Monday 18 March 2013

Carmelitas





Some of you may remember my sister Sue and her Sue’s Tuna Burgers™. My sister is a gold mine for caker recipes, including one of my favourites, Taco Salad, which combines ground beef, iceberg lettuce and crushed Doritos. I haven’t posted that one yet because you need to make it for a crowd and I don’t have many friends.

These Carmelitas grace Sue’s Christmas Eve platter every year, alongside wedges of cookie pizza, macaroons and butter tart squares. But they’re too good to save only for Christmas. And since they have oats, they’re healthy enough to enjoy all year long.

Remember that pretty cousin who used to visit every summer? The tanned one in short shorts who'd toss her long, shiny hair around? I think that’s how a Hello Dolly square must feel next to a Carmelita. They both come from the same gene pool, but Carmelita has a gooey, sophisticated glamour that leaves Dolly feeling like a chunky, zit-splattered wallflower in gauchos and a neck brace.

Anyways, enough about me. Just make sure you make these because they’re ridiculously delicious. Speaking of delicious – I’ve got an extra special caker Easter treat lined up for next week. Be sure to check back. I promise you won't believe your eyes.

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsifted flour
1 cup quick oats uncooked
3/4 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 jar caramel topping or 1 cup
1 package chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350°. In large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup flour and next 5 ingredients and beat at low speed until mixed. Put into ungreased baking pan. Bake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir caramel topping and 3 tablespoons flour until well mixed. Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle choc pieces and nuts. Drizzle on caramel mixture. Return pan to oven and continue baking 20 to 25 minutes or more.


Source: handwritten recipe card
As far as the time frame for the card, all I have to say is, "Zig-a-zig-ah!"













18 comments:

  1. HA! that just made my morning :D

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    1. I take that as a high compliment, considering it was a Monday morning.

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  2. Oooh, those look good. And I love using a jar of caramel topping rather than unwrapping a whole bag of caramels.
    The recipe card indicates some difference of opinion regarding pan size; which size did you use?

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    1. Good point, veg-o-matic! I neglected to mention that. I used an 8x8 pan. Or 9x9. It's square. That's how most cakers refer to their baking pans: the square one or the rectangle.

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  3. I love taco salad! My best friend's sister makes it for 4th of July every year - the best part is that she uses an entire bag of doritos, an entire bottle of dressing, and *maybe* half an iceberg lettuce. She usually throws the rest of the lettuce away, too. It's amazingly bad and wonderful, all at the same time!

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    1. Thank god your friend throws away all that useless lettuce. It gets in the way of the salad dressing, in my opinion.

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  4. Oh god. Haha - I love how you emulate cutesy writing. You're kind of evil. I gotta admire that.

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    1. It could be worse. I could dot my i's with circles.

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  5. So often, I read your posts and discover another caker recipe that I've tarted up and made decidedly uncaker.
    Perhaps you could do a new series - The Uncakering of the Classics? Then I'd have a spot to share my version of taco salad, complete with fancy lettuce and homemade spice blend.

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    1. Hmm. That's a very interesting idea. And one that might motivate me to make Taco Salad. Shoot me an email at cakercooking at gmail dot com and we can chat.

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  6. Neck braces. HA! Must fish out my copy of "Sixteen Candles".
    At first glance, this does seem a rather high brow treat.
    We are on tenterhooks re Easter post. Like waiting for Santa.

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    1. You can't even imagine what I've got up my caker sleeve for next week. All I can say is that it involves marshmallows and it's nothing short of a miracle.

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  7. Best thing I've read all day :) --------------->
    "They both come from the same gene pool, but Carmelita has a gooey, sophisticated glamour that leaves Dolly feeling like a chunky, zit-splattered wallflower in gauchos and a neck brace."

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    1. Thank you! I'll pass your compliment on to my ghost writer.

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  8. Invite me over for supper - I love taco salad! At one of my churches, one of the choir ladies always brings taco salad to the potlucks (and if she doesn't, she hears about it from half the people present) - the bowl is practically licked clean by the time she goes home!

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    1. Consider yourself invited, Kate. I'll load up on the Doritos and salad dressing. You bring the choir.

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  9. I love that taco salad recipe. I make it all the time for work potlucks and then get many requests for the recipe. Have a Canada Day party so you can post it.

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    1. Funnily enough, I was contemplating making it this weekend. I'm having my nephew over for dinner, so I can make him take it home. It's too dangerous to leave in the house!

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