Marlene’s Caramelitas

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Layers of buttery oatmeal cookie sandwich a layer of caramel, pecans and chocolate chips come together for a perfect holiday treat. Caramelitas are a must have for the holidays or any time your sweet tooth begs for something special.

If you are looking for a rich and gooey dessert, caramelitas are just the thing! They have a buttery brown sugar and oatmeal crust with a gooey caramel, chocolate and pecan center that will make your sweet tooth sing!

Cookie bars are a great way to share something special with friends and family. My aunt’s recipe for caramelitas brings together golden butterscotch oatmeal layers with rich caramel and chocolate goodness in the middle.

They are a Christmas must have for my aunt and cousins but are really perfect all year long.

One of the best parts about bars like these are they are relatively quick to make. You don’t have to worry about loading tray after tray of individual cookies into the oven.

Instead you get to just press the dough into a pan and build up the layers. It’s less monotony.

As you build up the layers of goodness, you know you are making something delicious. Not to mention the smell when you take them out of the oven… so good!

Tips for Making These Caramel Oatmeal Bars

To make cutting the bars easier, you’ll want to line your pan. You can use parchment or aluminum foil.

Once your bars are completely cooled, you can lift the whole batch out of the pan. Then you can cut straight across the entire length without hitting the sides of the pan.

You can cut them into quite a few smaller squares. They are rich, so you don’t need a huge slice.

Besides, you can always get a second one if you are super hungry. You know I won’t judge!

If you don’t want to line the pan, of course you don’t have to. Just spray it and cut the bars in the pan.

They will still be tasty, but the first piece may not be pretty if you try to get them out while they are warm. Of course that will give you a good excuse to go ahead and taste test, so it won’t be the end of the world!

Storing Caramelitas

Marlene suggests you store carmalettes in the refrigerator. Then she says to warm them up for a few seconds in the microwave before you eat them.

I must say the warm slightly melted chocolate chips and caramel center are amazing.  So I totally agree with her recommendation!

You can also freeze them for longer storage. You will want to defrost them or warm them up in the microwave a bit before you take a bite though, that center freezes pretty hard!

Caramelitas are perfect for holiday trays for sure. They would also be amazing for summer potlucks and bbqs.

There really isn’t a time they wouldn’t be good! If caramel, chocolate and sweet goodness are your thing, these are for you!

More Recipes You May Enjoy

If you like Marlene’s treats, you are going to love her sour cream cookies.  Her fudge frosting is also amazing on brownies or served warm as hot fudge over ice cream.

For another spin on gooey pecan treats, try making pecan dream bars. They start with a cake mix base and have condensed milk, toffee and pecans on top.

Or try making bear paw candies with caramel, cashews and chocolate. They are another tasty and cute treat!

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Thanks for sharing!