Oatmeal Carmelita Bars
If you know me, you know I have a mahooooosive sweet tooth. When I was asked to review the new cookbook, "Sugar, Sugar: Every Recipe Has a Story" by Kimberly "Momma" Reiner and Jenna Sanz-Agero, how could I possibly say no with a title like that?
I really enjoy Kimberly and Jenna's approach to desserts we all remember from pot lucks, fundraisers and bake sales of our childhood. Each recipe is presented with a family story behind the recipe. As someone who started blogging as a way to catalogue those family stories, this book: it speaks to me.
Most of the time when I make something for Bluebonnets & Brownies, I do the choosing. Cooking is an escape, an art, for me. I used to paint - but now food is my medium of choice.
When we received the Sugar, Sugar cookbook, I flipped through it, post-it note marking the recipes that caught my fancy. But then The Brit caught site of this beautiful book with it's gorgeous cookie-filled cover and grabbed it from me. The look on his face as he turned the pages reading each recipe's description made me realize that this time, I should let him do the choosing.
James did me proud, y'all. He chose Oatmeal Carmelitas from the "Cool Bars and Summer Stars" section. I don't think I've ever made a bar cookie that was quite so tasty. Filled to the brim with oatmeal, chocolate and ooey-gooey caramel, what is not to love?
Kimberly and Jenna recommend these bars for summer barbecues and potlucks, but I think they would be the talk of any holiday cookie swap you choose to attend. James took the majority of this recipe's yield to work, as he usually does. Even the one overly health-conscious-never-indulges co-worker could not control herself.
James had to laugh when he caught her scoping out the leftovers at the end of the day, planning to sneak them home instead of leaving them for everyone to share the next day. They're just that good. Oatmeal Carmelita bars will drive good women to do rather naughty things, which I think was Kimberly and Jenna's intention all along in writing Sugar, Sugar!
Oatmeal Carmelita Bars
Makes about 24 2-inch square bars
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup room temperature butter (2 sticks)
1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 bag (14 ounces) Kraft Soft caramel candies, unwrapped
½ cup evaporated milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray or butter.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk together to combine, and then set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed. Slowly ad the flour mixture, mixing after each addition until fully incorporated.
Fold in the oats on low speed or using a wooden spoon.
The mixture should be crumbly and resemble a shortbread dough. Transfer approximately half (about 3 cups) of the mixture to the casserole dish. Spread and press the dough into the baking dish until you have an even layer with no cracks or crumbles, just like with shortbread.
Bake for 10 minutes and then remove from oven.
While the dough is baking, combine the evaporated milk and caramels in a small saucepan. On medium to low heat, stir the mixture constantly until all the caramels are melted and you have a thick sauce. Allow to cool until cookie base comes out of the oven.
Sprinkle the cookie base evenly with chocolate chips and pecans, and then carefully (because both the caramel sauce and casserole dish will be quite hot) pour the caramel sauce over the cookie base, nuts, and chocolate. Spread evenly with an offset spatula.
Sprinkle the remaining cookie dough over the top of the caramel-chocolate-nut mixture a handful at a time, making sure to get an even coating over the whole dish.
Return the dish to the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until the top crumbles are lightly browned.
Once out of the oven, cool the dish to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight. This is essential, as these bars only get better with time - plus they need time to set.
Cut into 2 inch squares using a sharp knife or metal dough scraper.
Share with people you love - or you'd like to impress!
Need more Sugar, Sugar in your holiday baking repertoire? (Who doesn't?)
Enter to win one copy of "Sugar, Sugar: Every Recipe Has a Story" by Kimberly "Momma" Reiner and Jenna Sanz-Agero!
How you win:
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Leave a comment below. Tell me your favorite family cooking story. It doesn't have to be about cookies or holiday baking, but those sure are fun.
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Important Details:
-This giveaway is open to USA and Canadian residents only and will run until Wednesday, December 7th at 11:59 pm EST.
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Disclosure:
This giveaway is provided to you by Bluebonnets & Brownies. The views and opinions expressed by Amber Bracegirdle on Bluebonnets & Brownies are my own, and based upon my cooking experiences with Sugar, Sugar: Every Recipe Has a Story. I was given the product free of charge to test and review it; however, I was not monetarily compensated for the review or giveaway.
[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Oatmeal Carmelita Bars - - - [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
hmm my favorite holiday memory is putting up our holiday Christmas village on our family room table every year! We have acquired lots of houses, buildings, and accessories for it over the years and we like to bake cookies, turn on the Christmas lights, and drink eggnog to get in the mood! 🙂
Each year the holiday table of desserts is almost as large as the main table for the rest of the meal. This makes me smile each year and know that I probably inherited my sweet tooth!
i subscribe to email updates.
i like bluebonnets and brownies on facebook
i like sugar mommas on facebook
one of the most vivid memories i have about cooking with my mom is when she used to make crepes. she would just dump in however much she thought she needed, mixed everything up and started cooking them. the first one would always be misshapen and sad looking and that was the one i'd run up and steal, burning my tongue and fingers, but it was so good plain and it would tide me over until she finished the entire huge batch of crepes. i secretly think that she made the first one sloppy just for me because the rest came out perfect after that. 🙂
I follow you both and tweeted the giveaway
I like bluebonnets and brownies on facebook
I like sugar mommas on facebook
My favorite cooking memory is when I used to ask my dad to let me stir in the chocolate chips for the 12-dozen cookie recipe he always makes (in a bowl I could've napped in), but my arms would always get tired before I could properly mix them all in!
And I already get B&B email updates! 🙂
Following you both on Twitter, and just tweeted the giveaway.
And now I like the Sugar Mommas, too.
I already like Bluebonnets and Brownies on Facebook. 🙂
I think my favorite family cooking story takes place during a very snowy Christmas when I was a kid. We had Christmas dinner at my great-uncle's house--a man who is a former firefighter and thus used to cooking for an entire firehouse of hungry men--and it had begun to blizzard like all get-out. My youngest sister, who was something of a picky eater at that point, turned down the Christmas turkey, the Christmas ham, everything but the mashed potatoes. So my intrepid uncle went out on his deck in the snowstorm and grilled her a hot dog.
This is a true story.