by Alyssa RiversThis website may contain affiliate links and advertising so that we can provide recipes to you. Read my privacy policy.
Carmelitas are the best cookies known to man that are baked with caramel and chocolate in the middle of an oat cookie crust, these will change your life. This is known as the best cookie ever!
Quick and easy to make cookie bars are delicious and gone in minutes! If you love making cookie bars these are my favorites:Â Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars, Peanut Butter Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars or Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.
Easy Carmelitas Recipe
Have you tried a Carmelita yet?! It is one of the best cookie bars that I have eaten. The carmel combined with the chocolate baked inside an amazing oatmeal cookie crust. My mind was blown. Oh man. The soft gooey carmel was awesome! I immediately made these Carmelitas and again the next day! Carmelitas don’t last long at in our home. They are that irrestiable!
For those of you that have not experienced a Carmelita yet. (Gasp!) Â Here is my advice. Go to the store, buy the ingredients, and make them today. Oh and buy a gallon of milk. You will need that too! These are known as the best cookie bar recipe ever for a reason. They truly are! When I had my first bite today all of the memories of falling in love with them came back to me! You won’t even care about all of the calories at the time. You can go to the gym later. These Carmelites will be worth every bite!
Carmelitas Ingredients:
- Caramel: Buy the squares that are wrapped and unwrap them before melting.
- Heavy cream: Makes the caramel sauce rich and creamy.
- Butter: Melt the butter before adding it in to the
- Brown sugar: Pack your brown sugar as tight as you can. Remember these calories are worth it!!
- Flour: This will help the rolled oats
- Rolled oats:Â Best to have rolled oats over quick oats.
- Baking soda: Helps raise the crust.
- Semisweet chocolate chips: It is best to balance the semisweet since the caramel is so sweet itself too.
How to make Carmelitas:
- Prepare pan and unwrap caramel: Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8×8 pan or you can line with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easier removal. The caramel can get sticky. (can also be made in a 9×13 just double the ingredients)
- Mix together caramel filling:Â In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar. Add flour, oats, and baking soda. Mix until combined.
- Make then bake the crust:Â Divide the cookie mixture in half and pat half of the mix into the bottom of the 8×8 pan. Bake for 10 minutes and remove.
- Combine caramels:Â While baking, combine the caramels and heavy cream and stir until completely smooth. Can also be melted in the microwave, just stir after every 30 seconds being careful not to let it burn.
- Layer the caramel and chocolate chips: Remove pan from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the crust. Pour caramel mixture over the chocolate chips and crumble remaining cookie dough on top.
- Bake again:Â Return to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are lightly brown.
- Let cool before cutting:Â Once removed from oven allow them to completely cool and the caramel to set up. The caramel is like molten caramel right out of the oven and you want to let it cool. You can speed up the cooling process by putting it in the fridge if needed.
The Recipe Critic Pro Tip:
Add a pinch of salt to the rolled oat dough to balance out and make a sweet and salty mixture for the crust.Â
Tips for making Carmelitas:
These Carmelitas are so simple to make and taste amazingly good! It is AMAZING what these simple ingredients can make. Combined this is a one of a kind, melt in your mouth Carmelitas recipe that is worth every calorie!
- Caramel:Â A Good quality caramel is best for these Carmelitas. I prefer Worthier’s and the kind that you unwrap is best. It is a soft caramel and worth it when making Carmelitas.
- Thinner crust:Â For a thiner side crust you can use a 9×9 baking pan. You do not need to double the recipe or add ingredients to the bigger pan.
- Chocolate chips:Â Milk chocolate chips will work great. If that is too sweet, simply use the semi sweet or dark chocolate chips.
- Parchment paper:Â This will save you so much time cleaning up as well as making it easier to bake the Carmelitas. Parchment paper is easy to pull out and have a clean pan afterwards.
- Cool completely: It is best to have the Carmelitas cool completely before cutting them into squares. They are easier to cut into once they are set up or even chilled.
- Rolled oats or quick oats: Rolled oats are thicker compared to quick oats that are fine and seem to thicken the crumble. Quick oats stick together better like a dough. They are both good because they have great texture. Either way both oats are great for this Carmelitas recipe.
Storing Carmelitas:
I am not really sure who has stored Carmelitas for very long. Every time we make them they are gone before I can move my hand away from the plate. They are that good. The ooey-gooey masterpiece is just what is calling your name. Every bite is melt in your mouth worthy!
- How to store Carmelitas:Â Once cooled the Carmelitas can be stored in an airtight container in a cool space for 5 to 7 days. If you like a chilled Carmelita, they can be stored in the refrigerator for 7 to 9 days.
