These Brown Butter Carmelitas are a brown butter oatmeal cookie bar with a smooth and creamy chocolate caramel center. A treat you just can’t resist.
One of my favorite things to make throughout the year is homemade carmelitas. They are so gooey, with a caramel-chocolate center with rolled oats for its outer layer. It is the perfect cookie-like dessert bar. With my recent obsession over brown butter, which has been since I made my Salted Caramel & Brown Butter Snickerdoodles, I have been trying to work brown butter into another recipe.
I love the richness of the brown butter and its nutty aroma which I think pairs well with oats, which led to this recipe. I ended up loving this recipe so much that the next morning I caught myself eating some for breakfast and had to make my 7-year-old, Madden, deliver them right away to the neighbors, so I wouldn’t eat the entire batch. Well, not right away since it was 7:30 am, but soon thereafter.
The only thing that I struggled with this recipe is that the oats while cutting crumbled a little, which was nice for me as I literally licked them off the counter. But I like perfectly cut edges, so I was a little bummed at first. Besides me licking the crumbs off the counter, like my 3 year old would, this is just a perfect dessert.
Top this with a little ice-cream and oh, it’s better than…well really anything, you get my drift.
Enjoy! XOXO San
How do you make Brown Butter Carmelitas?
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Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cut 3/4 cup butter into slices and add to saucepan.
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Whisk butter while it melts until butter turns brown and has a slightly nutty aroma. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temp.
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Add caramels and cream into a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth, set aside.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine brown butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda in a mixing bowl.
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Press half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8×8 pan. To fill a 9×13 pan, double the recipe. Bake for 10 minutes.
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Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel.
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Return to oven and bake for another 18-22 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting.
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Return to oven and bake an additional 18-22 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting, this will take some time as the caramel needs time to set.
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Once cooled and caramel is set, serve and enjoy! Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Love these treats? Check out these recipes: Chewy Pretzel Peanut Butter Granola Bars, No-Bake Quinoa Oat Bars, and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars!
Don’t forget to pin this to your favorite Pinterest board to save for later!
Brown Butter Carmelitas
Ingredients
- 11 ounce package of caramel squares unwrapped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cut 3/4 cup butter into slices and add to saucepan.
- Whisk butter while it melts until butter turns brown and has a slightly nutty aroma. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temp.
- Add caramels and cream into a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth, set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine brown butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda in a mixing bowl.
- Press half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8x8 pan. To fill a 9x13 pan, double the recipe. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel.
- Return to oven and bake for another 18-22 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting.
- Return to oven and bake an additional 18-22 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting, this will take some time as the caramel needs time to set.
- Once cooled and caramel is set, serve and enjoy! Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Kids review: Anything with caramel, oats and chocolate chips is a winner in this house, this was just another recipe to prove that. They all loved it.
Ok, I’m all over these! I’d make them today if I just had some caramels in the house. Man, they look good!
You are definitely a woman after my own heart. I love desserts like this and I am definitley bookmarking this one so I can come back to it later!
Robin – I think we have a lot in common!!! xo San
Yum these look tasty! Pinned to my Dessert Board! Caramel – Chocolate – Oatmeal YUM!
Thanks for the pin Debbie!! xo San
Sandra, these look like they would definitely make the perfect breakfast (or any meal/snack/dessert). Can you believe that I’ve never had a carmelita before? I need to get on that stat 🙂
Those look absolutely heavenly! I can’t wait to try them!
I never heard of these. They are so yummy looking and something to put on my list.
we looooooooove carmelitas in our house too. brown butter makes everything taste better!
Those look so good. I love brown butter.
Those look delicious. I’ve actually never browned butter for a recipe. I’ve scorched it plenty of times, though.
Those look so good. I have never even heard of them!
I can see how we you can eat them all! They look really good and easy to pop in the mouth!
WOW!! These Look Soooooooooo Delicious!!
I love their name, it’s so cute and sweet, just like them. They look amazing and yum, I need to steal this recipe 🙂
Mmmm! Sinfully rich and I’m sure completely addictive!
My mouth is watering so bad right now! They look soooo yummy!!
These look so wonderful. Just my kind of snack!
That looks fantastic. Will have to try them.
These sound so good and I know my kids would love them too!
I’ve never heard of carmelitas before, but these look so incredible!
These look absolutely amazing Sandra. I too, love brown butter and am always looking for new recipes to use it in!
These look so, so yummy. I want to try them with vanilla ice cream!
These look so tasty! I’m definitely going to have to grab all the ingredients next time I’m out.
Oh I love desserts with oats in them. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
These look so good and sound so easy!
Oh dang, these look simply divine.