Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars

Sinfully delicious and totally irresistible Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars. These are buttery, fudgy, salty, with lots of sweet caramel pecan flavor. A perfect treat for the holidays or just because.

What You’ll Love About Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars:

Sweeten up the dessert table with these Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars. Made with layers of buttery oatmeal crumble, chocolate chips, caramel sauce, and toasted pecans. These bars will leave you speechless!

This recipe was as an inspiration from an old southern living cookbook I’ve had tucked away for occasions when I need a simple desserts or my sweet tooth hits me hard. I love chocolate caramel anything and these met and far exceeded my expectations for that perfect balance.

With that said, there is no occasion like the present to gather your ingredients and make these bars. You won’t regret it! And the timing is perfect because it is absolutely mandatory you make something sweet for the holidays, why not it be something delicious and impressive.

Looking for something a little more classic, try my Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. A much easier and faster way to enjoy chocolate chip cookies without the extra fuss.

Simple Ingredients:

• Flour- I use all-purpose flour.
• Quick oats- Using quick oats will make sure the bars have the perfect texture and it’s not too chewy.
• Brown sugar- The brown sugar gives these bars an incredible rich flavor. I use light brown sugar.
• Baking soda and salt- Baking soda will help the bars to rise slightly, while the salt will balance out the sweetness.
• Butter- You’ll want to use melted butter for this recipe.
• Chocolate chips- I use semi-sweet but feel free to use milk chocolate or dark.
• Pecans- Toasting the pecans adds a wonderful nutty flavor to these bars and pairs well with the rest of the flavors.
• Caramels- I take a short-cut and use the individual squares of caramel you can find in the candy section of your grocery store.
• Half and half- This will help create a smooth caramel sauce and allow it to set up properly in the bars.

Substitutions and Additions:

How To Make Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars:

See full instructions in recipe card below

Step One. Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease a 9×13 baking dish, then line dish with parchment paper allowing it to hang over the edges.

Step Two. In a large mixing bowl mix together, flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Next stir in melted butter and mix until combined. It should be crumbly. Press half of this mixture in the bottom of prepared baking dish.

Step Three. Sprinkle the first layer with chocolate chips and toasted pecans.

Step Four. Add caramels and half and half to a microwave safe dish and microwave until caramel is melted making sure to stir every couple minutes. Pour caramel sauce over chocolate chips and pecans.

Step Five. Add the remaining flour and oat mixture over the caramel sauce and spread out in an even layer. Press down slightly. Bake in the oven for 30-minutes or until top is light golden brown. Cool completely in baking dish then use the corners of the parchment paper to pull out the bars and cut them into squares.

Important Tips:

Common Questions:

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
• Chocolate Layered Lasagna
• Kitchen Sink Blondies
• M&M Christmas Cookies
• Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars

Sinfully delicious and totally irresistible Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars. These are buttery, fudgy, salty, with lots of sweet caramel pecan flavor. A perfect treat for the holidays or just because.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 Bars

Calories: 377kcal

Equipment

• 1 large mixing bowl
• 1 small microwave bowl
• 1 9×13-inch baking dish

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup melted butter
• 1 (12) ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans see notes for how to toast pecans
• 11 ounce package of caramels such as Kraft
• 1/3 cup half and half

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray, then line with parchment paper making sure to leave a little bit of parchment to extend over each end. See post for image description.

• In a large mixing bowl mix together, flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
• Next stir in melted butter and mix until combined. It should be crumbly.
• Press half of the flour, oat, and butter mixture in an even layer in the bottom of prepared baking dish, then top with chocolate chips and toasted pecans.
• Add caramels and half and half to a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 2-minutes. Stir, then microwave until melted, stirring every 1-minute and being careful not to overcook the caramel sauce.
• Allow caramel sauce to rest for 1-minute before pouring over the chocolate and pecans.
• Crumble the remaining flour and oat mixture over the caramel sauce and spread out in an even layer. Press down slightly. Bake in preheated oven for 30-minutes or until top is light golden brown. Cool completely in baking dish on a cooling rack, then use the corners of the parchment paper to pull out the bars. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Notes

Tips:

 

• Caramel sauce- Make sure you don’t overcook the caramel sauce in the microwave. Stir every 2 minutes until just melted and smooth. Allow it to cool slightly before pouring over the chocolate chips.
• Allow bars to cool- It is very important you allow the bars to cool completely, which is cruel, I know. They are much easier to slice and they won’t fall apart once cooled.
• Make sure to grease your pan well- Even though we line the baking dish with parchment paper, it is still important, and your efforts will thank you by adding a layer of non-stick spray or butter to the pan first. This will ensure the bars come out of the pan effortlessly.
• Toasting pecans- I like to toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until golden and fragrant. This takes about 5-6 minutes.

 

Substitutions: 

 

• Flour and oats- You can make this gluten-free by adding your favorite gf flour and gf oats.
• Baking chips- Other baking chips that would be delicious is white chocolate, butterscotch, and peanut butter.
• Nuts- If you don’t like pecans, walnuts, pistachios and hazelnuts would be a great substitute.

 

Common Questions: 

 

How do I store these bars?

Store at room temperature in a sealed container up to 3 days. These can also be transferred to the refrigerator and will keep fresh up to one week. They can also be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Is the top supposed to be crumbly after they are baked?

Yes, the top will be crumbly and these are actually quite messy without a plate but totally worth it.

 

Nutritional facts include 1 bar.

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be understood as an estimate rather than a guarantee. The Menu Maid makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 255mg | Potassium: 275mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 394IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 3mg

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