Carmelitas

I’m sure you’ve seen these amazing little morsels somewhere along the web by now- Carmelitas. Can’t tell if it looks more like a brownie, cookies bar or what but one thing is for sure it looks delicious! This is one dessert that I’ll make just for the kidlets as caramel isn’t my thing. Even mixed with the tasty chocolate and soft crunch of the bar itself it just wasn’t my thing . My mother would sure love these so hopefully she sees this and remembers to make them- after all she was the one that handed the recipe to me. 

Looks good doesn’t it?  I didn’t get many pictures as little hands kept swiping the samples off the plate! 

On to the recipe! My mother printed it from King Arthur Flour, 
Ingredients for the Crust and Topping 
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

Ingredients for the Filling 
15 ounces caramel, cut from a block into small chunks (1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans ( I used walnuts as I didn’t have pecans! Worked well) 

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan.
Crust Directions –

Combine  flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, and the salt. Next add in the butter stirring by hand or on low speed of a stand mixer until the mixture is crumbly. Once it’s done,  transfer half the crumb mixture to the prepared pan pressing it  firmly and evenly throughout the pan. 
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, once it’s done remove it from the oven and let it cool while you prepare the next steps. 
Filling Directions-  Melt the caramel and milk over low heat in a saucepan , stirring to combine. Once it’s done, pour the caramel onto the crust, spreading it to the edges with a spatula or spoon. Allow the mixture to cool until set which will be about 30 minutes. 

Next scatter the chocolate chips and pecans evenly over caramel layer, and top with the remaining crumb mixture.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and the caramel is bubbling around the edges. Remove from the oven and run a knife along the edges just to loosen it, but don’t cut into it yet. Let the pan completely cool on a wire rack before you cut and serve.  You can store the bars at room temp for a few days in an air tight container. You can also freeze them to last longer! 

Enjoy!