These oatmeal carmelita toffee bars are buttery and gooey, with chunks of chocolate, and flavors of oats and caramel all wrapped into one. And the touch of salt on top balances the sweetness perfectly.
These are the bars that I always seem to make whenever I need to take a finger food or treat to any party or gathering. And they are usually the first to go! They are one of my favorite bars that I make because of the melding of flavors with oats, caramel, chocolate and salt. What more could you need? And the little bits of toffee pieces inside added a little extra texture that I love.
HOW TO MAKE OATMEAL CARMELITA TOFFEE BARS
I'm always so pleasantly surprised by how easy and quick these bars come together. I think because they taste so good, and have so many layers they seem more difficult.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 8x8 pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment.
- In a large mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, salt and soda and mix in.
- Add flour and oats, mixing until combined.
- Press half the dough onto the bottom of the 8x8 pan. Bake for 8 minutes.
- While bars bake, melt caramel and cream together in the microwave. Cook in 30 second increments, stirring in between until mixed and melted.
- Top warm bottom of the bars with both chocolate chips and toffee bits, followed by warm caramel sauce.
- Place dollops of remaining dough on top, don’t worry about it spreading evenly over the top. Bake an additional 16-18 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with flaked salt.
- I prefer to make these hours or up to a day in advance so that they can completely set up before cutting.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THESE BARS
- Butter
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Baking Soda
- Flour
- Oats
- Milk and Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
- Toffee pieces
- Caramel
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Flaked Sea Salt
WHAT KIND OF CARAMEL CAN BE USED
I have tried these bars with multiple kinds of caramel and they have turned out great every time. I tend to try and always have Peters Caramel on hand because I love it for lots of things. But I have tried this with Kraft caramel bits and Trader Joe's sea salt caramel sauce and it was really yummy too. Because I like things salty, hence my name, the Trader Joe's one didn't feel like too much salt to me, but you could always buy a regular caramel sauce from your local grocery store, OR even make your own.
MAKING AND STORING THESE BARS
I usually like to make these bars hours or a day in advance so that the caramel can sit and begin to firm up again. It makes cutting and serving them easier. They will stay fresh in an airtight container for 4-5 days, but also great to freeze. You can rewarm the bars in the microwave or the oven at 275 F for a few minutes if you want to get the caramel all melty again.
OTHER BAR RECIPES TO TRY OF MINE:
For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment below if you make them and love them as much as I do.
Oatmeal Carmelita Toffee Bars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar light is fine too
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- ¾ cup milk chocolate chips
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup toffee bits heath bar is what I use
- 6 oz caramel kraft bits, or from the jar
- 2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- flaked sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 8x8 pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment.
- In a large mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, salt and soda and mix in.
- Add flour and oats, mixing until combined.
- Press half the dough onto the bottom of the 8x8 pan. Bake for 8 minutes.
- While bars bake, melt caramel and cream together in the microwave. Cook in 30 second increments, stirring in between until mixed and melted.
- Top warm bottom of the bars with both chocolate chips and toffee bits, followed by warm caramel sauce.
- Place dollops of remaining dough on top, don’t worry about it spreading evenly over the top. Bake an additional 16-18 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with flaked salt.
- I prefer to make these hours or up to a day in advance so that they can completely set up before cutting.
Sarah
I made these yesterday and they are SO GOOD! Thank you for this recipe, I love it! It is very rich, and exactly the flavor combos I was hoping for!
brooke
Thank you so much Sarah! I am so happy you loved them. I agree, the flavor combo is so good!
Melissa
I have made a double batch of these 3 times in about as many weeks. Their our current favorite dessert. I used a caramel topping instead of melting caramels to make the already easy bars even easier.
brooke
I am so glad you loved them!! Thank you for sharing I really appreciate it!
Sophie
Once you have one bite of these…. You can’t stop. So much flavor, perfect crunch but still oozy. Love these.
ashok
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
brooke
Thanks so much for trying them and leaving a comment and review!
Sandy
I made these with Cup4Cup gluten free flour and they turned out amazing! Our guests had no idea they were gluten free! Thanks for another great recipe!
brooke
So glad they turned out just as good with the GF flour!!
Kim
These qre amazing! I was curious about the fact that there are no eggs, but they are perfect. A buttery, salty, sweet, decadent desert.
brooke
Yay!! So glad you loved them too!
Claire
These are so good! And simple to make! My whole family loved them! It’s defiantly a keeper! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
brooke
Thanks so much Claire! I appreciate you not only making them, but coming back for the review!
Amy
Wow! Just made these, absolutely amazing!!!
brooke
Thank you so much Amy!! So glad you loved them.
Gina
These are so delicious - love the flavor combo! They are very rich and perfect to cut in smaller pieces to serve with other cookies and bars. I love to eat them cold too so that makes them easy to make ahead and can be frozen for future use! Thanks for an amazing recipe!
brooke
Thank you so much Gina! I agree that they are so good cold! Thanks for trying them and leaving a review!
Andrea
We’ve been making a different version of these bars for years-but this recipe has quickly replaced our old one. It’s the best we’ve had. We prefer to eat them cold. I had some chilling in our extra fridge that’s in our laundry room. Late one night I went to switch out the laundry and when I turned on the light I found my step dad eating them in the dark. I made another batch to send him home with!
brooke
I love that story so so much!!! Sounds like your step dad has good taste!:)
Bethany
These were an easy treat to whip up for a family event. The flavor combination is delicious and they freeze well too (just rewarm a bit in the microwave before eating)
Michelle
Soooooo good! Perfect salty & sweet. It’s a rich dish but you can’t get enough!
Hope
One of our family FAVS!!!! Most requested sweet treat!!! Love!!!!!!
Hope
One of our family favorites!!!
Shari Mauthner
I’m not sure how I stumbled across your wonderful site, but I bless the Internet Goddess that I did! As I am a fiend for anything with butterscotch/toffee, I immediately knew I HAD to make the Oatmeal Carmelita Toffee Bars. Throw in the 2 types of chocolate, plus the salty kiss, and Wowee!, the deal was sealed.
The bars were phenomenal-a super payoff for how easy they were to make and a bonus for me since I had all the ingredients, including some homemade caramel sauce that’s the bomb!
These will definitely go on the list of Holiday cookies to bake and gift. Thanks and Happy New Year! 🎊
Barbara Christensen
Where have these been all my life?? These bars are a HUGE crowd pleaser as they combine salty & sweet in a perfect love affair. Cutting them in tiny little squares make them the perfect bite size party treat.
Laura
Oh my word I could eat the whole tray by myself! An indulgent but perfectly balanced treat!
Lupe
Able to use GF quick in a minute oats?
brooke
yes, that should work fine!
Allison
Absolutely amazing, and warmed up a bit with some ice cream just puts them completely over the top.
Sydney
Fantastic recipe! Not typically one to review but this is one people need to know about!! Sooo good!!
Kodi Smith
These bars were so easy to make and are delicious!