Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Oatmeal Carmelitas


I really loved the oatmeal banana muffins I made a few months ago using oat flour instead of regular flour. Since then I've been looking for other ways to use oat flour. These carmelita bars are also flourless and made using oat flour. They are so delicious you'll never guess that they actually contain about 15 grams of oatmeal per serving!
As I was making these bars with all their hidden oats, I was reminded a bit of one of the latest fads in cooking. You know the one where you puree up vegetables and sneak them into brownies and chicken fingers so your family doesn't realize they're eating vegetables. I'm not really a fan of this fad. I mean shouldn't we be trying to encourage or families to try new things and broaden their palate as well as their world? This is just my opinion but I'd hate to think we're raising a generation that will only eat veggies as long as they're disguised as something else. I've read the argument that at least the kiddos are eating veggies. I suppose that is true but at what point do you learn to enjoy vegetables that look and taste like vegetables? *stepping off soapbox now*


Carmelitas

Yield: 1 – 13" x 9" pan (35 squares)

Base and Topping
1 1/3 cup oat flour (go here for instructions for making oat flour)
1 cup oats, rolled, old fashioned or quick cooking
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup butter

Filling
32 caramels
5 tbsp cream
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

Combine oat flour, baking soda, salt and stir well. Stir in oats and brown sugar. Cut butter into dry ingredients until crumbly.
Pat half of the mixture into a lightly greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
While the base is baking, in a small saucepan, melt the caramels in the cream until smooth.
Remove pan from the oven. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and nuts on top of the base. Drizzle the caramel mixture on top. Add remaining oat mixture. Return to the 35 degrees oven for another 10 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow bars to cool before cutting. Because they don't contain any flour or eggs the carmalites are not as thick and a little most crumbly than most bar cookies but they taste so good you won't mind.


So chock full for nuts, chocolate and gooey caramel you'll never miss whats missing from these carmelitas.

23 comments:

Sara said...

I love these bars! I always buy them at bakeries, but I've never made them at home. Now I can, I'm excited :)

Anonymous said...

Yum - those oatmeal carmelitas sound excellent! Love the idea!

Mermaid Sews said...

I made the pillsbury version of these not too long ago, they were devoured. Yours look great.

Kelly said...

I could seriously eat them all. I love caramel and chocolate, and if they have added oats in them that will just be my justification for eating the whole pan! Fantastic!

J.L. Danger said...

oh man! Do these ever look good! Plus, anything with oatmeal just HAS to be good for you. Right?

Anonymous said...

i love oat flour! especially in cookies! these look great too!

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

What a great treat. Love your bars.

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I really like oat flour too. Plus it adds fiber, which is always a good thing.

Nic said...

I love making these, usually have to leave out the nuts though - yours look wonderful!!

grace said...

no surprise--these are fabulous! your pictures definitely do their deliciousness justice. also, caramel rules. :)

Claire said...

These look good! I love the name, too =)

Shari said...

These look sooo delicious. Reminds me of the "Rickety Uncles" I made a while back. Carmel and oats go well together. I'm sure these were a huge hit@

Eliana said...

This is almost like an oatmeal cookie with caramel. And look fantastic. And I've never made anything with oat flour. Can't wait to try.

Aimée said...

I'm against vegetables in disguise!
We eat our fair share of oats AND veggies around here. These would be perfect for our repertoire!

♥Rosie♥ said...

Your bars just look so good. I like the sound of using oatmeal in bakes.

Katie said...

These sound so tasty. I love the oaty toffee-ness

Kitchen 37B said...

these look soooo good! it's 11pm now and I'm suddenly craving for them!! yumm...

Digigirl said...

Your Carmelitas look wonderful. I love oatmeal cookies and caramel is one of my favorite flavors, so these are right up my alley!

On the veggie topic - I totally agree with you for the general public, but must add a caveat. Some people will NEVER learn to eat vegetables.

I've been trying to get my boyfriend's son (age 17) to eat any vegetables at all for the 5 years that I've lived with him. No dice. I've tried every tactic there is - doesn't work. He has convinced himself that veggies are evil and refuses to touch them - ANY vegetables. The closest he will get is tomato sauce on pizza.

So sometimes, trickery is needed. I wish I could get him to try veggies in their natural form, but in some cases, it just isn't an option.

How To Eat A Cupcake said...

Wow yummy pictures! These look so delish! :P

Danger Kitten said...

I love the name for these and they look delicious!

kelliscakes said...

i make these too! they are my fav & I LOVE sharing them...check out my blog :)http://kelliscakes-sweetdreams.blogspot.com/2009/11/carmelita-recipe.html
I blogged about them a while ago!

Jannett said...

love oatmeal..will be giving these a try... Great Blog... :)

77DDT said...

I'd like to pin this recipe on Pinterest, but can't find the pin button for it.Can you make it "pin-able?" Ha. Thanks!