Easy Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Bars
Buttery oatmeal cookie layers sandwich a gooey caramel and melty chocolate center. These bakery-style bars mix up in minutes and bake to chewy, golden perfection—no candy thermometer required.
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Servings:
Calories: 120kcal
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1.25 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cups packed light brown sugar
- 0.5 teaspoons baking soda
- 0.5 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 cups unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 11 ounces soft caramel candies, unwrapped
- 0.25 cups heavy cream
- 0.5 teaspoons flaky sea salt optional, for topping
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy lifting, and lightly grease.
- In a large bowl whisk oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and fine sea salt until evenly combined.
- Pour in melted butter and vanilla. Stir until the mixture is evenly moistened and crumbly, like damp sand. Reserve 1.5 cups of the mixture for the topping.
- Press the remaining oat mixture firmly and evenly into the prepared pan to form the bottom crust.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes until just set.
- Meanwhile, combine the unwrapped caramels and heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and fully melted, then remove from heat.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the hot crust.
- Pour the warm caramel evenly over the chocolate chips. Gently spread to the edges without disturbing the crust.
- Crumble the reserved oat mixture evenly over the caramel. If using, sprinkle flaky sea salt on top.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and the caramel is bubbling around the edges.
- Cool completely in the pan on a rack, about 2 hours. For the cleanest slices, chill for 30 minutes before cutting.
- Lift out using the parchment overhang and cut into 16 bars. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Store bars airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week. For a nutty twist, add 0.75 cups chopped pecans or walnuts with the chocolate chips. To make them a bit less sweet, use bittersweet chocolate chips. If you prefer salted butter, reduce added salt to 0.25 teaspoons.