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Home » Recipes » Brownies & Bars

Oatmeal Carmelita Toffee Bars

April 30, 2021 by brooke 33 Comments

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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.

pieces of the oatmeal carmelita toffee bars cut up small and scattered.

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 add a little extra texture that I love.

Right side of the bars cut on the diagonal

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.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 8x8 pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment.
  2. 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.
  3. Add flour and oats, mixing until combined.
  4. Press half the dough onto the bottom of the 8x8 pan. Bake for 8 minutes.
  5. While bars bake, melt caramel and cream together in the microwave. Cook in 30 second increments, stirring in between until mixed and melted.
  6. Top the warm bottom layer of the bars with both chocolate chips and toffee bits, followed by warm caramel sauce.
  7. 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.
  8. I prefer to make these hours or up to a day in advance so that they can completely set up before cutting.
the bars with the chocolate and warm caramel sauce before going in the oven again

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.

arial view of the full pan of oatmeal carmelita toffee bars cut up

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.

broken piece of the bar and some other cut  bars scattered, sea salt in the corner for topping

OTHER BAR RECIPES TO TRY OF MINE:

  • Brown Butter Salted Toffee Blondies
  • Easy Homemade Lemon Bars
  • Double Chocolate Fudge Brownies

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 cut up.

Oatmeal Carmelita Toffee Bars

brooke
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.
4.96 from 24 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 389 kcal

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 the warm bottom layer 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.

Notes

I like to buy Peters Carmel to have on hand for all my caramel needs, but have used Kraft Caramel bits on the occasion that I am out of Peters. And I recently tried it with Trader Joes Sea Salt Caramel sauce because I love it and the bars were great too! Basically you can't go wrong.
I have doubled this recipe many times and baked it in a 9x13 pan instead. The doing so add 2-3 minutes to each part of the baking.
I have given both cups and grams as measurements. Grams will be more precise, especially when measuring flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, no problem! Just lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup to insure its not packed in there. Light and fluffy is the key.

Nutrition

Calories: 389kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 3gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 342mgPotassium: 135mgFiber: 2gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 458IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 1mg
Keyword caramel, chocolate, oatmeal, toffee
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah

    May 03, 2021 at 2:53 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • brooke

      May 03, 2021 at 8:43 pm

      Thank you so much Sarah! I am so happy you loved them. I agree, the flavor combo is so good!

      Reply
    • Melissa

      June 17, 2021 at 8:33 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • brooke

        June 17, 2021 at 9:23 pm

        I am so glad you loved them!! Thank you for sharing I really appreciate it!

        Reply
    • Sophie

      November 17, 2021 at 9:54 am

      Once you have one bite of these…. You can’t stop. So much flavor, perfect crunch but still oozy. Love these.

      Reply
  2. ashok

    July 18, 2021 at 12:41 am

    5 stars
    Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.

    Reply
    • brooke

      July 27, 2021 at 9:37 pm

      Thanks so much for trying them and leaving a comment and review!

      Reply
  3. Sandy

    July 19, 2021 at 1:20 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • brooke

      July 27, 2021 at 9:36 pm

      So glad they turned out just as good with the GF flour!!

      Reply
      • Kim

        August 14, 2021 at 5:57 pm

        5 stars
        These qre amazing! I was curious about the fact that there are no eggs, but they are perfect. A buttery, salty, sweet, decadent desert.

        Reply
        • brooke

          August 16, 2021 at 9:59 am

          Yay!! So glad you loved them too!

          Reply
      • Claire

        November 07, 2021 at 6:49 pm

        5 stars
        These are so good! And simple to make! My whole family loved them! It’s defiantly a keeper! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

        Reply
        • brooke

          November 07, 2021 at 7:48 pm

          Thanks so much Claire! I appreciate you not only making them, but coming back for the review!

          Reply
  4. Amy

    September 10, 2021 at 11:21 am

    5 stars
    Wow! Just made these, absolutely amazing!!!

    Reply
    • brooke

      September 10, 2021 at 2:01 pm

      Thank you so much Amy!! So glad you loved them.

      Reply
  5. Gina

    November 07, 2021 at 4:18 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • brooke

      November 07, 2021 at 5:30 pm

      Thank you so much Gina! I agree that they are so good cold! Thanks for trying them and leaving a review!

      Reply
  6. Andrea

    November 07, 2021 at 6:08 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • brooke

      November 07, 2021 at 7:49 pm

      I love that story so so much!!! Sounds like your step dad has good taste!:)

      Reply
  7. Bethany

    November 07, 2021 at 8:13 pm

    5 stars
    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)

    Reply
  8. Michelle

    November 07, 2021 at 8:33 pm

    5 stars
    Soooooo good! Perfect salty & sweet. It’s a rich dish but you can’t get enough!

    Reply
  9. Hope

    November 17, 2021 at 2:07 pm

    5 stars
    One of our family FAVS!!!! Most requested sweet treat!!! Love!!!!!!

    Reply
  10. Hope

    November 17, 2021 at 2:08 pm

    5 stars
    One of our family favorites!!!

    Reply
  11. Shari Mauthner

    January 01, 2022 at 9:34 am

    5 stars
    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! 🎊

    Reply
  12. Barbara Christensen

    February 03, 2022 at 9:40 pm

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  13. Laura

    May 17, 2022 at 10:13 am

    5 stars
    Oh my word I could eat the whole tray by myself! An indulgent but perfectly balanced treat!

    Reply
  14. Lupe

    June 13, 2022 at 8:29 am

    Able to use GF quick in a minute oats?

    Reply
    • brooke

      June 13, 2022 at 8:31 am

      yes, that should work fine!

      Reply
  15. Allison

    November 07, 2022 at 11:39 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely amazing, and warmed up a bit with some ice cream just puts them completely over the top.

    Reply
  16. Sydney

    November 14, 2022 at 2:06 pm

    5 stars
    Fantastic recipe! Not typically one to review but this is one people need to know about!! Sooo good!!

    Reply
  17. Kodi Smith

    November 29, 2022 at 12:10 am

    5 stars
    These bars were so easy to make and are delicious!

    Reply
  18. Kate

    March 12, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    5 stars
    SOOO GOOD! Took a batch of these to work and my coworkers LOVED them. Thanks for the delicious recipe:)

    Reply
    • brooke

      March 13, 2023 at 4:47 pm

      Yay! I'm so glad everyone loved them! Thanks for trying them!

      Reply

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