Chocolate and Cherries Caramel Oat Bars: Oatmeal Carmelitas with a Twist
Oatmeal Carmelitas are a classic, baked dessert oat bar with caramel and chocolate chips. The original recipe was a finalist in the 1967 Pillsbury Bake-Off competition. This recipe version is a twist on the classic dessert with the addition of chewy dried cherries. The combination of chocolate, cherries, caramel, and oats are surprisingly good. Make these a day or two ahead of time, cut, and serve them at any gathering including the holidays.
Servings: 24 bars
Ingredients
Oatmeal Crumble Base & Topping:
- 240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 4 g (1 tsp) baking soda
- 3 g (½ tsp) salt only if using unsalted butter
- 160 g (2 cups) oats old fashioned or rolled
- 324 g (1½ cups packed) brown sugar light or dark
- 282.5 g (1¼ cups / 2½ sticks) butter (very soft, almost melted)) salted or unsalted (add salt if using unsalted)
Caramel Filling:
- 347 g (1 cup) caramel sauce homemade or store-bought caramel ice cream topping
- 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- 22 g (3 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 160 g (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
- 142 g (5 oz pkg /1 cup) dried cherries like Mariani brand
- ¾ cup chopped nuts, optional almonds, pecans, walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9-x13- inch baking dish with parchment paper.TIP: If you don’t have parchment paper, grease pan using butter, oil, or shortening.
- To a large bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt (if using unsalted butter). Stir the mixture to combine.
- Add oats and brown sugar. Stir again to combine.
- Add butter and use an electric hand mixer to combine the mixture until crumbly. Remove ½ of the mixture (~3 cups) and set aside in another bowl.TIP: If you don’t have an electric hand mixer, blend using a pastry cutter, spoon, or use your hands until the mixture is crumbly.
- Spoon the remaining mixture (~3 cups) into the prepared pan. Press the mixture down evenly to the edges and corners.TIP: If the mixture is sticky, flour your hands or spray them with cooking spray.
- Bake the pressed oat mixture in the preheated oven for 10 minutes to parbake/blind bake only.
- In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine the caramel sauce, vanilla, and flour. Whisk until combined and smooth.
- Remove the par-baked crust. Pour the caramel evenly over the crust to the corners and edges. Scatter on evenly the 120 g (¾ cup) chocolate chips & all of cherries (and optional nuts). Scatter the remaining reserved oat crumble mixture evenly over the top. Do not press the crumble down, let it sit on top as it will bake together. Scatter the remaining 40 g (¼ cup) chocolate chips over the top.TIP: If the sauce is a little thick and not spreading on its own, use a spatula to smooth it out to the edges.
- Return the baking dish to the oven and bake another 22-25 minutes or until the edges are set. The center might still be a little jiggly.
- Cool in pan on cooling rack for several hours to cool completely. Or after an hour of cooling at room temperature, place pan in refrigerator for an hour or so. Once completely cooled, lift parchment paper edges to remove the dessert from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut into desired serving sizes.
Video
Notes
Storage Suggestions:
These bars store very well at room temperature, in the fridge, or in the freezer. If the bars will be eaten within a few days, store them cut in a sealed container or bag at room temperature. You can also store them for a week or so in the fridge. For longer storage, place them in the freezer for up to 2 months. From frozen, just set them out on the counter to thaw for about an hour or stick them in the microwave if you can't wait that long.