Sugar Cookie Carmelitas

I have a serious weakness for cookie bars. And when they have anything to do with chocolate or caramel, I’m especially in trouble. So you can imagine when I made carmelitas for the first time —a cookie bar with a melty chocolate-caramel filling—it was pretty tough for me not to eat the whole batch in one sitting. Good thing I had family and friends around to help me gobble them up (which didn’t take very long, trust me)! 

Carmelitas usually are made with oatmeal cookie flavors, but this sugar cookie-based version is equally delicious. And not that I want to put you in the position of pitting your willpower against the pull of a delicious cookie bar, but if you, too, just can’t wait to make them, the recipe is a cinch to make. Just make sure to have friends and family nearby to help you enjoy them! 

First, gather your ingredients. Betty Crocker® sugar cookie pouch mix makes this dessert even easier to throw together. All you need in addition is some butter, eggs, flour, caramel sauce, chocolate chips and chopped pecans.

Mix together the first cookie mix and press it evenly into the bottom of a greased 13-by-9-inch pan. Bake the dough until it’s just set and lightly golden on the edges. You’ll finish baking it in a minute.

Meanwhile, mix together the caramel sauce and a little bit of flour to thicken it up.

Top the bottom cookie layer with chocolate chips and chopped pecans…

Then drizzle the top evenly with the caramel mixture. Swooning yet?

Mix up the remaining cookie mix and roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper so it can lay perfectly on top of the cookie bar layers. If the rectangle isn’t perfect, no worries. Carefully use your fingers or a spatula to press the dough to the edges (but again, it doesn’t need to be perfect).

Bake it all up until the top layer is golden brown and fully baked, then cool for one hour and transfer to the fridge for another two hours so the filling can set. It’s tough, I know, but so worth the wait! Finally, cut into squares and serve. 

I don’t know why it took me this long to discover the deliciousness that are carmelitas, but I know I won’t be waiting very long before I get started on my second batch! My willpower better watch out.