This is another recipe from February’s Carroll Cafe. These bars are chocolatey, sweet, nutty and chewy. Carmelitas are a bit like oatmeal cookies, but with the extra deliciousness of chocolate, caramel and pecans! These are easy to throw together and are easy to customize to your taste preferences.
Chocolate Pecan Carmelitas
Serves about 18
Adapted from Willow Bird Baking
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
- 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 (4oz) dark chocolate chip bar, chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce, warmed
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13″ baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, cream the butter until fluffy, adding brown sugars and creaming for an additional 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour, mixing until just combined. Stir in the oats.
Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle chocolate and pecans over the dough, then drizzle caramel evenly over top. Take pinches of the remaining dough and flatten it, then layer them over the chocolate and caramel.
Bake the bars for about 20-23 minutes, or until lightly golden and set. Let the bars cool in the pan until room temperature. Use the parchment paper to remove the bars from the pan, and cut and serve.
