Description
Delight in these Gooey Chocolate Caramel Bars featuring a buttery oat crust, luscious caramel drizzle, melty semisweet chocolate chips, and crunchy pecans for a perfect balance of flavors and textures in every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet and Topping Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups cold butter, cubed
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 jar (12 ounces) caramel ice cream topping
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the crust and bars.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour, quick-cooking oats, packed brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir thoroughly to blend all dry components evenly.
- Cut In Butter: Cut cold cubed butter into the dry mixture until it becomes crumbly. Reserve half of this crumb mixture for the topping later.
- Press Crust: Press the remaining crumb mixture firmly into a greased 13×9-inch baking pan to form the base layer for the bars.
- Bake Crust: Bake this crust layer for 15 minutes in the preheated oven to set it.
- Add Chocolate and Pecans: Remove the crust from the oven and evenly sprinkle the semisweet chocolate chips and chopped pecans over the baked crust.
- Prepare Caramel Mixture: Whisk the caramel ice cream topping together with the remaining 1/4 cup of flour until smooth to create a drizzle-able topping.
- Assemble and Top: Drizzle the caramel mixture evenly over the chocolate and pecans, then sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the top for added texture.
- Bake Bars: Return the assembled bars to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the bars are set.
- Cool Bars: Cool the bars on a wire rack for 2 hours to allow them to firm up before cutting into squares and serving.
Notes
- Use cold butter to ensure a crumbly, flaky texture for the crust and topping.
- Press the crust firmly into the pan to prevent crumbling when cutting the bars.
- Chilling the bars after baking helps them hold their shape better while slicing.
- For a nut-free version, omit pecans or substitute with seeds like sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
- If caramel ice cream topping is unavailable, caramel sauce or homemade caramel can be used as a substitute.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
