We had friends over this weekend for dinner. I love having friends over, mainly because it’s the perfect opportunity to try out new recipes! If they are good recipes, you can send everyone home with a plate of goodies! One of my go to desserts is caramel bars. Really, who doesn’t love caramel??? These are basically a Carmalita, with melted caramels mixed with cream, then drizzled over chocolate chips which are sitting atop an oatmeal crust. Yummy for sure, but I wanted to shake it up a bit. Since I have an overabundance of baking ingredients, I did a quick scan and decided I’d try the caramel bars with white chocolate chips instead (ok here is where I admit that I used white chocolate chips because I literally had 6 bags to use up. I may have a hoarding problem. Just maybe ). I set about to make my caramel bars. As I was unwrapping my caramels, it hit me! THIS NEEDS PEANUT BUTTER! Oh happy day! That was the change I needed! It was the best change ever!!! While I won’t abandon my tried and true caramel bar recipe, this is my new favorite. There is just enough peanut butter mixed with the caramel…. you know it’s there, but it doesn’t take over. It’s enough to balance the sweetness from the white chocolate. I must warn you, this dessert is addictive and very sweet!! Have your glass of milk ready!
My friends went home empty handed. There was no way I was going to part with those peanut butter caramel bars, no way! They were too good, I was excited by the thought that I’d get to eat them again the next day! And that’s exactly what I did. Not a single crumb was left ( I may have licked the pan. Yes, I have problems). I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!
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Ingredients
- 1 14oz package caramels
- 5 T heavy cream
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup oats
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ t baking soda
- 1/3 t salt
- ¾ cup butter, melted
- 1 11.5 oz package white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. In a medium sauce pan combine unwrapped caramels and heavy cream over low heat. Stir occasionally until caramels melt. Add peanut butter and stir until completely smooth.
- Meanwhile in a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in melted butter. Spread half the mixture onto a 9X13 pan. Layer will be thin. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes.
- When crust is ready, sprinkle white chocolate over crust and top with peanut butter caramel layer. Sprinkle remaining crust over top of caramel, gently pressing it into caramel. Bake for an additional 12 minutes or until crust is lightly toasted. Cut into bars before it cools completely.
Check it these tasty treats I found on Pinterest!
Chocolate Caramel Bars Mandy’s Recipe Box
Caramel Crumb Bars Baked Perfection
Peanut Butter Bars Budget Savvy Diva
This recipe has been shared with some fabulous sites! Please check out my Link Party tab to find out the details.
I love it when I have an excuse to bake! I need people to share with, otherwise I will eat the entire thing myself. I have no self control!
Yes!!! I don’t need left overs of anything either!
Those look absolutely YUMMY!
Thank you!
Now these look really YUMMY! I will be making these, and pinning!
Yeah! Hope you get to maker hem!
1. I agree having friends over is the perfect excuse to bake goodies.
2. Sending a plate of goodies away is another good excuse:-)
3. Caramel and peanut butter…fantastic combo idea.
4. I hoard bags of chocolate chips too. We would get along so great in person!!!!
5. Perfectly normal to lick the pan. LOL:-)
Having a dinner party is totally an excuse to bake and NOT pig out on leftovers! Thank you for saying it’s normal to lick the pan! Whew! Thought it was just me. And hoarders love company!
This looks just fantastic. Great picture. I cannot wait to try our recipe. Come over and visit us. We would love to have you.
I hope you do try it! I’ll be heading over to see you soon!
Be thankful I wasn’t a guest or you would’ve had to frisk me. I surely would have spirited a few of them away. You serve me peanut butter and caramel and expect me to be “prudent.” Ha!
Ok, John, I would’ve sent home a plate just for you! But you would have had to kept it a secret!
Yes please! PB + caramel is my new favorite, unexpected flavor combo. It works SO well together, especially in these bars
Oh it’s an amazing combo!!! Why don’t I eat this more often??
Oh my goodness YES! Peanut butter and caramel, be still my heart.
The perfect combo!
Hey there… I want to let you know that I am awarding you the Sunshine Award. I love your site! You have beautiful pictures of yummy food.
http://pintsizedbaker.blogspot.com/2012/08/sunshine-award-thank-you.html
The Sunshine Award!! Yeah! Thank you!
This looks delicious!! I’d love to have you link this up to Tasty Thursdays on The Mandatory Mooch. http://mandatorymooch.blogspot.com/2012/08/tasty-thursdays-2.html
Thanks, Nichi
I’ll be there Thursday! Thank you!
These sound amazing! I wouldn’t want to send any away either! Thank you so much for being a part of the Back For Seconds Social!!
Thanks for having me!
fabulous! we would love for you to link up some of your recipes over at our party!
http://baked-inthesouth.blogspot.com/2012/07/made-it-by-monday-link-party_31.html
Thank you! I’d love to link up!
These are such wonderful treat!
I can probably eat half of these bars all by myself
I think I DID eat half!
Oh Em Gee. These look delish. Thanks for sharing at this week’s BFF Open House!
Thank you for having me and for stopping by!
Yummy Yummy thanks for linking up at Miss Information
Thanks for having me! Love linking up!
Delish! I know its time for bed when my mouth starts watering! Laura from Real Momma stopping by to say thanks for linking up to the Best of Your Best blog hop!
Thanks for having me! Sorry about the watery mouth!
You’re right! This does look and sound heavenly! (I’d lick the pan too) =o)
I’m happy I’m not the only pan licker! Thanks for stopping by!
Oh, wow! These look SO AMAZING! Yum!
Thank you! I am biased of course, but I thought they tasted amazing!
Oh My Gosh! It is all my favorite things in one…I have gone to heaven. Thank you for sharing this at the I heart naptime link party!
My favorite things too! We’d get along nicely! Thanks for visiting!
Dang! It’s almosgt noon & I haven’t even had breakfast yet but that will soon change. I’m going to the store now and get the ingredients to make these for lunch
LOL
The perfect lunch in my opinion! Hey it does have oats and peanut butter!!
Wow! Those look super duper!! Def have to try:) I found your link on Sweet Sharing Monday Wrapup. These are so pinned! Speaking of pinning, if you get a moment, please check out what I shared:
http://www.cookthetv.com/2012/08/want-to-pin-more-of-your-blog.html
Thanks! Di{CookTheTV}
Hope you try them! Thanks for stopping by!
We probably would have had a fist fight over these! hahaha! I would have kept them too! Yum! Thanks for linking to Foodtastic Friday!
Thanks for the party! These were fight worthy!
These look so delicious! I love how gooey the caramel makes them. I also really like the addition of the white chocolate and peanut butter. Thanks for sharing at Showcase Your Talent Thursday!
Gooey is the right word!! It was a great combination!
Thank you so much for linking up to Tasty Thursdays last week. Hope to see you again this week!! The party is live at http://mandatorymooch.blogspot.com/2012/08/tasty-thursdays-3.html
Nichi – The Mandatory Mooch
Will be there!
You are a featured favorite on Saturday Show & Tell on Cheerios and Lattes this week!
Mackenzie
Wahoo! Thank you so much, that is so awesome!
OMG I just pinned this recipe today (it looks amazing btw) and then I saw your comment on my blog that you live in Cincinnati too and are close to the Clermont Co Fair I was posting about!! What a small world! I so love to find fellow Cincinnati bloggers, I only know of a few. That’s so cool! It’s on my bucket list to meet up with a fellow Cincinnati blogger so let me know if you are ever interested
Thank you! How cool is it that we grew up in the same city!
These sound great with or without peanut butter
Thanks Meg, they really are good!
Thank you so much for the feature! That is an exciting honor! Yahoo!