Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Carmelitas

5 from 4 votes

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Fall is here and there are pumpkins and apples everywhere, leaves are changing, there’s a chill in the air and it’s everywhere BUT San Diego! This heatwave seems to be subsiding and I thought to get in the Fall mood like the rest of the country an apple dessert would work. So instead of chocolate as the usual go-to in carmelitas, I give you my Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Carmelitas. These are seriously good. Dangerous really…

A plate of food, with Apple and Cinnamon oatmeal bars

I was thinking I could make my grandmothers Apple Crisp of course, but why not shake up a another favorite of mine with a new twist. The Honeycrisp apples I had were the last of the batch from Costco. I love them and thought of a caramel cookie with diced apples would be awesome. I recently made some carmelitas for a party and figured I’d test out an idea.

Carmelitas are wonderful bar cookies made with butter, flour and oats. Caramel is drizzled over a partially cooked dough base and then chocolate chips anoint the caramel and the balance of the crumb dough is on top of that and baked. Heaven! Here I used apples instead of my beloved chocolate and surprise, it’s a winner!

After 2 batches, and some happy neighbors, I think I found the right consistency for these to hold up and boy do they deliver BIG on flavor.

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Carmelitas. www.keviniscooking.com

First, let’s preheat that oven to 350°F. Peel and dice the apples, set aside. I diced them real small to hold shape , but also to be cooked in the same time to bake the crust. The first batch I made they were cut too big. The second batch found me with too juicy a batch because I used too many apples. Just two do the trick surprisingly.

In a small saucepan over low heat melt the caramels and heavy cream, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Combine in a medium bowl the flour, oats, brown sugar, soda, salt and melted butter to form crumbs. Press half the crumbs into the bottom of a parchment lined 9×9″ pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Carmelitas. www.keviniscooking.com

With the remaining crumb mixture I added a half cup of chopped pecans for flavor and texture.

Sprinkle the diced apples over the partially baked crust. Pour the cooled caramel over the apples, sprinkle cinnamon on top and remaining crumb mixture. Bake for 22 minutes. Allow to set and cool, middle might appear undone, but will set and firm up. Chill bars for 60 minutes for easy cutting.

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Carmelitas. www.keviniscooking.com

A plate of food, with Apple and Cinnamon oatmeal bars

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Carmelitas

5 from 4 votes
Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Carmelitas. Bar cookies made with butter, flour and oats. Caramel is drizzled over a partially cooked dough base and diced apple.
Servings: 16 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 32 minutes
Total: 42 minutes

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel and dice the apples, set aside.
  • In a small saucepan over low heat melt the caramels and heavy cream, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • Combine in a medium bowl the flour, oats, brown sugar, soda, salt and melted butter to form crumbs. Press half the crumbs into the bottom of a parchment lined 9x9" pan. Bake for 10 minutes. With the remaining crumb mixture I added a half cup of chopped pecans for flavor and texture.
  • Sprinkle the diced apples over the partially baked crust. Pour the cooled caramel over the apples, sprinkle cinnamon on top and remaining crumb mixture. 
  • Bake for 22 minutes. Allow to set and cool, middle might appear undone, but will set and firm up. Chill bars for 60 minutes for easy cutting.

Nutrition

Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 0.8mg

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Western
Have You Made This Recipe? Let Me Know on InstagramTag @keviniscooking or tag me #keviniscooking!

Kevin

Whether in the kitchen or on the grill, you’ll find me cooking American favorites with a love for BBQ, Mexican and Tex Mex. I’m passionate about making tasty food because life’s too short to be bland!

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14 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I love fall for its gorgeous colors! I love it for apples and pumpkins too. And look at these luscious bars! They’re pretty much what I need right now. But I can wait for a few days if you send them to me:) Well done!

  2. 5 stars
    Do you know, I have never made caramelitas before? This is the recipe that’s going to change that! N x PS I bet your neighbours ARE happy. And I’m off to check out your grandma’s crisp! 🙂 Pinning of course.

    1. Carmelitas are dangerous. Period. As an avid chocoholic I can attest. I hope you like them, with apple or chocolate! Just realized I’ve never posted a carmelitas recipe, just this one with a twist…. need to fix that.
      Now about my grandmother’s Apple Crisp, that post is from 2 years ago and the photos are quite different then what you currently have inspired on this site… the recipe is a knockout though. 😉 Thanks for Pinning!

  3. 5 stars
    I. Can. Not. My mouth is watering for this dessert and it’s still only breakfast time! I need these in my life – STAT. Thanks for the happiness, my friend! (Lucky neighbors…)

  4. Hey Kevin! I love apple desserts and adding caramel certainly doesn’t hurt! I don’t like Kraft caramels (actually I don’t like most store bought candy, except Reeses), so do you think I could substitute a can of Dulce de Leche? These are being added to my “list”! 🙂

    1. I hear you Dorothy, homemade is always better, but I try to show recipes with store bought goods on occasion. All you would need to do is substitute the same amount. I am with you though, there is just no substitution, in my opinion, of Reeses. They are a weakness of mine. 🙂

  5. Oh my freaking goodness! Kevin, these look insane! Insanely delicious, for sure! Love the twist on your grandmother’s recipe and though I agree with David that Honeycrisps are so perfect right now, I will have no problem in dicing up the beauties for this recipe. Lucky neighbors-

    1. Thanks Sally!
      The Honeycrisp is by far my favorite apple, ice cold. Unfortunately everywhere here in SoCal no body has any right now. Maybe in Utah and NY, but not here. 🙁
      Plus, I needed to shoot these and get them out of the house quick. Too many samples and I need to be good. Have a great day.

  6. Oh yeah! These bars look amazing, Kevin! But I’m not sure I could part with my honeycrisps for baking. They are just too good! But any other apple? Yes, it most definitely needs to make it’s way into these carmelitas. Well done, my friend, well done! P.S. Glad to hear I’m not the only one that is making recipes that completely don’t fit with the temperature outside. Soup in August, anyone? #WolfpackAppleClub

    1. Funny you should mention soup Dave as it actually rained here yesterday. Yes. Rain – the wet drops from the sky. In San Diego! I made a stew to celebrate. 🙂