Oatmeal Caramel Bars

I love bar cookies.  They're quick and easy and you don't have to spend a lot of time and energy baking.  These bars have caramel, nuts, and chocolate tucked inside a yummy oatmeal crust- This recipe has quite a few steps, but there is nothing hard about it, and the end result will knock your socks off! 

 Oatmeal Caramel Bars

32 caramels, unwrapped

5 tbs heavy cream

1 cup flour

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup semi-sweet 

       chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a medium saucepan, over low, melt together caramels and cream, stirring occasionally until smooth.  In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.  Stir in the melted butter until well blended.  Press half the mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.  Reserve the rest.  Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  Remove and sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts.  Drizzle the caramel mixture over the top.  Crumble the remaining crust mixture over everything.  Return to the oven and bake an additional 12 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden.  Cut into squares while still warm.  

STEP-BY-STEP

  In a medium saucepan melt together 32 caramels and 5 tablespoons of cream over low heat.

Stir occasionally until it's nice and smooth.

 While the caramel is melting, in a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.

 Then stir in the melted butter.

 Stir, stir, stir until everything is well mixed.

 Press half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  Set the rest of the mixture aside.  You'll need it in a bit.  Bake this crust in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. 

 Remove from the oven and quickly sprinkle chocolate chips and chopped walnuts over the top.

 Now it's time for that delicious caramel.  Drizzle the melted caramel over the top.  You can use a spatula to make it even or leave it as is - your choice.

 Now take the remaining crust mixture and crumble it over everything.

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes or until the top is lightly toasted.

If you cut it into squares while it is still warm, it'll be a lot easier to cut than once the caramel has cooled.

Again this year, I'm including a 3x5 printable recipe card.  Consider it my Christmas present to you.  Just click on the card.  Then right click and "save as" to your computer.  You're welcome to print as many as you like.

Caramel Red Velvet Cookies

There's just something about the slight chocolaty taste of red velvet mixed with caramel.  It's the perfect combination if you ask me.  Throw in a little more chocolate to the mix and it's perfection.

These cookies are also good by themselves without any mix-in's.

Caramel Red Velvet Cookies

3/4 cup butter

1-1/3 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon buttermilk*

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons lemon juice

5 teaspoons red food coloring

2-3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoons salt

2 (1.7 oz.) packages of chocolate coated caramel candies, cut into fourths

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar until pale and fluffy.  Mix in eggs, milk, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and food coloring.  Add in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.  Stir in caramel candies and mini chocolate chips.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls about a tablespoon of dough.  Roll each dough ball into powdered sugar and evenly coat.  Transfer to slightly greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Note:  to make butter milk, just measure a little less milk than the amount called for and add enough white vinegar to bring it to the proper measurement.

STEP-BY-STEP

 Into a mixing bowl, add 3/4 cup of butter

 and 1-1/3 cups of sugar.  Whip, whip, whip until pale and fluffy.

like so. . . .

  While that whips, you can be cutting your chocolate coated caramels

 cut them in half and then in half again - fourths.

 Back to our dough.  Mix in 3 eggs.  I like to mix just a little before adding the next wet ingredient just so it won't splash out.

 1 tablespoon of buttermilk (see my note above),

 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons lemon juice

 and 5 teaspoons of red food coloring (can't have red velvet without it).

Mix until well combined.

 Now add the dry ingredients 2-3/4 cup flour

 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons of cocoa powder

 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Once the dry ingredients are all incorporated, 

 stir in 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

and the cut up chocolate covered caramel pieces.

 Now that the dough is ready to go, get the 1 cup of powdered sugar in a bowl.

 Roll 1 tablespoon full of dough into a ball. 

 Roll that ball into the powdered sugar, evenly coating it.

 Place balls onto a slightly greased cookie sheet (I just lightly spray mine with cooking spray),

 then flatten slightly (I use the bottom of a glass to do this).

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

BTS Cake

This cake is still my favorite! -I know, I have a lot of favorites. I love the ooey gooey rich cake and crunchy toffee pieces.  MMMmmm.

BETTER THAN 'you know what' CAKE

1 box chocolate cake mix 

1 cup hot water
1/3 cup oil
4 large eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup caramel sauce, divided

1 (8 oz) container whipped topping

1 cup milk chocolate toffee bits or 4 chocolate toffee candy bars, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a mixer, beat cake mix, hot water, oil, and eggs together for 1 minute. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove cake from the oven. While the cake is still hot, use a fork to poke holes all over the cake. Pour the entire can of sweetened condensed milk over the top.  Pour caramel topping over milk layer (reserve 1/4 cup for top). Place the cake in the fridge and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Frost the cooled cake with whipped topping, and sprinkle with crushed toffee bits. Drizzle with remaining caramel sauce. Store any leftover cake in the fridge.

Rolo Cookies

These cookies are always a special treat at our house. 

chocolate cookie 

+ an ooey, gooey caramel center

= Heaven.

Rolo Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

2-1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chopped pecan (optional)

40 chocolate caramel candies (Rolo)

 

In a large bowl, cream butter, 1 cup sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs, beat well.  Add flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.  Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans Shape 1 tablespoon of dough around one candy, covering it completely.  In a separate bowl, combine remaining pecans (optional) and 1/4 cup sugar.  Roll cookies balls in mixture.  Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes. 

 

Yields: 40 cookies

 

STEP-BY-STEP

 In the bowl of a mixer place 1 cup of butter,

 1 cup of sugar

 and 1 cup of brown sugar.

 Beat until fluffy.

 Add 2 eggs

 and 2 teaspoons of vanilla.  Mix well.

 Now add 2-1/2 cups of flour

 3/4 cup cocoa powder

 and 1 teaspoon of baking soda.  Mix until incorporated.

If you are adding pecans to your, you'll mix them in now.

(I'm allergic to tree nuts so I've chosen to omit them.)

 Is your mouth watering yet?

 Get your Rolos ready

 and your sugar/pecan topping

again I've omitted the nuts.

 Grab a tablespoon of dough and place a candy in the middle.

 Now wrap the dough around the candy until it is completely covered.  Now I like to roll the ball with the palms of my hands until it completely round and smooth.

 Roll the ball into the topping mixture.

Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes.

Mmmmm, Heaven!