Get the delicious buttery oatmeal texture with gooey caramel of a carmelita bar wrapped into carmelita cookies! You can make a huge batch in just 20 minutes and they are a hit with everyone who tries them! They are perfect fall cookies and great for holiday exchanges and Christmas treats!
These brown sugar oatmeal cookies stuffed with caramel are like a thick, chewy carmelita bar, in cookie form! Individual bites of happiness that you just can’t get enough of!
A batch of these Carmelita Cookies doesn’t even last 24 hours! Not that I’m counting. My tip for irresistible carmelita cookies is serving them warm, so you get the gooey texture that you get in a bar. Like most of my recipes, they are incredibly quick & easy to make, too!
I hope you enjoy these carmelita cookies as much as Chris & the girls did! Click here for more of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes. I’ve also got an incredible round-up of the BEST Fall Cookie Recipes. Don’t miss these amazing Monster Mash Candy Cookies, too!
Table of Contents
To Make These Carmelita Cookies, You Will Need:
- Flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt
- Butter and brown sugar
- Vanilla Extract – Pure is preferable over imitation, and it’s so easy to make your own!
- Egg yolk – Fresh and free run / organic if possible
- Chocolate chips and quick oats
- Caramels – Individually wrapped and cut in half
How to Make This Carmelita Cookie Recipe
It takes just 10 minutes to prep these cookies!
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Combine flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
- Combine butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg until just slightly beaten.
- Slowly incorporate dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips and oats.
- Make small dough balls, press in the middle with your thumb and add a caramel. Press another dough ball around it to encase it. Optional: use a cookie scoop, dividing it into halves to add caramel to the middle. Crack salt on top.
- Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.
What Is A Carmelita?
A carmelita bar is an oatmeal based bar that is topped with layers of chocolate, caramel and crumble topping. They are deliciously gooey and decadent! I love them, and making them in a caramel oatmeal cookie form is so easy and a lot less messy!
These are essentially thick, chewy brown sugar oatmeal cookies stuffed with caramel! They’re amazing at room temperature, but irresistible when warm. Take them over the top with a crack of sea salt for the ultimate sweet and salty treat!
Carmelita Cookies are and amazing fall cookie, perfect for tailgating, Halloween parties, bonfires and more, but they’ll also win you major kudos at your next Christmas cookie exchange!
How Do You Know When Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies Are Ready?
These cookies only take 10 to 12 minutes to bake, so be sure to keep an eye on them! The edges of the cookies will brown ever so slightly when they are baked. Gently touch them with a spatula or your finger and they should be firm and hold their shape. Let them cool slightly before serving.
How Long Do These Carmelita Cookies Keep?
Once these oatmeal cookies have cooled to room temperature, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days. Store in the fridge and they should be food for 5. I think these cookies are best served warm, so just heat them gently in the oven or microwave before serving.
Top Tips To Make Carmelita Cookies
- I use Werther’s caramels because they are SO much easier to unwrap than other brands. I personally cut them in half, but you certainly don’t have to!
- Be careful not to over beat the mixture so that they result in thick and chewy cookies.
- Use miniature chocolate chips if you prefer.
- The caramel oatmeal cookie mixture will feel dry, but will be SO good!
- Warm the cookies to serve them (about 10 seconds in the microwave) to warm the caramel.
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If you love the flavor of these textural cookies, don’t skip these incredible Pecan Pie Cookies!
More Stuffed Cookie Recipes
- Caramel Cheesecake Cookies
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
- Chewy Chocolate Mint Cookies with Andes Candy
- Chocolate Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies
- Snickers Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Carmelita Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter melted
- 1 ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cup quick oats
- 18 caramels Kraft, individuall wrapped, cut in half
- salt in a grinder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Combine flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
- Combine butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg until just slightly beaten.
- Slowly incorporate dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips and oats.
- Make small dough balls, press in the middle with your thumb and add a caramel. Press another dough ball around it to encase it. Optional: use a cookie scoop, dividing it into halves to add caramel to the middle. Crack salt on top.
- Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.
Notes
- I use Werther’s caramels because they are SO much easier to unwrap than other brands. I personally cut them in half, but you certainly don’t have to!
- Be careful not to overbeat the mixture so that they result in thick & chewy cookies.
- Use miniature chocolate chips if you prefer.
- The mixture will feel dry, but will be SO good!
- Warm the cookies to serve them.
Nutrition
Originally published December 2014, updated October 2019.
I ate far too many of these! They were so good I kept going back for just one more…
Ooops! It’s not your fault – it’s a triple threat – oatmeal, chocolate chips + caramel!
I’d like to make these but the recipe shows ‘1 egg 1 egg yolk’ on the same line….so, which is it? or is it both?
It’s both, sorry that’s confusing, I’ll clarify!
Caramel + chocolate = perfection!
Julie – I am NOT a baker. In fact, I almost break out in hives when I think about it and I’ve had some real disasters. But these cookies have put me on the map!! When I read the recipe I felt like I could give it a try. Well, the cookies came out perfect and were so delicious. My family is still talking about them and I feel like I conquered the world. These will definitely become a holiday favorite. Thanks for sharing. After such a success I might just be able to try another recipe soon.
Diana, I am elated! Congratulations! This makes me so incredibly happy & excited for you. I can’t wait to hear what you try next. Merry Christmas!