Fans love the gooey caramel center, the buttery oat crust, and the fact that they are so easy to make.

Many readers say they bring these bars to potlucks, bake sales, and holiday parties, and they always come home with an empty pan and requests for the recipe.

One reader even told me she makes a double batch and freezes half so she always has a treat on hand. If you make these bars, I would love to hear what you think.

Leave a comment and let me know how they turned out for you!

FAQs

Carmelitas

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• Total Time: 280 min
• Yield: 16 1x

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Description

Carmelitas You know those caramel bars where the gooey center just squirts out when you bite in, and you end up needing more napkins than you expected? That is exactly what you get with Carmelitas.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

¾ cup butter, melted (1 1/2 stick; I use unsalted butter but salted may be used)
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-rolled old fashioned oats, not instant or quick cook
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
35 caramel squares, unwrapped (I used Werther’s Originals Soft Caramels which are slightly bigger than cellophane-wrapped caramels; if using those, I recommend using a couple more)
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks, I used a combo

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Instructions

1-Preheat oven to 350F: Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Lining your pan is highly recommended for ease of cleanup due to the stickiness of the caramel; set pan aside.
2-In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, add: In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 90 seconds.
3-Add the brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk: Add the brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
4-Add the flour, oats, baking soda, optional: Add the flour, oats, baking soda, optional pinch salt, and stir until combined. Mixture will be quite thick.
5-Add half of the mixture to the: Add half of the mixture to the prepared pan (just eyeball it), and smooth it with spatula or the back of a spoon, to create an even, smooth, flat layer; set remainder aside.
6-Bake for 10 minutes: Bake for 10 minutes. While it bakes, make the caramel sauce.
7-In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, combine: In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, combine the caramels* (see Notes below for caramel options), cream, salt, and heat on high power in 60-second bursts to melt caramels, stirring after each burst. It will likely take about 4 to 5 minutes total to melt; heat until mixture can be stirred smooth. Alternatively, combine caramels and cream in a medium saucepan, and heat over medium-low heat to melt, stirring nearly continuously, until mixture can be stirred smooth.
8-After 10 minutes, remove pan from the: After 10 minutes, remove pan from the oven and evenly sprinkle with the chocolate.
9-Slowly and evenly pour caramel sauce over: Slowly and evenly pour caramel sauce over the chocolate.
10-Evenly crumble reserved oatmeal-brown sugar mixture over: Evenly crumble reserved oatmeal-brown sugar mixture over the top.
11-Return pan to oven and bake for: Return pan to oven and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes (I baked 16 1/2), or until edges are lightly browned and center is bubbling slightly.
12-Allow bars to cool completely in the: Allow bars to cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving, giving the molten caramel time to firm up. This can take up to 4 hours, or overnight, at room temperature. You can speed it up by placing pan in fridge with a sheet of foil over the top to prevent fridge smells. If you don’t wait for bars to cool completely, they’ll be a literal hot mess. They’ll taste fine (don’t burn yourself), but they won’t slice neatly with clean cuts.

• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 25 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 339cal
• Sugar: 29g
• Sodium: 270mg
• Fat: 18g
• Saturated Fat: 10g
• Carbohydrates: 43g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 3g
• Cholesterol: 33mg

Keywords: Carmelitas