Carmelitas

I woke up this morning craving something sweet and gooey and of course am not going to allow myself to make such a thing because I have two ginormous bags of Halloween candy sitting open in my closet. Im usually not a HUGE eater of sugar, I crave the savory over the sweet, but there is just something about this time of year that gets me into sugar mode.
So long story short...instead of coming downstairs and whipping up a pan of these amazing beauties I thought I would share them with you guys so that you can make them and tell me all about how fantastic they are :)
I love these things because they combine all the best things of a good dessert...chocolate...gooey caramel...oats so you think your eating healthier....



This recipe came from a blog called Lulu the Baker. I haven't really looked around it to much (mainly because I have gotten stuck on this page every time I go there and can't seem to make myself leave it. But if the other recipes are anything like this one then I will be glad that I have come across this place.

32 caramel squares, unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside. 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 8x8" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. 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.

**Randi's Side Notes**
Here are some tips that she shared at the end of the recipe.
*A stint in the fridge will help them cool off if you're pinched for time. They shouldn't be served cold, but all of that molten caramel takes a long time to cool down. They should be stored and served at room temperature.
**If you want to use homemade or store-bought caramel sauce in place of the caramel/cream mixture, use 1 1/4 cups of caramel sauce, and omit the caramel squares and heavy cream.
***To make a 9x13" version, simply double the amounts.