Oatmeal Carmelitas

I've had a bag of Kraft caramel bits in my pantry forever and this recipe seemed like a perfect way to use them up.  I tend to impulse buy baking supplies so I end up with all kinds of products for which I had no intended purpose.  After scouring the internet and my cookbook collection for recipes with caramel, I settled on these bars.  I had to tweak the original recipe quite a bit, but I am officially declaring my version a success.  One of my co-workers proclaimed that he wanted "to bathe in them."  If that's not a ringing endorsement than I don't know what is!  These bars are easy to put together, and the combination of crunchy oats with creamy caramel and chocolate is sure to please.

OATMEAL CARMELITAS

INGREDIENTS

1 bag (11 ounces) Kraft caramel bits
1/3 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8" x 8" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

4. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.