If you love chewy oatmeal cookies, gooey caramel, rich chocolate, and pecans, these Oatmeal Carmelitas are the perfect dessert! Every bite is sweet, salty, soft, and crunchy all rolled into one decadent bar.
This oatmeal carmelitas recipe has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. We made them all the time, and I seriously LOVE them!
Melted caramels make them ooey-gooey and simply decadent. They are similar to Caramel Brownies, but with a buttery, oaty crunch.
The only time-consuming part is unwrapping the caramels, so get your kids to help you! Or if you prefer, you can use a thick caramel sauce.
Why we love these carmelita bars:
- Creamy caramel + chocolate = pure indulgence!
- Oat crumble on the top and bottom adds perfect buttery flavor and crunch.
- Pecans add nutty flavor and balance out the sweetness.
- They look impressive, but are easy to whip up!
HOW TO MAKE OATMEAL CARMELITAS
- PREP WORK: Chop the nuts and unwrap the caramels. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 9×13″ baking pan with nonstick spray. For even easier cleanup, first line the pan with parchment paper.
- MAKE THE CRUST: Mix up a simple buttery oatmeal crust by combining all the ingredients together in a large bowl and mixing till crumbly. I usually just use my hands, but a pastry cutter or fork works too. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- PREBAKE THE CRUST: You are going to bake the bottom crust for about ten minutes so it will start to brown up before you add the filling.
- CARAMEL: Melt the caramels and cream in the microwave, stirring often until smooth.
- ADD THE FILLING: Remove the hot crust from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts evenly over it. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the top.
- TOP WITH REMAINING CRUMBS: Crumble the remaining crumb mixture over the caramel layer. It is totally fine if some of the filling is showing; just cover it with crumbs as evenly as possible.
- BAKE: Place the pan back into the hot oven and cook for 20-25 more minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the topping is lightly browned.
- COOL: Right out of the oven these bars are a hot mess, trust me. They are good warmish, but they really are best after they cool down. And believe me, they are worth the wait!
PRO TIPS:
- Use a good quality of caramels. I love Werther’s soft caramels — they taste almost homemade! But you can use Kraft caramels or your favorite brand of square caramels. I don’t recommend caramel bits, they don’t melt quite as smoothly.
- Stick with semi-sweet chocolate chips to balance out the sweetness of the caramel. Milk chocolate chips make for overly sweet cookie bars.
- Run a knife or metal spatula along the edges of the bars when you remove them from the oven. Then as they cool, the caramel won’t stick to the side of the pan.
Variations:
- Growing up, my mom would use 22 ounces of caramel ice cream topping mixed with 1/4 cup of flour. After trying the caramels and cream, I haven’t gone back because I like the flavor so much better. But using ice cream topping does save time because you don’t have to unwrap caramels!
- In place of or in addition to the pecans, you can add a cup of coconut flakes.
- Before adding the top layer of crumbs, sprinkle a little bit of flaky sea salt over the caramel layer.
- If you don’t want to use the microwave, you can heat the cream and caramels in a small saucepan over low heat. It does take longer, and you need to watch it closely, stirring often so it doesn’t scorch.
HOW TO STORE CARMELITAS:
If stored in an airtight container, these bars will last up to a week at room temperature.
You can also freeze them, but the oats tend to get soft, so I don’t recommend it unless you really have to. They will keep in the freezer for about 3 months. For maximum freshness, wrap individual bars in plastic wrap, then place them in heavy-duty freezer ziplock bags.
More bar cookie recipes:
- Chocolate Fudge Oatmeal Bars
- Toffee Chocolate Chip Bars
- Peanut Butter Oat Bars
- Maraschino Cherry Bars
- Pistachio Bars
- Mixed Nut Bars
- Jan Hagel
- Cherry Cheesecake Brownies
- Marble Brownies
- Golden Graham Bars
- Churro Cheesecake Bars
Originally published 2/14/21012, recipe improved and updated October 2026 with new tips and photos.
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Carmelitas Recipe
Gooey caramel, rich chocolate chips, and pecans sandwiched between two buttery oat layers. A sinfully delicious dessert bar recipe!
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats (quick oats will also work)
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups salted butter, melted
Filling
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 22 ounces Werther's soft caramels
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Spray the sides of the parchment as well.
- Mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, soda, salt, and melted butter in a mixing bowl till crumbly.
- Press half of the dough into the prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, combine the caramels and cream in a glass bowl. Melt in the microwave, stirring often until smooth.
- Remove the crust from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips and pecans. Drizzle the melted caramel mixture evenly over the top. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the top of the caramel. It's OK if some of the filling is showing.
- Return to the oven and bake for 20-25 more minutes or till golden brown and bubbly. After 15-20 minutes, use a greased butter knife or spatula to loosen any stuck caramel from the sides of the pan.
- Cool completely before cutting into bars using a sharp knife.
Notes
- I like to use Werther’s soft caramels for this recipe because they taste the most like homemade caramels.
- You can use thick caramel sauce in place of the melted caramels and cream. You will need about 2 3/4 cups of caramel.
- Leftover bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Nutrition
Serving: 1barCalories: 469kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 5gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 306mgPotassium: 226mgFiber: 3gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 521IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
If you are looking for an easy bar cookie that will have people singing your praises, give this carmelitas recipe a try. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t LOVE them!
Hi Kara!
I remembered these from when youadr them in college, so I was excited that you had put them in your website. I’m making them right now and my family is gone ng to be blown away!
Thanks!
I hope they were just as good as you remembered! It’s been ages since I made them, and I even have a jar of caramel. I think it’s time! 🙂
Kara, Thanks for the update and reply.
This is on your recipe site. “NOTES -The original recipe called for 3/4 cup butter. I always thought they were a bit greasy, so I cut it down a bit. First I tried 1/2 cup, but they were dry. With the 10 Tbsp, they taste just as rich and buttery, but aren’t as greasy”.
I’m confused because your recipe is listing 1 1/4 cups butter which is 20 Tbsp and more than 10 Tbsp. Please clarify. Thank you.
So sorry. The note was referring to the original recipe that was made in square pan. I fixed it to reflect the doubled recipe which is made in a 9×13″ pan. The 1 1/4 cups of butter (20 Tbsp) is correct.
The recipe says 1 1/4 cups of butter but I think you mean 1 1/4 sticks.
No, it’s 1 1/4 cups of butter. If you only use 1 1/4 sticks (10 Tbsp), your crumb mixture will be completely dry and not stick together at all. Recipes that only make an 8″ square pan usually use 3/4 cup of butter, so that may be what you were thinking. But this one makes a full 9×13″ pan. 🙂
Yummo!! I can’t WAIT to try these! My hubby will love them!!