Have you ever hear of caramelitas? I hadn’t!
Caramelitas are the perfect excuse to combine all the best baking ingredients into one irresistible dessert. With butter, brown sugar, salted caramel, chocolate, and oats, every bite is a delightful mix of flavors and textures. Don’t forget a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness. Quick to make and even quicker to disappear, these ooey-gooey bars are sure to become your most requested bake.
A few notes:
- To brown or not to brown the butter: If you have the time, brown that butter. It’s super easy to do and helps add more depth of flavor to an otherwise very sweet dessert. Using just melted butter will still result in a delicious dessert but why not kick things up a notch?
- Adjust to your own taste: The first time I made these I used a half cup of homemade salted caramel and a half cup of chocolate chips. I stand by the half cup of chocolate chips but the salted caramel basically just melted into the crust and wasn’t that noticeable. So for that reason, I will probably bump that up to at least 3/4 cup next time. As always, I encourage you play around with the ingredients and adjust to you own taste!
- Need more? Double the recipe: Love these so much you need to make a bigger batch? Then bake in a 13×9 glass pan and use these measurements:
- 1 Lb Unsalted butter (browned or just melted)
- 2 Cups Brown sugar
- 2½ tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla
- 2½ Cups Rolled Oats
- 2½ Cups Flour
- 1 Cup Salted Caramel Sauce (or to taste)
- 1 Cup Chocolate Chips (or to taste)
- Flake Salt (for finishing)
Caramelitas
Caramelitas are rich, ooey-gooey bars that combine the best of all baking ingredients: butter, brown sugar, salted caramel, chocolate, and oats. These quick-to-make treats perfectly balance sweetness and saltiness, making them an irresistible treat for any occasion.
Equipment
- 9×9 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Unsalted butter browned or just melted
- 1 Cup Brown sugar
- 1¼ tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1½ tsp Vanilla
- 1¼ Cup Rolled Oats
- 1¼ Cup Flour
- ½ Cup Salted Caramel Sauce or to taste
- ½ Cup Chocolate Chips or to taste
- Flake salt for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a 9×9 baking dish with greased parchment paper.
- Place the butter in large sauce pan to melt over medium heat. Once melted, stir often with a rubber spatula to prevent the milk solids from sticking and burning on the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture foams and then turns amber in color. Pour into a small bowl and let cool for about 10 minutes. Note: If just using melted butter, you can skip this step.1 Cup Unsalted butter
- Combine the brown butter and brown sugar in a large bowl and mix until smooth.1 Cup Brown sugar
- Mix in the baking soda, salt, and vanilla.1¼ tsp Baking soda, ½ tsp Salt, 1½ tsp Vanilla
- Add the oats and flour, mixing until well combined.1¼ Cup Rolled Oats, 1¼ Cup Flour
- Press half of the crust mixture into the bottom of the lined pan and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and pour on the salted caramel sauce, smoothing it out with the back of a spoon so it reaches the edges of the base layer.½ Cup Salted Caramel Sauce
- Add the chocolate chips over the salted caramel sauce in an even layer.½ Cup Chocolate Chips
- Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture over the chocolate chips and then bake for 10-15 more minutes or until golden brown and oozy.
- Sprinkle with flake salt and then let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container.Flake salt
Notes
- To brown or not to brown the butter: If you have the time, brown that butter. It’s super easy to do and helps add more depth of flavor to an otherwise very sweet dessert. Using just melted butter will still result in a delicious dessert but why not kick things up a notch?
- Adjust to your own taste: The first time I made these I used a half cup of homemade salted caramel and a half cup of chocolate chips. I stand by the half cup of chocolate chips but the salted caramel basically just melted into the crust and wasn’t that noticeable. So for that reason, I will probably bump that up to at least 3/4 cup next time. As always, I encourage you play around with the ingredients and adjust to you own taste!
- Need more? Double the recipe: Love these so much you need to make a bigger batch? Then bake in a 13×9 glass pan and use these measurements:
- 1 Lb Unsalted butter (browned or just melted)
- 2 Cups Brown sugar
- 2½ tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla
- 2½ Cups Rolled Oats
- 2½ Cups Flour
- 1 Cup Salted Caramel Sauce (or to taste)
- 1 Cup Chocolate Chips (or to taste)
- Flake Salt (for finishing)
