valentine carmelitas!

sweet sweet carmelita. how much do i love thee?

with all of my heart! i buy a carmelita from wholefoods almost every time i go, and then we eat a single bite of it for 4 days to savor the gooey deliciousness. i was excited when one of my favorite baking blogs, the brown eyed baker, posted a recipe for them that didn't use corn syrup. i tweaked it ever so slightly by using some caramel that i had from the franklin fountain (aka. liquid gold), and rearranging the order of the toppings. because these are for a very special valentine, i gussied them up by using a silicone tart pan (similar to this one), and a 7"x9" pan. the whole thing can be put in a 13"x9" pan, and will be equally delicious.

ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of softened butter
• 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
• 2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 cup of caramel sauce, warm enough to pour
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 1 cup of chopped pecans

cookie crust:

• preheat oven to 350 and butter a 13"x9" pan.
• whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
• cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. with the speed on low, add the flour mixture until incorporated.
• add the oats and mix to combine
• put 2/3 of the mixture into the pan and press it into a solid layer. bake for 12-15 minutes
• let cool slightly before adding the toppings

toppings:

• pour caramel onto cooled cookie crust and spread to the edges.
• top with an even coating of left over cookie mixture, chocolate chips and pecans.
• put back in the oven for another 15 minutes, until the topping is golden and the caramel is bubbling.
• let cool completely before cutting.

makes approximately 24 bars.