Homemade Caramelitas Experiment

A couple of weekends ago I experienced my first Caramelita. I bit into this chewy, moist, square of chocolate, oatmeal and caramel and was instantly in heaven. I promptly found myself losing all self control and reaching for another, and then another, and then another! In my defense the maker cut them into the tiniest squares EVER {at least that's what I've been telling myself}. I had never heard of a Caramelita, so the first opportunity I got I googled the recipe and once I saw that it was relatively simple and straight forward I decided to brave an attempt. So here we go - Keep in mind, my baking skills are spotty at best:

I first started by making some homemade caramel:

Ingredients

1 CUP of sugar
6 TBSP butter
1/2 CUP heavy whipping cream

If you've never made caramel before, it's a super speedy process, so. . .

1. Gather and measure out all of your ingredients and have them lined up and ready to roll.

2. Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as the sugar comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on.

3. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted, immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

4. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. {Note: When you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will begin to bubble up considerably and quickly. This is why you should definitely use a pan that is at least 2-quarts.}

5. Whisk until the caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool. 

Onto the main event. . .

Ingredients

3 CUPS, plus 3 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 1/2 TSP baking soda
1/2 TSP salt
4 STICKS unsalted butter, softened
3 CUPS quick-cooking rolled oats
2 1/4 CUPS light brown sugar
16 OZ caramel
1 1/2 CUPS semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 CUP chopped pecans

5. Preheat the oven to 350° and butter a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan. 

6. In a large bowl, whisk 3 cups of the flour with the baking soda and salt. Add the butter, oats and brown sugar and mix until combined. 

7. In a small bowl, mix the caramel with the remaining 3 tablespoons of flour.

8. Pat half of the oat mixture into the baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. 

9. Remove from oven and first begin by scattering half of the chocolate chips and pecans over the crust. Then, drizzle half of the caramel mixture on top. Continue to layer by crumbling the remaining oat mixture evenly into the pan. Cover with the remaining chocolate chips, pecans and caramel. 

10. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the edges are set. Let cool to room temperature before cutting. 

Survey says: A crowd pleaser for sure! While mine were a much thicker than the originals, they were just as delicious. If I could do it over again I think I would use an extra 1/2 cup of caramel. I also intentionally let them stay in the oven for an extra 5 minutes and that resulted in a much crunchier bar, but I'm more of a chewy fan so I probably wouldn't do that again.