Back in high school I had a friend whose mom would make caramelitas. I didn’t know what that meant except that they were SO GOOD and I’ve been making them ever since. Now, they are my husband’s favorite treat that I make which is funny because it’s probably the easiest and quickest recipe to whip up and bake.

It’s basically like an oat based cookie bar base filled with ooey gooey salted caramel and chocolate. Sound heavenly? It is. Pair it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you’ve got yourself an award winning dessert. You might want to double this batch and use a bigger pan because they go QUICK. Try them out and let me know how quickly they make it into your weekly rotation. ENJOY!

Caramelitas

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (melted)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup flour (you can use All Purpose or a 1:1 Gluten Free alternative if you want)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• caramel sauce (in a jar or the squeeze kind)
• sea salt
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips (I dont measure this part but it’s probably about that)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease or line an 8×8 baking dish.
2. Combine melted butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until smooth.
3. Add oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla until combined.
4. Press half of your oat mixture into the bottom of the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Remove pan from the oven and pour a generous drizzle of caramel all over the top to completely cover the base. Sprinkle with sea salt (If you’re already using salted caramel you can skip the salt)
6. Sprinkle a layer of chocolate chips on top of that until covered (I just guess and sprinkle until it looks right – about 3/4 cup)
7. Crumble the rest of your oat mixture on top sprinkling it evenly until the caramel and chocolate chips are mostly covered.
8. Return to the oven for about 15 more minutes or until perfectly golden brown. It should be oozing!
9. This is the hardest part but it’s best if you let them cool for at least 10-15 min for easier cutting and more enjoyable eating but when you’re ready, plate them up with some ice cream and ENJOY!