Caramel Nut Crumb Bars

16 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Caramel Nut Crumb Bars are the ultimate sweet treat with a chewy oat base, rich caramel layer, and crunchy pecans and walnuts throughout.

Caramel Nut Crumb Bars are the perfect Bar Recipe to satisfy your sweet tooth, but they still have some healthy ingredients like oats and nuts. They’re the perfect dessert, treat to hold you over between meals, or after school snack for kids. For more oat bars, be sure to try our Cranberry Oat Bars.

Caramel Nut Crumb Bars in stack

CARAMEL NUT CRUMB BARS

Delicious Caramel Nut Bars are the perfect combination of gooey caramel and crunchy nuts. The two different flavors are balanced out by the chewy crumb crust so they all blend perfectly together. Everyone is sure to love the rich caramel flavor, chewy oats, and sweet brown sugar mixture.

For an absolutely irresistible dessert combo serve the caramel bars with some rich Vanilla Ice Cream. You can crumble cooled bars over the top of the ice cream for a sweet oat topping. Another option is heating up a bar and serving it with a scoop of ice cream over the top for a melty caramel dessert.

Caramel Nut Crumb Bars collage of prep steps in baking dish

The layers of oats, nuts, and caramel in this recipe are wonderfully easy to make and come together fairly quickly. You can just use storebought caramel candies for the filling, or if you want to make the meal entirely from scratch try Homemade Caramel.  Either way, the caramel filling will turn out amazingly sweet and gooey. It’s the perfect sweet filling to complete the oat bars. 

MORE BAR RECIPES

TIPS FOR MAKING CARAMEL NUT CRUMB BARS

  • Prep time: Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and use cooking spray to prepare your 9×13 inch baking pan. 
  • Crumb mixture: To make the buttery crust combine oats, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Then add melted butter to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Add half of the mixture to the pan and bake it for 10 minutes. Set the other half to the side. 
  • Caramel sauce: Place the milk and caramels in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave the caramel mixture at 50% power in 30-second increments. Mix the caramel filling in between each microwaving session until you have a smooth and creamy mixture. You can also melt the caramel sauce in a medium saucepan on the stovetop. 
  • Assemble: Add the walnuts and pecans to your baking pan and pour the caramel over the top. Then add the remaining crumbs on top. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Let the dish cool completely before you slice it. 
    Melt caramels and milk in a microwave-safe bowl at 50% power in 30-second increments until smooth and creamy.

top-down view of Caramel Nut Crumb Bars in stack

VARIATIONS ON CARAMEL NUT CRUMB BARS

  • Chocolate chips: For some delicious chocolate flavor added to your Caramel Bars sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the bars. 
  • Nuts: You could try adding different kinds of nuts into these Walnut and Pecan Bars. Instead of walnuts and pecans try mixing in almonds, peanuts, or cashews. 
  • Apples: You can add apples to your Crumb Bars for some delicious, juicy, fruit flavor. Slice up 2-3 apples and coat them in cinnamon sugar. Then lay the apples over the top of the bars and bake as usual. 

MORE CARAMEL RECIPES

HOW TO STORE CARAMEL NUT CRUMB BARS

  • Serve: Caramel Nut Crumb Bars will stay good in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Line the container with paper towels to absorb any moisture. 
  • Store: You can also put the container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Bring the bars to room temperature before eating so the caramel isn’t hardened. 
  • Freeze: To freeze the bars put them in a freezer bag and separate each layer with parchment paper or aluminum foil so that they don’t stick together.

Caramel Nut Crumb Bars in stack

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Caramel Nut Crumb Bars

Caramel Nut Crumb Bars are the ultimate sweet treat with a chewy oat base, rich caramel layer, and crunchy pecans and walnuts throughout.
Yield 16 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup quick oats
  • 1 cup brown sugar , packed
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter , melted
  • 14 ounces chewy caramels
  • 1/3 cup whole milk
  • 3/4 cup walnuts , roughly chopped
  • 3/4 cup pecans , roughly chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking pan with baking spray.
  • In a large mixing bowl stir together oats, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt until well mixed.
  • Add in melted butter and stir until combined.
  • Add half the mixture to the baking pan and bake for 10 minutes.
  • Melt caramels and milk in a microwave-safe bowl at 50% power in 30-second increments until smooth and creamy.
  • Add walnuts and pecans to the baking pan evenly.
  • Pour caramel over the nuts and sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top.
  • Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Cool completely before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 285IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg
Keyword: Caramel Nut Crumb Bars

Caramel Nut Crumb Bars collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

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