Oatmeal Carmelitas

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 13” x 9” pan.

Make your caramel sauce first:
Put the sugar in an even layer in a heavy duty deep sided pot. Heat the sugar over medium heat until it melts, do not stir. When the sugar has turned to liquid and has browned, turn off the heat. Carefully add the butter substitute and whisk it in. Then, slowly add the non dairy cream, whisking it in. Set aside.

To make the carmelitas:
In a large bowl combine the flour, oats, sugar, and baking soda. Stir. Add the Earth Balance and mix (with a hand or stand mixer) until the butter is well incorporated.
Remove 3 cups of this mixture to another bowl and set it aside. Put the rest in the greased pan and press evenly to fill the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips and pecans over the baked crust. Mix the 3 tablespoons of flour into 1 cup of the caramel sauce. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the nuts and chocolate chips. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture evenly over the top of everything.

Bake for another 20 minutes.

Allow to cool for at least an hour before you cut them into 2” squares.