Oatmeal Carmelites

Don't let the title fool you...I know they have "oatmeal" in them, but these are not really a healthy dessert.  They are however, a delicious treat and are easy to make!  (You can make it even easier by substituting the caramels and the cream with a 16 oz. bottle of "Mrs. Richardson's" Carmel Butterscotch topping or "Nestle's" Dulce de leche.)  They both work great!  These will keep in an air tight container for about three days and they freeze really well! 

I hope you like them. 

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
• 1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 14 oz. pkg. light caramels, unwrapped
• 1/3 cup light cream
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips  (you can also use milk chocolate)
• 1 cup chopped pecans (my kids don't like nuts, so I omit these when I am making them for my family)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9-inch pan and set aside. In large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, soda and salt and blend. Add melted butter and mix until crumbly. Reserve half of crumb mixture (about 3 cups) for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture in bottom of greased pan.

In a small bowl, combine caramels and cream. Heat in microwave oven for 4-6 minutes on 50% power, stirring twice during cooking, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth.

Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans over reserved crust. Drizzle evenly with melted caramel mixture and sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Cut into bars.