- Stacking Carmelitas: It is best to leave them flat but if you need to layer the camelitas for best storing. Freeze the cookie bars, then place in a ziplock bag or airtight container layering the Carmelitas with parchment paper in-between each layer/row. Store either in the refrigerator or counter at room temperature.
- Can you freeze Carmelites Yes! These Carmelitas bars do well frozen. Simply layer them and add them to an airtight container or ziplock bag to freeze for up to 1 month.
More Delicious Caramel Desserts:
- Salted Caramel Brownie Bites
- Caramel Toffee Apple Cake
- No Bake Banana Caramel Pecan Pie
- Individual Snickers Caramel Apple CheesecakeÂ
- Salted Caramel Brownies
Carmelitas
Ingredients
- 32 caramel squares unwrapped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup butter melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 pan or you can line with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easier removal. The caramel can get sticky. (can also be made in a 9x13 just double the ingredients)
- In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar. Add flour, oats, and baking soda. Mix until combined.
- Divide the cookie mixture in half and pat half of the mix into the bottom of the 8x8 pan. Bake for 10 minutes and remove.
- While baking, combine the caramels and heavy cream and stir until completely smooth. Can also be melted in the microwave, just stir after every 30 seconds being careful not to let it burn.
- Remove pan from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the crust. Pour caramel mixture over the chocolate chips and crumble remaining cookie dough on top.
- Return to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are lightly brown.
- Once removed from oven allow them to completely cool and the caramel to set up. The caramel is like molten caramel right out of the oven and you want to let it cool. You can speed up the cooling process by putting it in the fridge if needed.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Serves: 8
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
My Problem is that i am sensitive to manufactured candy unless I can control the ingredients. In this recipe, I could not use the ready made Carmel’s. Would you let me know how many cups of carmel I might need for this recipe. I would need to make the carmel from scratch. I would like to make this recipe but need to do everything from scratch.
It’s about a cup and a half of carmel!
Can you freeze?
Yes! These Carmelitas bars do well frozen. Simply layer them and add them to an airtight container or ziplock bag to freeze for up to 1 month.
I doubled, but I think I should not have doubled the butter. It looked to me that was to wet. It took longer too cook and started to look very brown. We will see what the end result looks like. I’m sure it will taste great. I’m used a 9×13 pan. Butter and brown sugar cannot go wrong! Lol
Did the same. Don’t double recipe. I did a 9×13 it was still good do I did 5 mins at a time after and it was browning a dark color so I putt it in the fridge for 3 hours.
Absolutely delicious!
delicious when served with vanilla icecream
this is so decadent and delicious i made a double batch and they were all gone really nice served with vanilla ice cream especially when they are a little warm
Just tried my first carmelita yesterday. Mind blown!!!
YAY!! That is awesome to hear! I am so glad that you tried it and loved it!! Thank you so much for sharing! XOXO
Carmelita bars were simple to make and are absolutely delicious! I doubt they will be around for long!
They usually don’t last long at our house. Good luck;)! Thanks so much for sharing! XOXO
I have made these for years and are always a hit. Every time that I’ve brought to a party, I am always, always, asked for the recipe. Mine however, inlcudes 1/2 cup chopped pecans which really makes it.
MMM! The pecans sound great and what a great touch you have! I am so glad that everyone loves them! Thanks so much for following along with me! XOXO
My daughter made these Carmelita’s tonight as the recipe indicated and butter was just dripping from the bottom of the bars. She used old fashioned oats. Should she have used quick oats? I have a similar recipe and it calls for 1 cup butter for a 13x 9 pan.
Quick oats are better but it shouldn’t have made a huge difference. It may be able to soak up more of the butter. I am sad it didn’t work out for her. I hope she can find another recipe that works better for her. XOXO
I just took it out of the oven and the cookie topping seems like it needed more butter. It’s still really dry – almost dusty. I’m swirling the caramel now to try to dampen it. Is it the butter measurement that needs to be increased?
No these turn out perfect for me, I even made them for a church function on Friday. They should just feel like a cookie. How were they when you let them cool and cut into them? Maybe they were over baked or an ingredient was missed? Sorry they didn’t turn out. These are the BEST.
Thank you, Alyssa for sharing this wonderful and easy-to-make recipe!
I made it for a cookie exchange at work and two people ate theirs early to rave reviews. One person works in an Italian family bakery and took them back to share with coffee. After her brother ate one, he called up and wanted to know where she got them. She will be making them for the family dinner.
I’m bringing these for Christmas dinner and giving them away in my NYE loot bag. A sweet ending to 2015 and hopes for a sweet 2016.
i made these but the recipe is incomplete. It doesn’t tell you when to add chocolate chips so I added them last. I also didn’t have enough cookie mixture to add to top, it clumped up and I just spread it around as best I could. Who knows how these will turn out, in oven now
Same here