We live in a big-but-not-huge town. We have a P.F. Chang’s and a Pottery Barn and two malls and two full-price movie theaters. But we don’t have a Williams-Sonoma. Instead, we have a few delightful, locally-owned kitchen stores. One of them holds a monthly baking contest, and these Carmelitas were supposed to be my ticket to local baking contest greatness.
See, a Carmelita is not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill treat. Rather, it is like a buttery oatmeal cookie that swallowed a caramel-filled chocolate bar and then got bibitty-bobitty-booed by the dessert fairy godmother and received an extra dose of deliciousness. Everyone I have ever talked to who has tasted one has proclaimed it to be the most wonderful thing ever. I’m not exaggerating!
I tasted my first Carmelita last year while I was visiting my sister. I liked it so much that I helped her eat the whole pan in two days. Just the two of us. A 9×13″ pan. Two days. And we liked it…obviously.
When I got my kitchen store newsletter in January, I started planning out my strategy. Some months I knew I’d be gone, some months I couldn’t think of a good cookie to make, but September–Oatmeal Cookie Month–I knew would be mine because I was going to make Carmelitas, and no one can resist them. They were like my fail-safe. If my coconut macaroons didn’t win in April (they didn’t), and if my bar cookies didn’t win in June (nope), and if my thumbprints didn’t win in August (er, not them either), then I’d knock everyone’s socks off in September with the best oatmeal cookie any of them had ever tasted!
The email naming the winner took a few extra weeks to be sent–no lie–and I was on pins and needles the whole time. When I saw it sitting there in my in-box, I had one of those strange prickling sensation on the back of my neck that you always hear about in stories–not a good feeling. The thought popped into my head that if I had won, they probably would have called or emailed me or something before just sending it out in an email newsletter. But I still didn’t think any cookie could beat my sweet Carmelitas, it just wasn’t possible!
But it was true: a recipe for oatmeal cookies studded with white chocolate and dried cranberries had been crowned the champ. I just could not–and a part of me still doesn’t–imagine any oatmeal cookie tasting better than the best cookie I’d ever had.
Epilogue
If I sound just a wee bit crazy, get a load of this! Last week, I had to go into the kitchen store to buy 20 tiny salt spoons (more on that another time), and I actually brought up the oatmeal cookie contest to the cashier! Even though it had occurred to me to ask about the results, I don’t think I had really planned on doing it, because I sort of ummed and uhhed and stumbled all over my words.
It ended up being, “Umm, well, I sort of was wondering, um, do you guys, you know, like…..keep the results from past contests? ‘Cause I was just, you know, um, maybe if you, you know, remembered the Carmelitas, uh,” **very blank look from the cashier at this point**, “how close it was, uh, you know, like,” and I just sort of trailed off! These baking contests have turned me into a raving lunatic!!
Carmelitas
Ingredients
- 32 caramel squares, unwrapped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8x8" pan.
- 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 an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.
Notes
For more cookie recipes, CLICK HERE and explore my cookie recipe archives.
This is one of the best dessert I’ve ever eaten! Thanks for sharing.
Oh my gosh while your cookies look delicious. You are hilarious! I love your story here b/c its sooo me! I would have done the same thing! Especially with the cashier! I was laughing so hard! I can’t wait to make these though! My sister and I will probably eat the whole pan in 2 days too! ~ Casey
Thanks Casey! I really think I could eat the whole pan by myself if I had to!
I made these the other day and maybe I did something wrong, but it had the consistency of sand and didn’t hold together… it’s like the recipe was missing a second cup of flour and a couple eggs…
I made this recipe last week and unfortunately it was a disaster! It had the texture of sand and it didn’t hold together at all! It seems like the recipe is a cup short of flour and an egg or two.
What did I do wrong?
Pesky Settler–So sorry they didn’t turn out for you! I promise the recipe works. Maybe just try again in a few days! I tried a Mario Batalli recipe for browned butter-sage sauce for gnocchi and it turned out terrible. I thought, “That Mario Batalli is full of crap!” and then realized the next day that I had repeatedly read the recipe wrong. Whoops!
Thanks for this I just made them and they are soo good. I added a little sea salt on top of the caramel as I love salted caramel and that made them all the tastier. Thanks
I love salty desserts; I’ll have to sprinkle a little of my fleur de sel stash on top next time I make them!
These look amazing! I am going to make them RIGHT now!! I think we will have a little vanilla ice cream with it! Thanks for sharing!
Bruce and Brandi–Oooooooh, vanilla ice cream! I’ve can’t believe I’ve never thought of that!
These are AMMMMAAAAAZZZZZIIINNGGG and has made me a goddess in the eye’s of my coworkers! Thank you for sharing!
Made these a week ago, doubled the recipe, ate almost the whole pan and gained 7 lbs. (0: THEY ARE SO GOOD!! Do you think they would work with wheat flour and oats instead of all purpose flour?? Or would that make them too dense?
Gosh THIS LOOKS DIVINE! I am definitely going to make them. I just want to ask, I don’t get the caramel squares here where I live, can I use caramel sauce to substitute? what else could I use? Thanks!
Hi Sandra. I haven’t tried it, but the recipe calls for a caramel sauce made from the melted caramels and the cream, so I think you could easily use a caramel sauce instead of those two ingredients. I would maybe try two cups of caramel sauce. Next time I make them I’ll measure how much sauce the melted caramels and cream make and update the recipe.
