Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Carmelitas

March 04, 2014

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Carmelitas

I came across this recipe for Oatmeal Carmelitas in my mom's old Pillsbury Complete Cookbook. I recently made these for the first time and they have quickly become one of my family's favorites (especially my mom). These bars are perfectly buttery and chocolately and are really rich! I have slightly adapted this recipe for you below! I hope that you enjoy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Carmelitas

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: about 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy Yields: about 20 bars

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 1/2 light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

Filling:

1 (12.5 ounce) jar caramel ice cream topping
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (11.5 ounce) package Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Preparation Instructions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Generously spray a 13x9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine all of the crust ingredients. Mix on low speed until crumbly (about 2 to 3 minutes). Reserve 2 1/2 cups of crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture in bottom of greased pan. Bake at 350°F. for 10 minutes.

While the crust is baking, combine the caramel topping and 3 tablespoons flour in a small bowl until well mixed.

Remove partially baked crust from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chunks. Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture and cover with reserved crumb mixture.

Return pan to oven and bake an additional 18 to 22 minutes (or until golden brown). Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until filling is set. Cut into bars.