Oatmeal Caramilk Bars

Inspired by Australia’s Anzac bars, these Oatmeal Caramilk Bars were developed using common North American ingredients that are more readily available. It’s hard to believe these delicious cookies are prepared with only four ingredients! And, they’re no-bake too which is always a bonus!

Do you know how Cadbury gets the soft, flowing caramel inside the Caramilk Bar? I could be ageing myself here, but do you remember the television commercials in the 80s and 90s? I’m not sure if those commercials continued much into the last 20 years or so because we only ever watch commercial-free streaming shows and movies now. Whether you know the secret doesn’t matter, because in this Oatmeal Caramilk Bars recipe, the chocolate and caramel are melted together to create the most delicious treat!

My love of Cadbury chocolate eclipses any other kind of chocolate. You see, Dear Reader, I’m not about the glitz and the glamour that some connoisseurs tend to possess. I don’t need expensive, hand-crafted chocolate to be happy. I just need a Cadbury fix and all is good with the world once again.

A few years ago, John.e and I decided to take McKenna to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania for a mid-July road trip. We piled into the car and made the drive. The park was great! There were lots of rides, lots of activities, and lots and lots of chocolate. Hershey’s chocolate was everywhere! And, much of it was free. Almost every shop at the park had an attendant handing out sample chocolate kisses. McKenna was so happy. And, so was John.e. But, I wasn’t. You see, Dear Reader, I don’t care much for Hershey’s chocolate. When it comes to mass-produced chocolate, I much prefer Cadbury.

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the bars and squares recipes! Before I get into today’s recipe, let me make mention of the previous holiday confection countdowns that I just finished up this year.

Back in October, I kicked off the holiday season with a holiday recipe series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifle Series and followed that up with a second series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Breads and Loaves. My third series this year is the second volume of my 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas! You can find the first bars and squares series here! Before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more!

LORD BYRON’S 12 BARS AND SQUARES OF CHRISTMAS – Volume 2

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the third of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! This one is called Lord Byron’s 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas – Volume 2! I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy, just like in previous years. Even if a recipe looks complex, I promise you that it is not! My goal, as always, is to share recipes with you that are not too complex to whip up as a holiday treat for your family.

Like every other holiday series I’ve shared over the years, this series will share a new recipe every day for the next 24 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas series! Even though this is the third series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Oatmeal Cookies – I’m using store-bought oatmeal cookies. You will want to use firm, crisp cookies and not the soft, chewy type. I used the Dare Breaktime Oatmeal Cookies from Walmart.
• Butter – Use unsalted butter.
• Canned Sweetened Condensed Milk – This recipe has not been tested with low-fat condensed milk.  Depending on where you live, the size of the can may differ. 
• Cadbury Caramilk Bars – You will need 300 grams.

HOW TO MAKE OATMEAL CARAMILK BARS

Line a 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Fold the parchment paper so that it fits snugly in the pan. I use two sheets – one folded to fit the length of the pan and another folded to fit across the pan. Allow the excess parchment paper to hang out over the side of the pan. Once the confection is firm, use the excess parchment to lift the whole block out of the pan to make it easy to cut into squares.

Transfer the oatmeal cookies to a food processor and pulse until you are left with fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to the mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and a third of the sweetened condensed milk. Use a spoon to mix those ingredients together. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press it in so that you have a very flat, firm layer.

Place the unwrapped Caramilk bars into a microwave-safe bowl with the remaining sweetened condensed milk. Microwave at half power in 30-second increments, stirring well between each increment until the mixture is melted and smooth. Pour the chocolate and sweetened condensed milk mixture over the cookie base and spread it out to an even layer. Transfer to the fridge for one hour before cutting into squares. Package and a food-safe container and keep refrigerated.

NO-BAKE RECIPES

I used to think that the term no-bake meant that a recipe was more of an assembly-type recipe. Something like a salad, for example. It sounds simple enough, right? Toss the lettuce and any other veggies you want into a bowl. Top it with cheese, croutons, avocado, hard-boiled egg, etc. Add some dressing and you’re all done! But, no-bake actually just means no baking. There still might be some stove-top cooking needed – or even a microwave, for that matter. To prepare these Oatmeal Caramilk Bars, you will not need to use your stovetop or microwave!

Some other no-bake-type holiday recipes you might enjoy are these Rudolph’s Red Nose Cookies. Hairy Moose Droppings are delicious and always quite the conversation starter! Just like these Caramel Peanut Slices were a favourite of my mom’s so were these Marshmallow Coconut Balls and so were these Christmas Crunch Cookies. You can find many more no-bake cookie recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen by using the search field at the top of this page.

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

I have a lot of recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen with sweetened condensed milk as one of the ingredients. (Click here to see them!) Growing up in Newfoundland, it was always something I’ve been aware of. But, that’s not the case for everyone. I get many questions from readers about it. For someone not familiar with the gooey, sticky canned milk, it might be easily confused with canned Carnation condensed milk, for instance. Let me explain what it is here.

So, first of all, it’s condensed. The milk is condensed by removing water. This can be accomplished by applying heat. The water will evaporate causing the milk to condense, which thickens the milk. Sugar is added to sweeten the condensed milk. The main purpose of adding sugar is to prolong the shelf life of condensed milk, which can sit on room-temperature shelves for years. Sugar prevents microorganisms from growing in the milk and helps to thicken it even further—it’s added after the milk has been boiled, reduced, and pasteurized.

If you find unsweetened condensed milk, it’s most likely that it’s simply evaporated milk or condensed milk, which is thick, but not gooey and sticky. Evaporated milk is often used as a cream added to tea or coffee. If you are unfamiliar with it, please read the can carefully. Also, shake it – can you feel the liquid splashing about inside the can? If so, it’s not sweetened condensed milk; it’s evaporated or condensed milk only!

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

Most no-bake confections are made without the need to freeze them for long periods of time, but they can be frozen. For this recipe, I have tested whether or not they can be frozen, and they certainly can! Once they are completely firm, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer-friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  You can freeze these for up to three months.

If you plan to give previously frozen bars or squares as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!