I have made these twice now, the first time I used caramel sauce and it never solidified, even after being in the fridge. The second time I used the squares and they did solidify. This is so my favorite dessert!
Are cookies and bars the same thing? Maybe it was a technicality? These look amazing, I’m going to make my own gluten free version.
I’ve been making these for years–one of my favorite recipes–we throw chopped pecans on with the chocolate chips and call them turtle bars. My recipe calls for a jar of Smucker’s caramel ice cream topping, just thicken it slightly by mixing in 1/4 cup of flour–lots easier than unwrapping and melting Kraft caramels! It is also easy to make gluten free–there is enough structure with the oats that you can use just about any GF flour as a substitute and it will turn out okay.
A can of condensed milk eliminates having to make caramel sauce š I love these. Need to make some now.
These look amazingly delicious! Seriously, my mouth won’t stop watering after seeing your title picture.
I am a site manager on Instructables.com, an online how-to community. Our food editor admires your work, and since you already have gorgeous photos and a write-up, I thought you might be interested in sharing your work on our site as well. You should consider submitting this (or any of your other desserts) as an entry to our Desserts Contest.
http://www.instructables.com/contest/dessert/
I would be happy to feature it on our site if you decide to post the instructions there and help get it noticed among our 13.8 million viewers. Let me know if you have any questions!
Kelsey
[email protected]
By far and away my new favorite dessert. They’ve been a huge hit in my office! Three of us have made them now and only time will tell how many more of us will be making these in the future! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Keep spreading the love Michelle! I love to hear that people made them for their office or family are church group and that the carmelitas were a gigantic hit!
These are so awesome! The office ladies at my son’s school LOVED them. Thanks for sharing. Your story cracked me up too – you totally should have won. I’d keep checking the results too. I featured this recipe on my blog. Thanks again for sharing!
http://thepolkadottedturtle.com/carmelitas-yum-yum-yum/
while I absolutely love white chocolate/cranberry oatmeal cookies, and happen to think that everyone should make them for the fall at SOME point in life, I can’t see how they could beat these…
if originality had any sort of say there’s no way white-choc-cran oaties could win a contest.
How sad that these didn’t win! These are absolutely delicious and my dad asks for them all the time. I’m guessing they thought they were not really an oatmeal cookie… But the taste of these should have persuaded them to pick you anyways.
My thoughts exactly!
I’m sure the store owner chose the other cookie because it was submitted by someone they knew… Unfortunately, that’s how things work sometimes/a lot of the time! Can’t even get honesty in a cookie contest! Your carmelita’s sound divine! Can’t wait to make them! You made me laugh and that is worth lots to me! Keep up the laughter!
If they taste as amazing as they look, those judges must have different taste buds from mine.
these look so amazing!!!
I know this is an old post, but I had to comment anyway. I just made this for a trip and I’m not sure I can share these with my friends because I want them ALL! Mind.blown. They are amazing!
Is it Self rising flour or plain?
regular, all-purpose flour
Maybe you should enter them in a different category? These look like CANDY to me. . . And delicious!
What did we ever do without Pinterest? I love this recipe and they’re so easy to make. These would be perfect for any gathering or just to hoard on your own. I’m definitely making these.
Pinterest is one of my favorites too. So easy to spend hours looking at pretty food!
Made these and they were FANTASTIC! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Also-
The second time I made them, I couldn’t find caramels at my supermarket. In a pinch, I grabbed two bags of Rolos candies and substituted. They came out pretty darn good even with the substitution. Just thought I’d mention since it seems some supermarkets are (sadly!) pulling the yummy, old-fashioned, individually wrapped caramels off the shelves.
Cheers!
Jen
http://www.flavorprofilesny.com
Hi Jen! Rolos sound like a genius idea if you can’t find caramels! We’ll all have to stock up on caramels this Halloween!
I made these tonight and they were wonderful! I did make them in the morning and let them cool all day before we had them after dinner. Perfect! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Emily. Proper cooling time is a must with these! I usually don’t give myself enough time and end up sticking them in the fridge!
Same as the Kraft Foods recipe (40 years ago). Only difference is the Kraft recipe uses caramel ice cream topping…and more choco chips. 16 years ago I made these and won a bake off at my church picnic.
Really dumb question: do I grease the pan? Seriously, what a lame question…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Not a dumb question Karen! No, you do not have to grease the pan. There is so much butter in these, they are in no danger of sticking!
This week a friend “shared” her chocolate fudge recipe with me, but her writing instructions were 1 2/3 cup of evaporated milk – an entire can! – way too much, and obviously didn’t set. Then I came across your carmelitas and the brain sent out fireworks for me to try them & use that chocolate fudge. I had some caramel sauce. Being in a hurry, I microwaved the butter to a liquid state and followed the recipe. The base would make good paving stone, and the top was absolutely dry. Any ideas of where this went so horribly wrong?
I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you! If you want to give them another go, maybe they’d turn out the second time
I’ve been trying to find the name for these bar cookies forever. A friend introduced me to them and we’ve pretty much just called them The Best Cookie Ever. Now I know! And yes, you should try the Kraft caramel bits. No unwrapping and they melt way faster. Pretty much the most delicious of all delicious things on the planet.
Hi Maren. I use the caramel bits whenever I can find them. Definitely easier!
Making my 2nd batch of these right now!! ahhh they are so amazing!!! my husband LOVES these too š Thanks for sharing your recipe LuLu the Baker!
– Alexi Lu.
Hi Alexi! I’m all about sharing the love! š