Thursday, May 5, 2011

Caramel Oat Bars

Sometimes I make impulse buys when I'm shopping in the baking aisle.  A while back I bought a bag of Kraft unwrapped caramel bits not knowing what to do with them.  I liked the idea of not having to unwrap a bunch of caramels, but did not have any plans or desire to bake anything with caramel.  After seeing the bag of caramel bits sitting in my pantry for a few months I decided I better just go looking for something to make.  I found several versions of caramel oat bars on the internet, and combined recipes to get the bars that I made.  The caramel was nice and gooey and paired well with the oats and chocolate chips.  Just make sure to cool the bars completely before cutting or you may have a mess!
 CARAMEL OAT BARS
From Hannah's Kitchen

INGREDIENTS
1 package (11 ounces) Kraft caramel bits
3 tablespoons milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup regular or quick cooking oats (not instant) 
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine caramels and milk in a saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until caramels melt. Set mixture aside.

2. Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, salt, and butter, stirring until mixture is crumbly. You can also just use your hands to mix until crumbly. Press half of the crumb mixture into a greased 8 x 8 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. 

3. Remove crust from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Pour caramel mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle on remaining crumbs. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes, or until bars are lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

This post is linked to Sweets for a Saturday.
Posted by at

8 comments:

  1. Mike and KimmyMay 6, 2011 at 6:00 PM

    Wow! These look fabulous! I'm your newest follower.

    Kimmy
    www.kimmykitchen.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 6, 2011 at 6:08 PM

    I love the chocolate chips. It looks like you place them individually!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AbbyMay 6, 2011 at 9:20 PM

    These look really good! Great idea to use the caramel bits! I followed you over from Sweet as Sugar Cookies.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Allison @ Alli 'n SonMay 7, 2011 at 2:10 PM

    These sounds just like a bar that one of my favorite bakeries makes. Yum!

    I'd like to invite you to share this recipe on my weekly link-up, Sweet Tooth Friday. I hope to see you there. http://alli-n-son.com/2011/05/05/homemade-coffee-creamer/

    ReplyDelete
  5. ErinMay 7, 2011 at 4:49 PM

    Oh my gosh! I would really like to have these right now!

    ReplyDelete
  6. judge davidMay 11, 2011 at 12:39 PM

    Caramel (along with toffee) is my catnip. I'll be making these for our family reunion next month.

    ReplyDelete
  7. LisaMay 13, 2011 at 2:28 PM

    Mmm, caramel and chocolate, so gooey and delicious. Thanks for linking this up to Sweets for a Saturday. They made the hit list for last week's Sweets for a Saturday and will be featured on today's post. Congrats!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousJune 22, 2011 at 1:03 PM

    Those oat bars look so yummy!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)