These oatmeal caramelita bars are an easy, from-scratch dessert that’s just a little different. They’re a simple crumbly bar of oats and brown sugar, layered with everyone’s favorites: creamy caramel and sweet chocolate chips. Your kids will love these in their lunchboxes.
These are truly easy to make. Yes, there are layers to put in, but you don’t need any fancy skills.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
Packages of caramels tend to get smaller over the years, so check how many ounces are in each package. You’ll need about 16 ounces total. Do not substitute jarred caramel sauce; it will not set up properly and will be too messy when you cut the bars.
You can make a butterscotch version of this by substituting the brown sugar with white and replacing the chocolate chips with chopped butterscotch or butterscotch chips.
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This will make 24 small bars (or 12 large ones). They freeze well and are great for saving for later. If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Equipment
- Aluminum foil
- 9 x 13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups quick oats (not instant oatmeal!)
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 12 ounces of chocolate chips (one 12-ounce bag)
- 16 ounces of caramels (1 ½ packages that are 11 ounces each)
- ½ cup cream or half and half
How to Make Oatmeal Caramelita Bars
This recipe can be cut in half and baked in an 8-inch square pan. Reduce the baking time to 20 minutes.
Step One: Get Ready
Turn your oven on to 350°F and line a 9×13 pan with foil – let it hang over the sides so you can lift these babies out later. Don’t skip the cooking spray or you’ll be sorry!
Step Two: Mix Up The Oat Layer
You’ll combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and stir with a rubber spatula until a crumbly mixture forms. Make sure you really scrape the bottom because sometimes dry bits of oatmeal and flour will be hiding in the bottom. The mixture will seem quite dry, not like cookie dough.
Set aside 3 cups of the mixture for later, then press down the rest into the baking dish. Use the flat bottom of your measuring cup to press it down. It will firm up as you do.
Step Three: The Good Stuff
Place the caramels in a microwave-safe bowl (a glass bowl is great if you have one) and pour cream over the top. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring halfway through until smooth and fully melted. They may need a few more minutes before they are perfectly smooth. Pour this over your oat crust, then sprinkle on ALL those chocolate chips.
Step Four: Finish And Bake
Sprinkle that saved oat mixture over the top. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden. Your kitchen will smell AMAZING.
Step Five: Cool And Cut
Let these cool completely before you even think about cutting them. I’m serious. The caramel will be a complete mess if it hasn’t cooled completely. Use those foil handles to lift them out, then cut into bars.
Serving & Storing
These go great with a glass of milk or coffee. Enjoy them on their own or with some vanilla ice cream on the side.
The finished bars will keep well at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for 3-4 days. They also freeze quite well and can be defrosted at room temperature or in the microwave.
Questions and Troubleshooting
Nope! Just keep stirring and maybe zap it for another 30 seconds. Sometimes those caramels are stubborn. It’ll come together.
YES! Don’t stress about this. It’s supposed to look a little patchy on top.
The hot caramel will make a complete mess when you try to cut. Let them cool completely (like, 2 hours) or you’ll have delicious, but ugly bars.
More Fun Recipes To Try
- Make your own old-fashioned soft caramels. We make these every Christmas.
- Oatmeal raisin cookies are another yummy treat to add to the lunch box or keep for after school.
- Have you made your own soap yet? This oatmeal soap recipe is nourishing and gentle. Soap isn’t scary. I’ll show you how.
- These oatmeal whoopie pies with marshmallow filling are super fun to serve at a party or bake sale.
Printable Recipe
Easy Oatmeal Caramelita Bars
Equipment
- Aluminum foil
- 9 x 13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups quick oats (not instant oatmeal!)
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 12 ounces chocolate chips (one 12-ounce bag)
- 16 ounces caramels (1 ½ packages that are 11 ounces each)
- ½ cup cream or half and half
Instructions
- Prep oven and pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with the rack in the center position. Then, line a 9×13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil, allowing it to overhang by a few inches to create handles for easy removal later. Don't forget to spray the foil generously with non-stick cooking spray.
- Make the oatmeal layer. Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a big bowl. Then, melt the butter and add it to the dry ingredients. Stir everything together until it becomes crumbly. After that, put away 3 cups of the mixture to the side for later. Press the rest firmly into the bottom of the baking dish you prepared.
- Add the chocolate and caramel layers. Unwrap the caramels and put them in a microwave-safe bowl. Pour the cream or half and half over the caramels. Microwave on medium power for about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the caramels are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour the melted caramel evenly over the oatmeal layer in the baking dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the caramel layer.
- Top and bake. Evenly sprinkle the remaining oatmeal mixture over the chocolate chips. Put it in the oven for 30 minutes or until the top turns golden brown. Take it out of the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.
- Serve. When the bars are fully cooled, grab the foil handles to take them out of the baking dish. Move them to a cutting board and cut them into 24 bars.
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Notes
Nutrition
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