Full of oats, chocolate, and caramel, this Carmelita Recipe is easy, tasty, and absolutely addictive. It’s the perfect dessert to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Layered Carmelita Recipe on wooden board showing layers

If you are a sweets lover like me, then you will absolutely fall in love with this Carmelita Recipe. The layers in these bars are absolute heave.

You have oats, chocolate and caramel in one and that is one of my favorite flavor combinations which makes these bars one of my all-time favorites.

I love that they are also super easy to make. I absolutely love easy recipes as I’m sure the majority of people do, especially when it comes to desserets.

The only downfall to this recipe is waiting for them to set up, but trust me it is absolutely worth the wait. You get this gooey chocolatey caramel dessert in return.

Trust me I hate waiting for things to set up just like the next guy, but I always try to remind myself that their is gold at the end of the rainbow.

And that gold my friends is this addictive Carmelita Recipe, with one bite you will be forever hooked. At least I am!

Baked bars cut into squares on parchment paper

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Delicious layers give a nice flavor and texture contrast.
You can double this recipe for a larger pan.
They set up nicely and are a great bring along dessert for parties!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:

Salted butter
Brown sugar
Vanilla extract
All-purpose flour
Rolled oats or old fashioned oats
Baking soda
Salt
Caramel squares
Heavy cream
Semi-sweet chocolate chips

HOW TO MAKE THIS CARMELITA RECIPE:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line and grease an 8X8 inch baking pan. (I use parchment paper because the caramel mixture is very sticky and can make the squares very difficult to remove.)
Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Once this is melted, whisk in the brown sugar and vanilla.
Stir in the flour, oats, baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon salt. I like to use a pastry cutter to crumble it together well.
Press about half of this mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake this for 10 minutes.
While this is baking, prepare the filling. Place the caramels, cream, and ¼ teaspoon salt into a large microwave-safe bowl. Stir them together. Heat on high power for 1 minute. Stir again. Heat again for 1 minute and stir until the mixture is smooth. (Only heat as needed to get the mixture smooth.)
When the crust is finished baking, evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips over it.
Then pour the caramel sauce over the chocolate layer.
Next, cover this with the remaining crust mixture. (Use your hand to sprinkle it on and then just tap it down lightly.)
Place the baking pan back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove the pan to a wire rack and then allow to cool completely before slicing. (The caramel will all run out if you try to slice the bars while hot.) If you leave them at room temperature, you will probably have to allow them to set overnight. Or you may place the baking pan in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Step by step photos on how to make a Carmelita Recipe

Carmelita Recipe stacked 3 high with coffee in background

CAN I USE INSTANT OR QUICK COOKING OATS?

I find that the texture is so much nicer if you use rolled or old fashioned oats, if you are in a pinch you can but they will not have the same texture as the bars shown.

WILL JARRED CARAMEL SAUCE WORK?

Caramel sauce from a jar is usually too thin. But if you are able to find a really thick pre-made sauce, it should work. Melting the caramels with the heavy cream really is super easy as well.

CAN I MIX IN SOME ADD-INS?

Absolutely, we love playing around with this Carmelita Recipe! If you’d like to make it more of a salted caramel flavor, feel free to add more salt to the caramel layer (another ¼ teaspoon should be plenty). Another nice addition would be coconut or chopped pecans in the flour mixture.

HOW DO I STORE?

These should be stored in an airtight container where they will last for up to a week at room temperature. Or you may freeze them by placing in a freezer bag or container for up to 4 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before serving.

EXPERT TIPS AND TRICKS:

Rolled or old fashioned oats are best for this recipe.
If you want to switch up the chocolate flavor you can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips.
You can swap out granulated sugar for the brown sugar, but it won’t taste as caramely as we are going for.
Prepare ahead of time since these do need to chill for at least 3 hours.
Double this recipe and bake in a 9″x 13″ pan.

Hand holding one bar with bite taken out.

If you are looking for that perfect chocolate, oat and caramel dessert, you have come to the right place. You have to give this Carmelita Recipe a try!

If you’ve tried this CARMELITA RECIPE or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how they turned out. We love hearing from you! You can also follow along with me on FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM to see more colorful recipes!