This recipe comes from someone I worked with at NCTE, Sharon. She brought them to a cookie exchange we had at the office, and I became thoroughly addicted. Oatmeal Carmelitas are the twenty-fourth of my 25 Cookies of Christmas.
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose or unbleached flour
- 2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
- 1½ cups brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ tsp salt
- 1¼ cups margarine or butter, softened
Filling
- 6 oz. pkg (about 1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped nuts
- 12 oz jar caramel ice cream topping
- 3 tbsp flour
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease 13" x 9" pan.
- Measure flour by dip-level method into large mixing bowl.
- Blend in remaining crust ingredients with electric mixer at low speed until crumbly.
- Press half of crumb mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Set remainder aside for topping.
- Bake for 10 minutes
- Sprinkle warm crust with chocolate chips and nuts.
- In small bowl, combeing caramel topping and 3 tbsp flour.
- Drizzle caramel mixture evenly over chocolate chips and nuts.
- Sprinkle with remaining crust mixture.
- Bake an additional 18 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Cool completely. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until filling is set.
- Cut into bars.
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Time Required: 45 minutes plus cooling time
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Servings: about 3 dozen
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