Cinnamon Sugar Caramelitas
These Cinnamon Sugar Caramelitas are oozing with delicious white chocolate and caramel sauce and topped with a generous dose of cinnamon sugar!
This caramelitas recipe has changed my life!
I know that sounds drastic and quite frankly, unbelievable. But it’s NO LIE!
I can’t take the credit for this incredible recipe. In fact, I adapted it from How Sweet Eats. I made her Snickerdoodle Caramelitas and fell in love.
You guys, I don’t love white chocolate. In fact, I rarely gravitate towards recipes that use white chocolate. But that has completely changed. Exhibit A: My white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies.
White chocolate + caramel + quick oats = HAPPY Whitney! Seriously. This recipe is amazing. It’s so easy to make and the results are phenomenal.
If you’re looking for a thick and chewy caramelita, you’re in the right place.
How to make Caramelitas
I mentioned above that these are easy to make, and it’s true! They are.
To the bowl of a stand mixer add:
- Flour
- Quick oats (NOT Old Fashioned oats)
- Light brown sugar
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
Whisk those ingredients so that everything is evenly combined. You can use your stand mixer whisk attachment or just a hand held whisk.
Then add the softened butter to the bowl.
Mix until the butter has been incorporated; the mixture will resemble sand. This is the caramelita dough.
Don’t be alarmed that the dough doesn’t come together like a normal chocolate chip cookie dough would.
The picture below illustrates what it should look like.
Press 3/4 of the caramelita dough in the bottom of a 9″x9″ inch pan.
If you don’t have a 9″ inch square pan you can use an 8″ inch pan. The caramelita bars will be a tad thicker. If you use the 8 inch pan you will not need to adjust the baking times.
Once the dough is in the bottom of the pan, bake it for 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and immediately sprinkle the white chocolate chips overtop.
Finally, drizzle the delicious caramel sauce over the white chocolate chips. I used a 14 oz jar of caramel sauce, the kind you’d use over ice cream. If you’re feeling adventurous you could use salted caramel… yummmm! Ok I’m totally doing that and will report back/post the recipe later in the year.
Lastly, crumble the remaining caramelita dough over the caramel. You don’t need to press the dough into the caramel, but you can if you’d like. I evened the top by gently using the palm of my hand.
How to make cinnamon sugar
Make a simple cinnamon sugar mixture by combining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix this together and then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the caramelitas.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the bars come to room temperature. Place in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours or until chilled and firm.
Pro Tip: If I’m going to eat white chocolate, I love when it’s a tad melty or still in it’s soft state. The caramelita bars need to set up otherwise you won’t be able to cut into them (the white chocolate would ooze out everywhere). I let the bars sit at room temperature for 45 minutes and then place it in the fridge for 2 hours or so. This amount of time should result in a set bar, but still have a soft white chocolate interior.
Storing Caramelitas
To store these cinnamon sugar caramelitas, place them in an airtight container. They will keep at room temperature for 3 days. Or you can store them in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 5-7 days.
If you like this caramelitas recipe try these
Craving more? SUBSCRIBE TO SALT & BAKER to get new recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Simply enter your email in a subscription box located on the right hand side of the blog or scroll below the recipe and sign up there!
And stay in touch on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Cinnamon Sugar Caramelitas
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups quick cook oats
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (about 16 oz)
- 14 oz jar of caramel sauce (about 1 cup)
Cinnamon Sugar topping
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350. line an 9x9 inch square pan with parchment paper.*
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, quick cook oats, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the softened butter, and using the paddle attachment mix on low speed until the dough forms. Don’t overmix.
- Press ¾ of the dough in the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
- While that's in the oven, in a small bowl combine the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the white chocolate chips evenly overtop. Drizzle the caramel overtop of the white chocolate chips.
- Crumble the remaining dough over the caramel, making sure you’ve covered everything evenly. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture overtop. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Place in refrigerator for 4 hours or until firm. Cut and serve.
These look and sounds soooo delicious!