Ashley and I both made these bars independently. When I asked her how she liked them, she said it perfectly, “This is what a cookie bar should be!” We’ve both noticed that all too often the cookie bars at bakeries, delis, etc, just don’t match the expectation we have in our heads. Could be a hidden and unwelcome fruitiness, maybe not enough chocolate, just plain dry, or outright bland. Well these chocolate caramel bars will NOT disappoint. They have plenty of caramel, chocolate, butter and gooey goodness, along with just the right amount of crunch. See? Everything a cookie bar should be.
Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Squares
Martha Stewart Cookies
yields 24 – 30 bars
Ingredients
- Vegetable-oil cooking spray
- 48 soft caramel-candy cubes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13- inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line with a 9-by-21-inch sheet of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each short side. Put caramels and cream in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
- Stir together oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and the salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a fork or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal; press half of mixture onto bottom of lined pan. Bake until just set and starting to color around edges, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle crust with chocolate chips; drizzle with caramel mixture. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake until pale golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.
looks fantastic, will be the next thing I try.
Wow, these look so gooey and delicious! Can’t wait to try them sometime soon.
My husband and I just found this site and we literally scrolled through all of the recipes and our mouths dropped at every recipe. I can’t wait to begin baking all of these treats! Keep doing what you’re doing!!
Thanks so much, Jordan! Hope you’re enjoying the treats as much as we sure have.
[...] from Two Tiny Kitchens [...]
Thank you for it ! really interesting! It have been always interesting to read shuch news.
These are sooo delish!! Thanks soo much for sharing, I am going to put this recipe on my favorites list!
Gee whiz. This recipe is kind of a lot of work but guess what, it’s totally worth it. These are amazing. I’m eating the whole pan right now, by myself, and this comes after I already consumed a bunch of left-over caramels and a hot fudge sundae (because I had to do something to pass the time during two rounds of baking). Thanks girls. You never, ever disappoint.
These were delicious! I made them for a bake sale and they were one of the first things to sell out.