Can you see the yummy caramel dripping out of the sides? YUM!
I’ve been so anxious to post this recipe because it’s just so darn good. It’s gooey, salty & sweet, and the crust adds another layer of texture. It’s just yummy! I baked these for the Bake for Hope bake sale benefiting breast cancer research. They sold out and were a hit! I was inspired by my friend Kelly’s to die for Carmelita Bars. Recently, my siblings and cousins tried Kelly’s bars and they were in love. They insisted that we make her sinfully rich Carmelita Bars and of course they disappeared by the end of the day. They ranked these bars as one of the top five desserts of all time, granted they are between the ages of 10-15 and “of all time” to them is really not that long! The Carmelita Bars are so delicious and decadent that you only need a little bite. Many kids now a days are learning more about food and are more conscience of the ingredients that go into it what they eat (thank you parents, teachers & Jaime Oliver’s Food Revolution!). The kids were shocked about how much not so good for you things were in something that taste so good. I reworked the recipe and added another layer of flavor: salt. The coarse salt definitely helps balance out the bar’s gooey sweetness and enhances the flavor of the bar. The salted caramel chocolate bars are definitely rich, but aren’t quite as indulgent as the original Carmelita Bars. My brothers & sister still rank my new version as top 5 desserts, so it’s a winner! The kicker is the recipe is so easy!
My sister and two cousins helped out in the kitchen. (While the other kiddos played on the PS3 – when they come they bring over their own gaming console – so we’ll have 3 set up at one time – and my husband is usually playing with them!) These three made sure that they got first dibs on the finished dessert! I love cooking and baking with my family – especially the kids. They are so much fun! (They told me they would bake so I could take pictures of them to post on my blog – that way they can be famous – haa,haa) I guess everyone has to start somewhere…a food blog it is!
My sister & cousin {Quynh + Tiffany}
My sister & cousin {Quynh + Tim} Don't you just love Tim's shirt? Tim is mixing it by hand here, but I've also used my kitchen aid to make the crust.
Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars
Prep: 10 mins Cooking time: 30 mins Yields one 9 x 13 pan of rich goodness
Ingredients
1½ C All Purpose Flour
1½ C Quick Cooking Oats
1¼ C Light Brown Sugar
1 C Regular Butter, melted
½ tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Soda
1¼ C Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 19oz of Butterscotch Caramel topping (if you can’t find butterscotch topping – regular caramel topping is fine too. I find the 16oz jar of caramel topping works well too (mixed with 5 Tbs. of flour).
6 Tbs Flour
¼ tsp Coarse Kosher Salt or Coarse Sea Salt
Directions
-
Preheat oven to 350º, grease a 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray (make sure you get the sides too)
-
Combine flour, oats, sugar, butter, cinnamon and baking soda in a large mixing bowl
-
Press ½ of the flour and mixture into the baking dish, bake for 10 mins
-
Pour caramel topping into a medium size bowl and stir in the 6 Tbs. of flour
-
Pull baking dish from oven, sprinkle chocolate chips over warm crust, pour thicken caramel evenly over the chocolate chips (You can use an offset spatula to help spread the caramel) Sprinkle the coarse salt over the caramel topping.
-
Crumble the rest of the crust mixture evenly over the caramel topping. You can gently pat the crumbly crust – but do not press down. Bake for an another 20 minutes.
-
Let cool completely and then cut into bars. If you wish – you can sprinkle an additional tiny pinch of coarse salt on top of the crust before it cools completely.
-
Eat, indulge…and repeat! Ahhhhhh bliss
*note* the whole surface of the pan is covered in chocolate because the kids insisted on adding more than 1 1/4 C of chips. If you follow the recipe your pan should not look like this.
I seriously want to gobble up those bars off the screen...the salt totally enhances the flavor & balances out the gooey caramel/chocolate goodness.
Enjoy!!
Print 
PDF
I’m going to the grocery store!!! weekend treat 🙂 thanks Q
Ohhhh wow! Just the title has me wanting to bake these! YUM!
xxMK
Delightful Bitefuls
Looks like a fun time in the kitchen. The bars sounds delicious.
These look absolutely amazing! I’m having a super sweet tooth literally at this moment (eating raw cookie dough while catching up on blogs!). These are on my to bake list. YUM!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
wow this looks really good! i’m kinda sad that you didnt save any for me!!! i think i’m going to try something new with this recipe though….protein powder!!!
