Carmelitas -- delicious bar cookies with caramel, chocolate, and a crumbly, oat-y crust and topping
The Occasion: Tis the holiday season and everywhere you look there’s a bake sale at church or a cookie exchange or an office potluck. Sign up for dessert and bring a batch of these. You’ll be very popular, guaranteed.
Why This Recipe: We hosted our annual holiday open house last weekend and Make Ahead was our strategy for addressing most of the sweets table. Bar cookies hold up well to a few weeks/months in the freezer, and this is an especially nice version because it’s got chocolate AND caramel in there underneath a crumbly baked topping. Yum!
Why This Recipe: We hosted our annual holiday open house last weekend and Make Ahead was our strategy for addressing most of the sweets table. Bar cookies hold up well to a few weeks/months in the freezer, and this is an especially nice version because it’s got chocolate AND caramel in there underneath a crumbly baked topping. Yum!
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The Playlist: Because Rosalita sounds like Carmelita. And it’s always a good time for Bruuuuuuuce!
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The Verdict: Party guests raved about the Carmelitas and the hostesses are pretty pleased too. There are a lot of flavors and textures going on in these tasty bars – and all without nuts which can be helpful when baking for a group and taking care about food allergies.
This is easy but not fast. Read the whole recipe before getting started. Each layer needs time to cook and cool before adding the next one. Quite do-able, but don't make the same mistake we did by starting late in the day.
Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
This is easy but not fast. Read the whole recipe before getting started. Each layer needs time to cook and cool before adding the next one. Quite do-able, but don't make the same mistake we did by starting late in the day.
Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
| Printable Recipe- Carmelitas |
Carmelitas
Recipe source: Lulu The Baker
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
*A stint in the fridge will help them cool off if you’re pinched for time. They shouldn’t be served cold, but all of that molten caramel takes a long time to cool down. They should be stored and served at room temperature.
**To make a 9×13″ version, simply double the amounts.
***If you want to use homemade or store-bought caramel sauce in place of the caramel/cream mixture, use 1 1/4 cups of sauce.
Recipe source: Lulu The Baker
INGREDIENTS:
- 32 caramel squares, unwrapped (9 oz)
- 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
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8×8″ pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel.
- Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.
*A stint in the fridge will help them cool off if you’re pinched for time. They shouldn’t be served cold, but all of that molten caramel takes a long time to cool down. They should be stored and served at room temperature.
**To make a 9×13″ version, simply double the amounts.
***If you want to use homemade or store-bought caramel sauce in place of the caramel/cream mixture, use 1 1/4 cups of sauce.
Let's get a close-up look at this decadent treat -- caramel, and chocolate, and crumbly bits -- oh my!
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