Sunday, March 29, 2009

Carmelitas



Delicious. Oats, chocolate, caramel -- what more could a girl want?! Or a boy, for that matter. Frog Prince loves these.

Warning: These are incredibly addicting. Do not double. Do not make when you only want one sweet treat to eat... it will be hard to stop after just one. We know from experience. Frog Prince blames these bars for making him gain 5 pounds the first time he spent Christmas with my family....I think there were probably other culprits too. But, we want to give you fair warning.

Carmelitas - From the Flatten Family

2 C flour (I tried 1 C whole wheat, 1 C all-purpose, and it tastes great!)
2 C oatmeal (regular or quick cook; we use quick most often)
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C butter, melted (I use less, about 1 C)
2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate!!)
1 jar Smuckers caramel ice cream topping (Fat Free... not like it matters here....)
6 T flour

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt together. Stir well.


Add in melted butter and mix well to form crumbs.




Press half of the crumbs into a 9x13 pan. Then, bake crust at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Remove from the oven, and sprinkle chocolate chips over the crust.


Blend caramel and 6 T flour together.


Then, pour the caramel mix over the chocolate chips.


Sprinkle with the remaining oatmeal crumb mixture.


Continue baking for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. (The bars may look gooey, depending on how much butter you use... do not over bake! Mine don't look gooey because I use less butter; they're a bit crumbly, but excellent none-the-less)


Resist the urge to eat one right when they come out of the oven. Chill for 1-2 hours before cutting and serving. We usually leave our bars on the counter for 2-3 hours before eating... okay, we probably sneak a bite after the first 45 minutes or so.... :) Just keeping it real.



As a disclaimer -- the less butter you use, the more crumbly the bars become. I use less butter and we don't mind them crumbly. My mom makes the "full" recipe, and her bars are gooey and delicious... and a real treat.

This recipe is linked at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Chocolate Friday!

16 comments:

  1. I have made a version of these before. I agree they are very good and I eat way to many of them. Thanks for reminding me of the recipe!

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  2. WOW that looks incredible! What a unique recipe, I am going to try it!

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  3. I just realized that I've had these before and they are SO good! This post made me want to pull out the recipe. Thanks!

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  4. Love sweet treats, these look so good, cant wait to try. Thanks for sharing !

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  5. Good gracious these look fantastic!

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  6. I have always wanted to try these. Your photos have convinced me that I should.

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  7. Oh my goodness. Well, I can see why these should come with a warning!! Woo hoo! Thanks for sharing the recipe and linking up to TMTT. They are tempting!

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  8. These look delicious! I can't wait to try them! Thanks for sharing!

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  9. I make apricot bars like these, you just use apricot jam in the center, and Oh yum!! Strawberry jam's good, too. But now, I'm going to have to try these! Thanks, Karen

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  10. I will have to try this recipe...these look so yummy!!

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  11. Totally drooling - yummy!!! What a perfect...and dangerous(!) combination! Thanks for linking them up!

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  12. Mmmmmmmm - excuse me while I wipe the drool off your site... That is absolutely my favorite kind of recipe! Chocolate, caramel - whole wheat flour, oats - I've got everything but the topping to make these, so they may be a weekend treat for us!!!

    Debbie @ MommysCook

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  13. Holy cow these sound yummy!!! I am going to have to make them soon. It is getting to be great weather for stuff like that. Who am I kidding it is always great weather for stuff like this. :)

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  14. Oh, I'm feeling a new family holiday tradition coming on.....


    Happy Chocolate Friday~


    Lisa @
    All That and a Box of Rocks

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Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear from you; especially how you're finding JOY in your kitchen.

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