THE Carmelita Bars

I started making these after a request from a friend for carmelita bars. I have to admit - at first I had no idea what they were. But they have become a baking staple/crowd favorite. My friends LOVE them :)  They are super easy and require few ingredients.

Ingredients:
Two Sticks of Butter
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cup of All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 Cup of Whole Old Fashion Oats
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
Pinch of salt
 35 Caramel Squares
1/2 Cup of Heavy Cream
1 Cup of Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Cooking Instructions:
1. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

2. I use a casserole dish - i think its an 8x12. You can either just spray it the pan with Pam or you can put down aluminum foil. That way the bars will easily pop out of the pan. The caramel and chocolate can make things messy.

3. Start by melting the butter. I usually cut the butter into chunks and then melt it for 30 seconds or so.

4. Add the brown sugar and vanilla into the bowl with the butter and whisk till all ingredients are incorporated.

5. Then add the flour, oats, pinch of salt, and baking soda. This will create a dough like consistency. The dough should be able to hold everything (i.e. oats) together.

6. Once the dough is ready, place half of the dough in the pan. press the dough down all around the pan - until there is a thin layer across the whole pan.



7. Place the pan in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until the edges of the dough are brown.

8. While the dough is cooking, work on creating your caramel. In a bowl, microwave the caramels in 60 second increments. Make sure to mix in between 60 second cycles. It should take about 4 minutes for the caramels to fully melt. Then add the heavy cream. This caramel sauce can also be made in a pan on medium heat while continuously stirring.

9. Once the dough is brown on the edges. Add the caramel sauce and chocolate chips. It is up to you how much of each you would like to add.

NOTE: you could also add butterscotch chips.

10. After adding the caramel and chocolate chips, sprinkle the remaining dough on top of the bars. There is no real art to this - just try to cover the entire surface.

11. Then place the bars back in the oven for about 15 to 18 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Sometimes you can see the caramel bubbling up through the crust.

12. Once the bars are done cooking. Let them cool for a few hours and then ENJOY :)

TRUST ME everyone will love these!




NOTE: This recipe was inspired by Averie Cooks