As winter approaches you may be looking for new, warm baking ideas that incorporate some of your favorite ingredients. If this describes you, a warm, gooey Carmelita may be right up your alley. The term Carmelita was first used in the 1967 Pillsbury Bake-Off by Erlyce Larson who called her treats “Oatmeal Carmelitas.” Many Carmelita recipes that you can find on blogs seem to have their origin in Lulu the Baker’s recipe in 2010. These are bars full of buttery oats, soft chocolate, and gooey caramels that melt in your mouth. Even once they are fully cool the caramel still oozes when you take a bite.
The bars have four layers, the first of oats, the second of soft caramel, the third of chocolate chips, and the last another of oats to keep the bars stable. These are quick and easy to make, only taking a total of forty minutes, of which twenty are for baking. These are best eaten after cooled down, but they are good kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or kept in the freezer for up to four months.
If you are looking for a quick, gooey dessert for a cold November night, these warm Carmelitas are perfect for you.
Ingredients For Carmelitas:
- 10 ounces of soft caramels
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1-¼ cups white flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 and ¼ cups milk chocolate chips