About a month ago, I was over at our friends Brian & Mal’s apartment for a Sunday afternoon of football, beer, Mal’s Chili, and friends.
On this particular Sunday, Mal didn’t just make her chili; she also made a batch of Oatmeal Carmelita bars that totally knocked my socks off. Literally, they were just amazing, and I was totally psyched when she already had a copy of the recipe ready for me because she knew I would ask.
She knows me too well.
So for the past few weeks, I’ve been meaning to make those bars, but wanted to try putting my own spin on them. Being the fall season and all, I thought it might be fun to work with the recipe a bit to include one of my favorite ingredients…pumpkin.
To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure how the recipe would turn out by adding the pumpkin. But with a couple quick adjustments to the other ingredients, things worked out like a dream.
The dough with the pumpkin bars is slightly more sticky than the original, resulting in a less crumbly topping and a softer crust. You can see the difference here…
Original Pumpkin
The pumpkin flavor actually is not all that dominant, so you might be able to try adding some more pumpkin pie spice to the recipe if you’re looking for more of a pumpkin flavor. Either way, it works for me.
After taking one bite of these, I knew that there was NO way I would be able to keep them in the house without devouring them, so I packed them up this morning and brought them with me to work. You know what they say, sharing is caring. :)
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Pumpkin Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Adapted from the Oatmeal Carmelitas recipe from Pillsbury)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Start to Finish: About 3 hours (including cooling time)
Ingredients:
Crust
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2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
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2 cups quick-cooking oats
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1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
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1 teaspoon baking soda
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
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1 cup butter, softened,
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1/2 cup pumpkin puree
Filling
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1 jar (12.25 oz.) caramel topping (1 cup)
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3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
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3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
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1/4 cup butterscotch chips
Directions:
- Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix at low speed until soft and combined. Reserve half of crumb mixture (about 3 cups) for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture in bottom of greased pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine caramel topping and 3 tablespoons flour; blend well.
- Remove partially baked crust from oven; sprinkle with chocolate and butterscotch chips. Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture; sprinkle with reserved crust mixture.
- Return to oven and bake an additional 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 hour on cooling rack until completely cooled. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until filling is set. Cut into bars. Enjoy!
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Now I’m wondering if these might be a good recipe to make for The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap? Either way, these will most definitely be making their way into my holiday baking round-up.
And maybe they’ll end up in yours, too? ;)
Yum.
Nicole says
OMG these look amazing. I will definitely be making these! Thanks for the great recipe :)
Khushboo says
These look a dream…is it bad that I’m imagining them being topped with vanilla ice cream??
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
Sharing is caring :) I bet they went fast!!! Yummm! They look so chewy!
Mallory @ It's Only Life says
those look incredible courtney! i find that whenever i bake…ANYTHING… i can’t keep it in the house. it’s a problem actually- cause what’s the point if you can’t keep it around? i swear i just have this compulsion to keep eating the stuff. i should probably work on that!
Lauren @ Chocolate, Cheese and Wine says
Wow they look AMAZING. I love pumpkin and caramel it’s a great combo!
Kristi @lifesprinkles.com says
These look fantastic!! I’m going to have to try :)
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
These look amazing! I’m all for anything with pumpkin in it :)
Rosa - Fitness, Food, Fulfilled says
Then we all know that you care about us! This looks so good and gooey. Love it!
I also love that you used butterscotch chips in there. Those are the bomb!
Courtney says
I would have added more but it was all I had. Next time, I’ll probably do half chocolate and half butterscotch.
Lena @Fit on the Rocks says
When I make a yummy new creation, I ALWAYS take it to work or pawn it off on friends. Otherwise, I’ll be eating the entire thing within a day or two.
Courtney says
Haha…which is exactly what happened with Jay and I and the apple crisp I just made. Gone in three days. Woops!
Ruthie Hart says
I wish we could be real life friends! You and your friends make the best treats!!!!!!!!!!!
