Chocolate and Caramel Oat Bars

Hi there! We had a monster snow storm here this weekend, so I was able to get some baking done. I’ve taken a little break from my monthly recipe posts during the holidays but now I’m ready to get  back to it. If you are new to this, once a month I switch up my usual DIY and home decor posts to  participate in an ingredient challenge with some friends. This months chosen ingredient was chocolate, so how could I skip this one??

I decided to make these Chocolate and Caramel Oat Bars. My husband’s sweet tooth isn’t as big as mine, but he really loved this recipe! One tip to keep in mind when making this recipe is the mixture will be dry. When it bakes the butter melts and turns it to that golden brown color. When I took it out of the oven after the final baking step I did add a few more pats of butter to one or two leftover dry-looking spots. The photo below shows what the mix looks like before it goes into the oven.

A friend had shared this recipe with me awhile back and I was definitely skeptical the first time I saw this mix that it would come out right, but much to my surprise it did.

They come out of the oven very rich and gooey, and would be delicious topped with ice cream. You can print out the full recipe card shown below.

Don’t forget to stop by and see what my friends created using chocolate, they never disappoint!

 linking up with Between Naps on the Porch

Chocolate and Caramel Oat Bars

These easy oat bars are sweet and rich, and can be topped with ice cream.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Course Desserts

Servings 4 dozen

Ingredients

  

• 2 1/4 cups flour divided
• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups cold butter
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 12 ounces
• 1 cup pecans chopped
• 1 jar caramel ice cream topping 12 ounces

Instructions

 

• Combine 2 cups of the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Set half aside for topping.
• Press the remaining crumb mixture into a greased 13-in. X 9-in. X 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle with the chocolate chips and pecans. Whisk the caramel topping and remaining flour until smooth, drizzle over top. Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before cutting.