Buttery oatmeal bars filled with chocolate and caramel. What’s not to love?! Carmelitas have been one of my all-time favorite cookie bars for as long as I can remember. They are decadent and irresistible. They were always the dessert I scanned potluck tables for as a kid along with my other favorite, Oatmeal Chocolate Fudge Bars. Who am I kidding “as a kid?” I still scan potluck tables for these two incredibly delicious desserts!
I almost don’t even dare ask if you have had Carmelitas before. If your answer is “no,” it might break my heart. Knowing anyone has lived a significant portion of their life without an opportunity to taste these delicious bites of everything right with the world is just more than I can take. 
If you have tasted them, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You are probably doing a mental count of what you have in your baking cupboard, trying to decide if you have everything to make them right now. Because until you saw this post, you had forgotten all about them. Well, you’re welcome for bringing them back on your radar. 🙂 Now, go and search those cupboards or run to the store, or do whatever you’ve gotta do to get these ingredients. Life is short, and you know these are worth every calorie!
More of my Favorite Caramel Recipes
- Caramel Corn Puffs
- Rebecca’s Amazing Caramels
- Chocolate Caramel Slice {Millionaire Bars}
- Crazy Good Caramel Rice Crispies
- Caramel Marshmallow Popcorn
- Merry Widow Caramels
- Chewy Caramel Rice Crispy Treats with Chocolate Chips
- Caramel Apple Baked French Toast
Step-by-step photos for how to make Carmelitas Dessert Bars
Frequently Asked Questions for how to make Carmelitas
Do I have to use Caramel Bits or can I use regular caramels?
You can absolutely use regular caramels in place of caramel bits. The bits melt quicker, but as long as you have 11 ounces of one or the other, you will be fine.
If I don’t have old-fashioned oats can I substitute quick oats?
Yes, you can make that substitution, but the consistency of the bars will be just a little different. I really like how they come out with old-fashioned oats.Â
Can I double this recipe?
Doubling this recipe works great. You just need to bake it in a 9×13 glass baking dish. It will be a little thicker than if you don’t double it, so adjust the cooking times to 3-4 minutes each. So for the first bake, bake for 13 minutes, and then bake at least 20 minutes for the second and add an additional 3-4 minutes if needed. You want to make sure the bars are totally set before taking them out of the oven.Â
Do these Carmelitas freeze well?
Yes. If you keep them in an airtight container, they freeze extremely well. I love to sneak a few in the freezer and pull them out when I need a special treat.
If I don’t have heavy cream or Half and Half can I use Evaporated Milk in its place?
Evaporated milk is a fantastic substitute in recipes that call for half and half. It is a great alternative milk substitution for this recipe. The heavy cream or half and half in this recipe is just to help the caramels melt and have a little softer texture in the bars when eating them. Evaporated milk can do the same thing in this context.
baker’s tools:
Amazing Bar Recipes
- 1 (11 ounce) bag of Kraft Caramel Bits
- ½ cup heavy cream or half and half
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp coarse sea salt
- ¾ cup butter, melted
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the caramel bits and the heavy cream or half and half. Heat over medium-low heat until the caramels are completely melted and incorporated with the cream. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the old-fashioned oatmeal, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and coarse sea salt. After it is well combined, stir in the melted butter. You can use your hand at this point if you desire.
- Press ⅔ of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and pour the caramel sauce you made over the crust.
- Sprinkle the milk chocolate chips on top of the caramel sauce layer, and then sprinkle the remaining ⅓ of the oatmeal mixture evenly over the chocolate chips.
- Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the bars seem set. They will be slightly brown on top.
- Let cool completely. I do this in the fridge. You want them to be nice and set before you cut them into pieces.
- Enjoy!
Delicious Baked Oatmeal Recipes
Maria! This is a big family favorite of ours! We call them carmelette’s and the other day we were wondering where they came from and why do some call them caramelitas! Hahaha! My grandma had made them throughout her marriage and passed it to my mom. I love them!
Hi Shannon,
Yum! Aren’t they the best! Love that you call them Carmelette’s! And I really love that the recipe was passed down from your grandma!
These are amazing! It’s a good thing it’s only an 8×8 pan…I know I’m going to eat more than I should. I ended up making these because I had some heavy cream that I needed to use before it went bad. So I searched your ingredients list and these Carmelitas came up—I love that search option on your site.
I agree, They are one of those things I have to get out of the house or I will eat them all. I am so glad you tried them and were also able to utilize the new ingredients list feature on the recipe index.