Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Bars

• all purpose flour↗1.5 cup
• rolled oats↗1.3333333333333 cup
• brown sugar↗1 cup
• baking soda↗0.75 teaspoon
• salt↗0.5 teaspoon
• salted butter, melted and slightly cooled↗9 tablespoon
• semisweet chocolate chips↗12 ounce
• soft caramel candies40
• milk or cream (I used heavy whipping cream)↗6 tablespoon

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl . Melt the butter, let it cool, and pour into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir (I just used a wooden spoon) until a soft dough forms. It should be just slightly crumbly. If the dough feels wet and heavy, add a little more flour.

2. 2

   Press 3/4 of the dough into a 9×13 baking dish. Reserve the remaining 1/4 for topping. Bake for about 13 minutes or until the top is barely golden brown.

3. 3

   While crust is baking, unwrap caramels and melt in the microwave with the cream. Stir until the mixture is smooth and pourable.

4. 4

   Sprinkle chocolate chips over the baked crust. Pour the melted caramel over the chocolate chips. Crumble the remaining dough with your fingers (add a little more flour if it’s not crumbly enough) and sprinkle over the top of the bars. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the top layer is golden brown. Let stand for several hours or until the caramel is cooled.