Chocolate caramel bars
02.19.2013 
This morning brought mine and my nearly-six-year-old's first snow-shoeing experience. My oldest boy, who did not take his first step until he was three years old, was running around in sub-zero temps with snow shoes strapped to his feet. I don't know that I would have believed this three years ago! I'm a proud mama. And I want more snow-shoeing! Er, maybe when it's 20 degrees warmer outside.
Tomorrow is Elijah's sixth birthday, so I have cupcakes to bake. In the meantime, I will share these delicious bars with you. This recipe comes from my husband's side of the family. After I made this batch, he sank his teeth in and said, "Mmmm, childhood." Gotta love treats that bring back a little piece of childhood.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
Mix until crumbly. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine:
14-oz. bag caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup milk
Warm over low heat, stirring constantly until caramel is melted and smooth.
Remove the bottom crust from the oven and sprinkle an 11.5-oz. bag of milk chocolate chips evenly over the top.
Pour the melted caramel evenly over the top of the chocolate and top with the remaining flour-oats crumbles.
Bake for an additional 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool completely before serving.
Enjoy! I hope you are staying warm, wherever you are today!
Printable recipe: Chocolate caramel bars
Reader Comments (9)
These are in the oven now! Fabulous recipe. Thank you for sharing. I too made these for my husband. :)
These look so tasty!! Yum!
just made these today! i was scared i wouldnt have enough for the top so I skimped on the crust and ended up getting some top heavy bars. Oh well! I can't wait to eat them anyways!
these look so good!
Looks awesome! I would so love to try some. I am sure they taste amazing.
These sound incredible! Love the caramel oat combination!
Megan, have I already asked you this...............have you tried using the Caramel Bits? Rather than unfolding all of the separate caramels? I tired them once just recently and although I feel they melted slower than the cubed caramels, it was slick!!! I found these at the Eden Prairie local super market. But not in Lakeville, where I live. Food for though :)
Looks absolutely divine. Can this be made with wheat flour instead of white???
I made these today to serve at lunch at our Church's Upward program.........they were a HIT! I'm sure I will be sharing your recipe with others. Thanks for sharing it with us!!!!!