by Holly
If you’ve never had Oatmeal Carmelitas before, you’ve been missing out! They’re one of my all time favorite bars with a thick buttery oat crust loaded with chocolate and caramel! 
I am very passionate about food, both enjoying it and creating it. Because food is such a huge part of my everyday life, it’s hard to fathom that some people in our own city (and in your city) just aren’t able to put a hot meal on the table for themselves or their families.
I have been fortunate enough to partner with Glad and be a part of their Glad to Give program which inspires acts of giving, in turn truly building up our communities. My 12 year old daughter and I have been volunteering locally, serving meals to those in need. I feel this is a very important way to give back to the community because I believe a fresh warm meal is a basic human necessity, not a luxury.
In addition to being able to assist with food prep and service, I also think it’s important for my daughter to participate in volunteering at the mission too. While she will learn the value of good hard work, she will also learn compassion, empathy, and how fulfilling it is to do something for someone else. Most importantly, it teaches her the importance of coming together as a community.
In addition to volunteers, there is a full set of staff who coordinate everything to keep things running smoothly. These people are amazing. Not only do they coordinate volunteers but they also plan meals, prepare food, order supplies, and serve our community every single day.
My daughter and I wanted to let the staff members know how much we appreciate, not only their guidance (for without them, we couldn’t do our jobs as volunteers) but also their commitment to the people in our community. We decided to prepare little care packages for the staff with handwritten notes of gratitude including one of my favorite quotes.
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” -Helen Keller
We created 15 care packages each filled with a few delicious treats (including these Oatmeal Carmelitas) and packaged them in Glad containers to keep them fresh. We attached a handwritten thank you card to each package and delivered them to the staff at our shift at the mission this weekend. The staff was truly touched and knew they were appreciated… which they are!
While we do give back to our community it is also inspiring to see how others give back every day. Just another reminder that there is good in the world, and we need to make sure we are each a part of that good.
One act of giving inspires another. What are you glad to give? Visit gladtogive.com to see real stories from celebrities and everyday people who are doing just that. You can find out how to help and share your giving story too. You can also visit GladtoGive.com to schedule a free pick-up through Donation Town to a local charity of your choice.
While you’re thinking about your favorite way to give back to your community, I think it’s a really good idea to dive into a pan of these Oatmeal Carmelitas. They’re delicious and totally irresistible! You can pack them in Glad food containers for giving (we found the entree size to be perfect for about 4 squares) or store them in the pan tightly sealed with Glad Cling Wrap to keep them fresh.
Oatmeal Carmelitas
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 24 bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups quick cooking oats
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup butter melted
- 14 ounces caramels unwrapped
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 ½ cups semi sweet chocolate chunks
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, grease well, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar and baking soda. Stir in butter until well mixed.
- Press half of the oat mixture into the prepared pan. Top with chocolate.
- Microwave milk and caramels at 70% power until smooth (about 3-4 minutes), stirring as needed.
- Pour caramel over the chocolate and crust. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over top gently pressing to stick. Bake 20-25 minutes.
- Cool completely before cutting.
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Glad Products Company. The opinions and text are all mine.
This was every bit as good as I hoped it would be! Absolutely delicious- especially eating them warm with vanilla ice cream!
I’m so glad you loved it Colleen!
These look fantastic, but I’ve read the recipe 3 times and I’m still confused. You say to top the oat crust mixture with chocolate. Which chocolate – the chunks or the chips? Do you melt the chocolate? Do you top with both whole? You never mention a second chocolate after topping the crust with chocolate. Please specify and reply to me as well as to the blog.
The chocolate is not melted. Simply sprinkle the chocolate chunks and milk chocolate chips over the base.
Can these be frozen?
Hi Lynne, we have not tried freezing these but I think it should work. Just be sure to store in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Can you use regular oatmeal with this?
We’ve only made this recipe as listed Joyce, but regular oatmeal should work just fine! Let us know how they turn out.
can i make these with old fashioned oats…. ? if so, do i do anything different ?
That should work just fine with no changes required.
I have a church breakfast to attend, could these be made ahead of time and be put in a crock pot on warm to keep them hot?
Yes. Keep it on a low heat, though. Check them to make sure nothing is getting burnt!
Carmelitas are one of my most fave desserts in the whole world! That caramel…mmm, looks wonderful!
It’s amazing!!