Gooey Caramelitas are an epic decadent cookie bar featuring a melty, sticky chocolate and caramel filling inside a buttery, slightly crispy oatmeal base. They're easy to make with just a few pantry ingredients, and you're sure to fall in love with these irresistible treats.
Caramelitas
Caramelitas are a decadent chocolate and caramel cookie bar, featuring a buttery, crumbly oatmeal base and a gooey, melty chocolate and caramel filling. They are intensely rich and gooey and satisfying for chocolate and caramel lovers alike.
Caramelitas are surprisingly easy to make with just a few basic ingredients that will yield a seriously impressive dessert.
I only recently heard of these decadent bars, and am left wondering how I missed out for so long in my life.
What's in Caramelitas?
Caramelitas are made from a crumbly oatmeal bar made with flour, sugar, oats, and butter with a chocolate and caramel filling.
Are Caramelitas a Mexican Dessert?
Caramelitas sound like a Mexican name, but they're not a Mexican dessert. Their origin seems to be American somewhere between the 1960's to '80's.
Sometimes the ingredients differ a bit including using a jar of caramel topping instead of melted caramels. But the basic idea is always similar with oat bars filled with chocolate and caramel.
And in the end, it doesn't matter if we can't figure out where they came from, because we know where they're going to go. In our belly. 😆👌
What Kind of Oats Should I Use?
The three main types of oats you can find at most grocery stores are quick, steel cut, and rolled.
Quick oats are finely crushed and cut oats that will cook quickly due to their extensive processing.
Steel cut oats are the type I see probably the least, and they are close to the way oats look while grown, which is actually more like a rice grain.
Rolled oats are what most people are familiar with, which is basically the oat grain which has been rolled or flattened into a thin oval shape. Rolled oats are the type that we will use for caramelitas.
Using rolled oats in caramelitas will have a better, firmer texture than the quick oats but will cook fast enough that they won't be overly crunchy or hurt your teeth, like the steel cut might (think under-cooked rice).
Caramelitas Recipe Variations
- Chocolate - You can use white chocolate or milk chocolate or any variation of chips that you'd like, such as cinnamon or peanut butter.
- Cinnamon-Sugar - add a little cinnamon into the oat mixture or top with some cinnamon sugar.
More Caramel Recipes You'll Love
- Caramel Brownies - fudgy brownies with gooey caramel in the center.
- Caramel Frosting - a magnificent frosting to adorn your favorite cupcakes that tastes just like a fluffy frosting version of rich decadent caramel.
- Microwave Caramels - who knew making homemade caramels could be as easy as a couple of ingredients in the microwave?!
- Snickers Caramel Apple Salad - fresh tart apples with candy bar pieces and caramel make a dessert salad that will be the star of show!
- Pull Apart Caramel Coffee Cake - a monkey bread that features homemade caramel that crystallizes between the layers while baking (no saucepan required! The caramel makes itself right in the oven!
Caramelitas Video
Caramelitas
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Filling
- 35 soft caramels
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1½ cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9"x9" metal baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, combine melted butter and vanilla extract, stirring until combined.
- Add butter mixture to flour mixture. Stir until combined and mixture is dough-like.
- Press half of the flour mixture into the bottom of the prepared dish. Bake for 8-10 minutes until just lightly golden.
- Meanwhile, add caramels and cream to a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir until caramels are melted and combined with cream.
- When your first layer is done baking, sprinkle chocolate chips onto baked layer.
- Pour melted caramel over chocolate layer.
- Top with remaining flour mixture. Spread evenly. Leave it crumbly instead of pressing it flat like the first layer.
- Bake for an additional 18-20 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely, at least 1 to 2 hours, before removing from the pan, cutting, and serving.
Notes
- Caramels - You can use an 11-ounce bag of caramel bits. They come unwrapped for easier melting and handling.
- Allow to cool to room temperature before cutting and serving or you will have melty gooey mess on your hands (still delicious, but it will have no structure and fall apart).
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezer Directions: Allow to cool to room temperature. Cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 to 6 months. Thaw overnight on the counter before serving.
Nutrition
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