Last week our cute neighbor boy, Charlie had a birthday and I wanted to make him a treat so when his mom told me he liked chocolate and caramel, I knew I had the perfect thing in mind. I have always been a fan of Carmelitas but I hardly ever make them and this last run of them confirmed to me that yes, these babies need to be on rotation much more often. They are like a warm oatmeal cookie with chunks of gooey chocolate and caramel filling the insides and you just want more. I had to share the recipe with you guys because with the holidays coming up, you are going to want to make up a batch of these for guests. Have a great weekend!

| INGREDIENTS |

32 caramel squares, unwrapped

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips [I used Guittard milk chocolate chips]

| DIRECTIONS |

Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8x8" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.

*A stint in the fridge will help them cool off if you're pinched for time. They shouldn't be served cold, but all of the molten caramel takes a long time to cool down. They should be stored and served at room temperature.

recipe from Lulu The Baker