Carmelitas aka: The Best Thing You'll Ever Eat

Oh you think I'm exaggerating?  Absolutely not.  Just trust me on this one. My friends and I don’t call these “crack cookies” for nothing. You’ve been warned.

Put your kids/partner/roommate/grandma to work unwrapping caramel candies.  It takes a surprisingly long time to unwrap 32 of those little things.  Put them in a small sauce pan and add in your heavy cream.

** OR - just make the simple 3 ingredient homemade caramel sauce below and have extra for your ice cream sundaes. **

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Put this over low heat and stir frequently until smooth.

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Meanwhile, grab your butter - a stick and half to be exact - gulp - and pop it in the microwave to melt.  

Mix the brown sugar, flour, rolled oats and baking soda in with the melted butter.

Mix until combined.

I use white whole wheat flour just to make me feel a *little* bit better after I eat my fifth square...  But any kind of flour will do. ;-)

Grab an 8x8 pan and spray with non-stick spray or grease with butter.  Might as well just use the butter.  I mean, really.

Press oatmeal mixture into 8x8 pan, creating the "crust".

Pop it in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Don’t worry, it wont look done - that’s okay - don’t overcook it!

How's your caramel mixture doing?  Don't forget to stir!  It should go from looking kind of lumpy like this:

... to creamy and smooth.  Take it off the heat and try not to drink it from the pan.

Take your crust out of the oven and get excited because here's where it starts getting really good...

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Sprinkle some chocolate chips over the crust.

I'm so obsessed with mini chocolate chips lately...  Just look at them - they're adorable.

Now grab the caramel that may or may not have a few spoonfuls missing... It's okay, you're only human.  Pour it over the chocolate chips like so:

Are you excited yet?  Yeah, me too.

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Now take the other half of the oatmeal mixture and sprinkle over the top of the caramel.  Pop it back in the oven for another 15 ish minutes until edges are lightly browned.

And now, for the hardest part of all: let it cool.  Trust me - do not get impatient and try to cut these before they are COMPLETELY cooled.  It's a mess.  A huge, sticky, delicious mess.  

In my opinion, they're best cold - straight from the fridge.  Just let them sit about 5 minutes. Perfection.

De nada.

CARMELITAS

32 CARAMEL SQUARES, UNWRAPPED (DUH)

1/2 CUP HEAVY CREAM

** or make the homemade caramel recipe below **

3/4 CUP BUTTER, MELTED

3/4 CUP BROWN SUGAR, PACKED

1 CUP WHITE WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR

1 CUP ROLLED (OLD FASHIONED) OATS

1 TEAS. BAKING SODA

6 OZ. SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS (PREFERABLY MINI)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8x8 pan.

  2. Combine caramels and cream in a small bowl over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside.

  3. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats and baking soda. Pat half of oatmeal mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes - only!!

  4. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Use your fingers to crumble the remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. Return to oven for an additional 15-20 minutes, until edges are slightly browned.

  5. Let cool COMPLETELY before cutting. Enter heaven.

HOMEMADE CARAMEL SAUCE

1 CUP BUTTER

2 CUPS BROWN SUGAR

2/3 CUP HEAVY CREAM

  1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add brown sugar and heavy cream; whisk continuously over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.

  2. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for only 3 minutes, while stirring (do not overcook). Remove from heat and allow to cool.

  3. Store in refrigerator for up to one month.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's been passed down for hundreds of years, never to be written on paper.  Those lucky enough to be trusted by a "recipe holder" (as they're called) with the ancient recipe are held in the utmost positions of respect.  I'm breaking all the rules by sharing this sacred recipe with you, passed down from my great grandmother's great grandma...  Just promise me you won't tell anyone.  

Just kidding.  But in all seriousness, these are THE yummiest pumpkin chocolate chip cookies EVER.  I've been making them year after year and they never disappoint.  Do yourself (and those around you) a favor and whip up a batch today.  They make a lot, so they're perfect for sharing.

THE YUMMIEST PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES {EVER}

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

2.5 cups sugar

2 eggs

2+ cups canned pure pumpkin 

2 teas. vanilla

2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

2 cups white whole wheat flour

3 cups white flour

2 teas. baking powder

2 teas. baking soda

2 teas. salt

2 teas. nutmeg

2 teas. cinnamon

2 teas. ground cloves

2 teas. allspice

12 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips (I like using mini)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Beat butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy.  Add eggs and mix.  Add pumpkin, maple syrup and vanilla, mix until combined.

3.  Add dry ingredients and mix until blended, being careful not to over mix.  Stir in chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.

4.  Spoon heaping tablespoon sized balls of dough (don't worry, they won't be smooth!) onto a silpat baking mat or non-stick cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-13 minutes until barely golden brown on the tips.  

Tips: 

I like to add a little more pumpkin than called for which lends to extra soft and moist cookies.  Also, my oven happens to run extra hot, so test the first batch.  Err on the side of not enough time rather than too much.  They're super easy, you can't go wrong!

 

I like to use organic ingredients whenever possible.

I've had my Kitchen Aid mixer since I got married, ten years ago.  I love it.  It's also a hot mess.

Seriously, just throw it all together.  So simple.

I have lots of helpers at my house.  Sometimes they don't feel like helpers when they make the process twice as long and three times as messy, but we're making memories and that makes me happy.

Mix 'em up and throw them on the cookie sheet.  I LOVE my silpat baking mats.  You should totally get some.  NOW.

Throw 'em in the oven and wait... 

Waiting is really the hardest part of the whole process.  Thank goodness this gal wanted more bananas so I wasn't staring at the oven door for a full ten minutes.  She likes bananas.  I like her.

Are you drooling yet?  I am.

The only downfall... 

Even though this recipe makes a TON, they don't last long.

Enjoy!!!