These chocolate caramel bars are absolutely delicious. Best of all, they’re easy to make, and they store beautifully, too.
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These chocolate caramel oatmeal bars make for a perfect bar cookie to bring to a potluck or party – as long as you know that no one has a nut allergy.
Chocolate caramel squares use a simple crumb mixture for the base and topping, with nuts and chocolate chips inside, along with a quick homemade caramel filling – no cake mix in this recipe!
They’re just as easy as making a batch of cookies, but they’re so much more unique and one of my favorite recipes to serve friends and family.

Honestly, I am not a nut person. I don’t like nuts, but these are perfect with nuts in them.
Any time I find a chocolate caramel dessert I like, it’s a win. The buttery crust with the layers inside the crumb topping make this one of my favorite dessert bars recipes.
It can be hard to decide on a favorite bar cookie – go ahead, check out my list of my favorite 50+ bar cookies. The cookies with the crumb toppings though always capture my heart, whether it’s a cherry crumb bar or these caramel and chocolate squares with the crumble topping.
What kinds of nuts should I use in crumb bars?
The recipe calls for walnuts, but you can substitute other nuts if you have them in your pantry.
When you substitute, you want nuts that have a similar texture and flavor. The best substitute for the walnuts is pecans, but you can also use cashews or even hazelnuts.
Almonds can work in a pinch, but they are not ideal. Peanuts definitely have a different taste and texture but can work.
What is the best way to chop nuts?
I always purchase whole nuts because they are cheapest. You can purchase already chopped nuts and use them as is if you choose.
Chopping nuts is easy, and you do not need a special machine to do it. Simply place the nuts on a cutting board and chop the knife across the nuts.
You may need to do it two or three times, but you don’t need tiny pieces. Sweep the pile together if bits escape to ensure you don’t miss any pieces.

What kind of butter should I use?
Anytime you bake, you want to use unsalted butter. Salted butter varies greatly in how much salt it contains, depending on what brand you use.
Instead, control the amount of salt in your recipe by always using unsalted butter.
Can I skip making my own caramel?
This caramel layer is easy to make, and it definitely tastes best from scratch. However, you can do a work around to save time if you need.
The key is to ensure the caramel is thick enough to stay in place within the crumb bars after they bake. If you use a caramel sauce straight from a bottle, it won’t work well.
However, you can use two and a quarter cups of prepared caramel sauce. Place it in a bowl and mix in a quarter cup of flour to thicken it.
Whisk until smooth, then use this in place of the caramel mixture from the base recipe.
Should I grease my pan?
When you make these chocolate caramel oatmeal bars, the 9×13 pan does not need grease. The good news is that dessert bars slide right out of the pan.
In general, when you make crumb bars or shortbread – really anything with a butter base and a dough rather than a batter – you can skip the non-stick cooking spray.
How to Make Chocolate Caramel Bars
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Make the crust:
In large bowl, combine two cups of flour, oats, one and a half cups of brown sugar, the salt and the baking soda. This is the crumb base and topping at the same time.
You do not need an electric mixer of any kind to make this. Use a pastry cutter to add the butter, and if you don’t have one, use two knives.

I always start by cutting my butter into small chunks while it still sits on the wrapper, as it makes the process go faster.
Cut in three sticks of the butter until mixture is crumbly. You want pea size pieces without any chunks of butter remaining.
Press half of crumb mixture into your ungreased 9×13 inch pan. Reserve the remaining crumb mixture to use for the topping.

Note that you don’t have to be exact about measuring this.
Bake the crumb base for 15 minutes in your preheated oven.
While the crumb mixture bakes, make the caramel layer.
Make the caramel filling:
Melt one stick of butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add three-quarters of a cup brown sugar and the entire can of sweetened condensed milk to the pot.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately turn it down to a simmer and stir regularly. It won’t boil like pasta water, but once you get good size bubbles at the edge of the pot, you’re good to go.
Simmer the caramel mixture for 7-10 minutes, then remove it from the heat. Add one quarter cup of flour to the caramel, and whisk it until smooth.
Make sure you do a rough chop of your walnuts, then set them aside. You can do this between stirring the caramel mixture.
Assemble your bar cookies:
Remove your crust from oven. Immediately sprinkle it with chocolate chips
and pecans.

Drizzle the caramel sauce over the chips and nuts. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly on top.
Return the pan to your 350 degree oven and bake 18-20 minutes more, until crumbs are light golden brown.

Remove the pan from the oven, and let the caramel chocolate bars cool for 2 hours. Cut into small squares.
Save this recipe to make these chocolate caramel bars again!

Chocolate Caramel Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter cold
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups oats
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans
For the caramel layer:
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, oats, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, salt and baking soda. Cut in 3 sticks of the butter until mixture is crumbly.2 cups flour, 2 cups oats, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- Press half of crumb mixture into 9×13 inch pan. Reserve remaining crumb mixture for topping.
- Bake for 15 minutes in 350 degree oven.
- While this bakes, make the caramel. Melt 1 stick butter in a heavy saucepan. Add 3/4 cup brown sugar and can of sweetened condensed milk. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer stirring regularly. Simmer 7-10 minutes, then remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup flour to the caramel and whisk until smooth.1 can sweetened condensed milk, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- Remove crust from oven. Immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips and pecans. Drizzle caramel sauce over chips and nuts. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture evenly on top.12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 cup chopped pecans
- Return pan to oven and bake 18-20 minutes more, until crumbs are light golden brown. Remove pan from oven and cool for 2 hours. Cut into small squares.
Notes
- If you don’t have walnuts, you can use pecans or even cashews.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

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Hi! I forgot to ask, is the brown sugar for the crust and topping, light or dark?
Light brown sugar. You could use dark brown sugar if you prefer, but I have always used light.
Hi Michelle! Are the oats in this recipe old-fashioned oats or quick cooking oats?
Old fashioned oats – it’s all I ever have in my pantry. 🙂