Carmelitas

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set pan aside. Note, lining your pan is highly recommended for ease of cleanup due to the stickiness of the caramel.
• In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 90 seconds. Add the brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
• Add the flour, oats, baking soda, optional pinch of salt, and stir until combined. Mixture will be quite thick.
• Add about half (just eyeball it) of the mixture to the prepared pan, and smooth it with spatula or the back of a spoon, to create an even, smooth, flat layer; set remainder aside.
• Bake for 10 minutes. While it bakes, make the caramel sauce.
• In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, combine the caramels, cream, and salt, and heat on high power in 60-second bursts to melt caramels, stirring after each burst. It will likely take about 4 to 5 minutes total to melt; heat until mixture can be stirred until smooth. Alternatively, combine caramels and cream in a medium saucepan, and heat over medium-low heat to melt, stirring nearly continuously, until mixture can be stirred smooth.
• After 10 minutes, remove pan from the oven and evenly sprinkle with the chocolate.
• Slowly and evenly pour caramel sauce over the chocolate. Evenly crumble reserved oatmeal-brown sugar mixture over the top.
• Return pan to oven and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and center is bubbling slightly.
• Allow bars to cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving, giving the molten caramel time to firm up. This can take up to 4 hours, or overnight, at room temperature. You can speed it up by placing pan in fridge with a sheet of foil over the top. If you don’t wait for bars to cool completely, they’ll be a literal hot mess. They’ll taste fine, but they won’t slice neatly with clean cuts.