Caramel Nut Bars

Do you keep well-stocked pantry? By well-stocked, I mean chocolate chips of course—all varieties, semi-sweet, milk, white, butterscotch etc.… Also, its important to keep on hand a bag of caramels. These things are critical so that when the mood strikes or you've forgotten about that potluck that's tomorrow night—you don't have to get in the car and make yet another trip to the store for this or that. Such is/was the case with these bars. With ingredients on hand they are pretty easy to whip up and always a crowd pleaser.

The most time-consuming part of putting these together is unwrapping all the caramels. I would suggest getting somebody in the family, who is doing something mindless (TV), to unwrap them. I might let them eat one (and only one) of the caramels for their effort.

It's a winning combination with gooey caramel, chocolate, butter… Mmmmmm, the buttery goodness! It really stands out—yum! Not to worry however. Each square is just 154 calories (with nuts). The question is, can you stop after eating only one little square? Regretfully, I failed in my attempt.

Caramel Nut Bars

Taste of Home

Ingredients:

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 package (14 ounces) caramels

1/3 cup milk

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients until crumbly;

sprinkle 1 cup into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan (do not

press).

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. In a small heavy saucepan, cook and stir caramels and milk until caramels are melted.

Pour over crust. Top with chocolate chips and nuts. Sprinkle with

remaining oat mixture. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on a

wire rack. Refrigerate until set. Yield: 3 dozen.

Yield: 36 Servings

1 serving equals 154 calories, 7 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 11 mg cholesterol, 104 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein.