Description
These Gooey Chocolate Caramel Bars feature a deliciously crumbly oat and flour base topped with melted semisweet chocolate chips, crunchy pecans, and a smooth layer of caramel sauce. Perfect for dessert or a sweet snack, this recipe combines rich caramel with chocolate and a buttery oat crust for an irresistible treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust and Topping
- 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups cold butter, cubed
Filling
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 jar (12 ounces) caramel ice cream topping
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°. This ensures it’s at the perfect temperature when you’re ready to bake the bars.
- Prepare Crumb Mixture: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the cold, cubed butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. This will create the base and topping crumble.
- Set Aside Topping: Take half of the crumbly mixture and set it aside for later use as the topping.
- Press Base: Press the remaining crumb mixture evenly into a greased 13×9-inch baking pan to form the base layer of the bars.
- Bake Base: Bake the base in the preheated oven for 15 minutes to partially cook and set the crust.
- Add Chocolate and Pecans: Remove the crust from the oven and evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips and chopped pecans on top.
- Prepare Caramel Drizzle: Whisk together the caramel ice cream topping and the remaining 1/4 cup flour until smooth, then drizzle this caramel mixture evenly over the chocolate and nut layer.
- Add Topping and Bake: Sprinkle the reserved crumb topping over the caramel layer. Bake again for 20 minutes or until the bars turn golden brown on top.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the bars to cool completely on a wire rack for 2 hours. This helps the bars set and makes them easier to cut into squares. Then cut into about 4-1/2 dozen bars and serve.
Notes
- Make sure the butter is cold to achieve a crumbly texture for the crust and topping.
- For a nut-free version, omit the pecans or substitute with seeds like sunflower seeds.
- Use quick-cooking oats for the best crumbly texture; old-fashioned oats can be used but will alter the consistency slightly.
- Cool bars fully before cutting to avoid sticky or gooey pieces.
- Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