Courtney says
Awww that would be fun!! :-D
Shari @ The Daily Dish says
Wow Courtney. These look awesome! Thanks for sharing. :)
Colleen @ Jimmy Choos on the Treadmill says
I love gooey treats so these sound fabulous….YUM! I would totally make these right now if I didn’t need to be in a bathing suit in less than a week!
Chelcie of Chelcie's Food Files says
these look SO good! in my opinion giving away baked goods is the only way to prevent eating them throughout the entire day! i’m sure the people at work were very appreciative!
Courtney says
Those look amazing!! Question for you… when it says to cool them on a wire rack for an hour, I always make such a mess trying to get it out of the baking dish in one piece. Any suggestions?
Courtney says
Ohhhh, don’t take them out! Sorry, I should have clarified. Just put the whole pan on the cooling rack, which will help them cool quicker than if they were on a solid surface.
Courtney says
Ooh even better! Thanks :)
Courtney says
PS.. it’s always a little weird talking to another Courtney, isn’t it?! haha
Courtney says
Haha, a little bit! :)
Hope says
Oh my lord! These look absolutely incredible! I am definitely adding this to my list of treats to make! It would taste incredible warm with some vanilla ice cream on the side! I cannot wait to try these! :)
Courtney says
That is a fantastic idea…and I juuuuuuust so happen to have vanilla ice cream in my freezer right now. Uh oh.
Brandi says
Yum! Thanks for posting this recipe….:) I can’t wait to make these!
Brittany @ GOtheXtraMile says
Yum!!! These look perfecttt. I am always down for a new pumpkin recipe ;D
Ashley @ My Food 'N' Fitness Diaries says
These bad boys look heavenly! They’d be dangerous sitting in my kitchen too…
sherri says
OMG…Oatmeal Caramelita Bars are a favorite in our house. When my kids were younger they called them “yummy goodness” so that’s our name for them. Definitely trying the pupmpkin version
Liz @ Tip Top Shape says
These look amazing!!! Love that you pushed them on your coworkers–I do that all the time. I’m curious about how you adjusted the ingredients. I’m awful at messing with baking recipes (I bake a lot but always with a recipe) and would love to know what you changed. I’m assuming it was upping the dry ingredients…
Courtney says
Yup! That’s basically what I did – you can see the original recipe ingredients in the link that I provided in my recipe to compare
Kelley says
THESE LOOK AWESOME :) I will have to give them a try!
Erica @ For the Sake of Cake says
Woah, these look completely amazing!!!
Savannah @ Sweet and Savvy says
Um. wow. This incorporate pretty much all my favorite things. :)
Lindsay @ In Sweetness and In Health says
Wow, those look like something that would just melt in your mouth and taste absolutely amazing!!
Claire says
Those look like they live up to the title “sweet tooth”!!! Yummy :-)
Clare @ sweetnsimple says
oh my.. WOW these look unreal ! never would i have thought of pumpkin, caramel and chocolate together, but keen to try !
Molly@hungryhungryrunner.com says
Okay I swore I was done with the pumpkin baked goods but I think I’m going to have an make an exception for these! They look fantastic!!!
Tessa @ Amazing Asset says
I have only one word for this: Bookmarked :D
Alexa @ Simple Eats says
I am dying over these. DROOOL. Take my face off the keyboard.
Emily @ Perfection Isn't Happy says
Yum! I opened this post when I was at work, and it made me so hungry! I had to wait until now to comment though…they still look just as good :).
Jodi says
These look delicious!! I might actually bring these bars to our Thanksgiving dinner.
Alexa says
i bought the ingredients to make these today! so excited =] especially with the pumpkin kick!
Alexa says
these just came out of the oven! can’t wait to eat them =]
Michelle @ Blogitness says
I just came across these now and am very tempted to start baking at 10pm!!
Julie says
I just made these last night and my friends and I LOVED them! The only thing I chagned was that I may or may not have added a few extra chocolate/butterscotch chips…what can I say, my sweet tooth knows no measurements! ;) Totally gooey and delicious…now I’m thinking I may need to do what you did and bring some to work, or else I might have to buy new pants! Haha.