Easy Carmelita Pecan Bars
I took one of the top five recipes in the history of my blog, my recipe for Carmelitas, and dare I say I made it even better?Salted caramel and candied pecans make everything better. If you’ve never tried carmelitas before, they’re one of the most heavenly, decadent desserts that will ever pass your lips. Make these now, not in January when it’s resolution time. Biting through the layers of the chewy oatmeal crust, the chocolate chips, the crunchy pecans, the salty-and-sweet caramel sauce that’s gooey and wonderful, and the crisp topping is pure heaven.
What’s in the Caramel Pecan Bars?
I made these pecan bars without corn syrup, because you don’t need any to hold these bars together! Here’s what you’ll need to make the salted caramel pecan bars:
Butter Light brown sugar Vanilla extract All-purpose flour Old-fashioned oats Baking soda Salt Salted caramel sauce Semi-sweet chocolate chips Candied pecan halves
How to Make Caramel Pecan Bars
It’s an easy, one bowl, no mixer recipe that starts with a buttery, brown sugar, and oatmeal crust. The crust also doubles as the crumbly topping which is a nice time saver. Bake the crust briefly, then top it with chocolate chips, candied pecans, and salted caramel before sprinkling on the oatmeal crumbles. I used Fisher Pecan Halves and candied them using this recipe. Fisher Nuts is the only national brand of recipe nuts entirely without preservatives, making them an excellent choice for your holiday baking. After you’ve baked the salted caramel pecan bars, you’ll need to let them cool completely before slicing and serving. This gives the molten caramel time to set up.
Can I Make These Bars in Advance?
Yes! I actually think this dessert is best made the night before and served the next day. The bars need time to set up properly!
Can I Use Instant Oats?
No, instant oats are more finely ground than old-fashioned oats and will result in drier bars that aren’t nearly as chewy.
Tips for Making Caramel Pecan Bars
In my original recipe for Carmelitas, I melted caramels with heavy cream for the caramel sauce, but here I used store-bought salted caramel sauce (I love the one from Trader Joe’s!). I have an excellent homemade recipe for Salted Caramel Sauce if you want to make your own. Don’t use thin ice cream sundae caramel topping, though. It’s too runny and the bars won’t set up. If desired, you can double this recipe and bake it in a 9×13-inch pan. The bake time should remain roughly the same.
More Caramel Desserts:
Carmelitas — For the serious caramel lover, these soft and chewy bars are dripping with caramel and stuffed with chocolate! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Salted Caramel and Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars — You’ll never want plain pecan pie again! Caramel and chocolate makes the bars taste amazing!
Salted Caramel Maple Pecan Pie Bars — All the flavor of pecan pie minus the work – so easy! Salted caramel makes everything better…mmm!
Salted Caramel Buttery Crumb Bars — Easy, soft, buttery bars that just melt in your mouth! The salted caramel makes them so irresistible!
Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars — Made with salted caramel PB (yes it’s a thing!) Soft, chewy, gooey and so irresistible!
Peanut Butter Caramel Twix Bars (almost no-bake) – DIY Twix Bars with a layer of peanut butter, and just dripping with salted caramel!
The 25 Best Caramel and Salted Caramel Recipes – The tried-and-true favorites are all here! If you need a caramel recipe, this collection has you covered!
Post is brought to you by Fisher Nuts. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own. #fisherunshelled This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fisher. The opinions and text are all mine.