I think I’ll be making these for my small group on Thursday night…will be great with coffee!
yum yum yum – and how much fun with your siblings to help out !
Thanks for sharing
Erin: Yay! Glad to hear the bars were a hit!
Mary: Thank you!!
TripleScoop: It was a lot of fun – can’t beat quality time with the fam.
Kate: Thanks! Can’t wait until you try them!
Tri: Protein powder – that’s something new. =)
Susan: Fun! I hope your small group enjoys it and will come back and get the recipe! =)
Anne: Thank you for stopping by!
Had them for small group tonight….Mmmmmm they were so yummmmy!!!
Frank: Glad you were able to share them with your small group tonight & that they enjoyed it!! Yay!!!
I’ve made these twice now, and they are amaaaazinggg. My husbands family goes nuts for them!
Lisa: Yay!! Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m so thrilled that your husband’s family loves them! Woothoo!
Um, of course these would be gone in seconds. Who can pass up anything featuring salted caramel?
The Duo Dishes: haa, haa very true…it’s hard to resist the sweet & salt combo.
Just made these tonight. It is like eating a candy bar!! Satisfies every craving in one but oh so rich! I may have to give the rest away or I’m in trouble with the scale! Thanks for a new keeper Tararecipe in my file box!
Just made these for the office…too bad they are never going to make it there! So good!
Tara: Thanks for trying out the recipe…I definitely know what you mean– it’s so indulgent yet…you can’t help but eat more =) It’s a dessert you have to share or give away…otherwise it would just be too tempting!
Nikki: So thoughtful to make for the office! Haa, haa all well – you can always make them another batch later! =) Glad you enjoyed them!! Thanks for visiting!
So making these this weekend!
Adrienne: Yay! Glad you’re trying it out this weekend – can’t wait to hear all about it! =)
I made these last night because I didn’t have a chance to try them at the Eat My Blog bake sale. They are amazing! I think I’ll add less caramel next time. I made my own, and had about 3 cups, which is more than in the recipe, and the caramel ended up everywhere–it’s a bit crazy, ha. But apparently just the right amount of crazy, because my co-workers are going ga-ga over them! As one said, “these are dangerous good.” Awesome recipe 🙂
Hi G-ma!! They can definitely be “dangerous good”! So happy that you tried the recipe. Homemade caramel – yum – I’m sure it was amazing by itself! Thanks for stopping by and looking forward to the next bake sale!
Hi – I really loved your recipe and samples you brought to Camp Blogaway… actually, I went back for seconds of this dish! I will definitely be making this one myself – thanks for sharing!
These are a must make 🙂 Thanks for sharing at Camp Blogaway, they were delicious!
Mary: Thank you so much – I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Can’t wait ’til you make them!
Diane: Thank you!! It was so good to see you again! Your red heart cookies are too cute!! No wonder it’s your trademark! 🙂
Oh my goodness, these look amazing!
I had these at Camp Blogaway. They would kill any diet. I think I’ll make them!
Thanks Sue!!
Cynthia: So glad you got to try them at Camp Blogaway! Excited that you’re going to make them! 🙂
I just made these for a bake sale tomorrow. I could wait for them to cool, had to have a taste. AWESOME! LOVE THE SWEET/SALTY-NESS. I’m sure they will sell out fast! Thanks for the great recipe!
Alala: I hope they were a hit at the bake sale!! I’m so glad you liked the combination of sweet & salty! Take care and thank you!! 🙂
Made these today, so easy and delicious! I used dulce de leche caramel and pink Himalayan salt … Scrumptious! So glad I found your blog, love it!!
Hi Wendy! That sounds like some wonderful ingredients… dulce de leche caramel & pink Himalayan salt! YUM! Glad you found the blog too!! Take care!
Salty and Sweet what a perfect combo..i am loving it.. I can’t wait to try this.
I JUST made these and they turned out amazing! I had to cut into a corner while they were still warm b/c I just couldn’t wait until they were cooled lol. Thanks for posting this recipe!!! 🙂
this looks insanely good. omg.
I’ve made these multiple times and they are always a hit.. they are AMAZING!!
Recipes: Thank you!
R: I’m glad you enjoyed them!
herb: Thanks!
Sarah: Thank you for trying the recipe! They’re so easy to make and definitely addicting!