My homemade Chocolate Caramel Bars have a buttery, brown sugar and oats crust that tastes like the best oatmeal cookie in the entire world, topped with luscious dark chocolate and whole roasted almonds in a creamy caramel sauce under a crumbly streusel topping. Take a moment to savor that thought...

Now that you've had time to delight in all the scrumptious flavors that make-up my Chocolate Caramel Bars, you might be wondering what excuse you have to whip up a batch of these beauties. Not that you need an excuse, but just in case, I got you covered! 

Whether it is a special occasion such as a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or even just a low-key dinner party with a few close friends, you can't go wrong with these easy-to-make Chocolate Caramel Bars. It always makes me happy to bring people together and stuff them full of deliciousness, and chocolate and nuts are a must to have on hand when entertaining! Of course, they are great all on their own, but they are best when baked into a tasty treat. Am-I-right?! One taste of these Chocolate Caramel Bars and you'll know just how right I am!

When making a bar recipe like this that doesn't really have a lot of ingredients, it is important to use quality ingredients that taste great. Of course, the chocolate/nut layer is the most important, which is why I use Brookside Dark Chocolate covered Almonds. The handy pouches make for a quick snack, but I've also found they are great in baked goods too!

Brookside has many flavors available, so when making my Chocolate Caramel Bars consider changing things up a bit and trying the Dark Chocolate covered Blueberry or even the Milk Chocolate covered Almond. 

My Chocolate Caramel Bars are perfect for all kinds of entertaining, because they are very easy to make and take on-the-go. Not to mention they are crowd-pleasing good! I will definitely be packing these when we head out to those potlucks, BBQ's, and picnics this summer! I wouldn't want to go empty-handed! That would be rude!

To make this tasty treat, we start with the crust that is also the crumb topping. In the bowl of a food processor (or a large mixing bowl), combine 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/3 cups quick cooking oats, 2/3 cups packed light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Pulse a few times to mix well...

Add in 2 sticks of chilled and cubed unsalted butter. Process for about 30 seconds until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. It is very important to use cold butter in order to get the desired crumb. If your butter softens before you are ready to add it to the flour mixture, I suggest setting it in the freezer until it is very chilled.

I use a food processor as it makes quick work of the crumb mixture, but if you don't have a food processor you can use a pastry cutter or 2 knives to cut-in the butter.

Reserve 1 3/4 cups crumb mixture and set aside to use as the topping. Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of a 13"x9" baking dish lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven at 350°F.

While the crust is baking, combine 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk with 1/2 cup salted caramel topping...

mix well and set aside until ready to use.

Remove the crust from the oven and top with Brookside Dark Chocolate covered Almonds. I used an entire 5.5 ounce pouch and it was just the right amount for these bars!

Pour the caramel mixture evenly over the chocolates and the crumb layer...

Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture and bake in the preheated 350°F oven for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Allow to cool in pan before cutting.

Serve with remaining caramel topping and enjoy!

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Chocolate Caramel Bars

By Life Tastes Good
Published 08/03/2015

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups quick cooking oats
• 2/3 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled, unsalted butter, cubed
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 11.5 ounce Salted Caramel Topping
• 5.5 ounce Brookside Dark Chocolate covered Almonds available exclusively at Target

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 13x9" baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a food processor (or a large mixing bowl), combine 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/3 cups quick cooking oats, 2/3 cups packed light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Pulse a few times to mix well.
3. Add in 1 cup (2 sticks) of chilled and cubed unsalted butter. Process for about 30 seconds until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. It is very important to use cold butter in order to get the desired crumb. If your butter softens before you are ready to add it to the flour mixture, I suggest setting it in the freezer until it is very chilled. I use a food processor as it makes quick work of the crumb mixture, but if you don't have a food processor you can use a pastry cutter or 2 knives to cut-in the butter.
4. Reserve 1 3/4 cups crumb mixture and set aside to use as the topping. Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of a 13"x9" baking dish lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven at 350°F.
5. While the crust is baking, combine 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk with 1/2 cup salted caramel topping. Mix well and set aside until ready to use.
6. Remove the crust from the oven and top with 5.5 ounces of Brookside Dark Chocolate covered Almonds.
7. Pour the caramel mixture evenly over the chocolates and the crumb layer. Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture and bake in the preheated 350°F oven for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Allow to cool in pan before cutting. Serve with remaining caramel topping and enjoy!

Yield: 24 bars
Prep Time: 15 mins.

Cook time: 45 mins.
Total time: 60 mins.

For more sweet treats, be sure to visit Life Tastes Good's Sweets page...