Uhhh yeah, long name, I know.
But I actually held back because they could have been called a million other things…like lovely gooey bites…or gluten free breakfast squares…or deliciously sweet snack bars…you get the idea, right?
I have a lot of photos of P man-handling these candies because they’ve been on the counter (hashtag dangerous) for a while now. He loves playing with the bag because it makes noise and his pudgy little fingers can perfectly grasp and shake it.
And yet, we all know how bad terrible of an idea it is to leave addictive sweets out in plain sight. Stupid Elise. I should know better. Self control negative.
Each time I enter the kitchen – not even necessarily to cook something (!!) – one of them magically pop it’s way into my mouth. It’s not my fault! They’re amazing!!
See? Pacman knows what’s up.
Full disclosure: I got a sample of 4 flavors of Lovely Candies in the mail for free. I had no obligation to review them, but I freakin’ loved them so much that I wanted to share them with you – both in a review (with a recipe) and a giveaway. Yay!
They are gluten free and the main sweetener is brown rice syrup. And all the ingredients are things you’d recognize. And they are SO so SO good. I wish there were something bad about them to dissuade me from eating them at the rate I have been…but alas, they are perfect. Sigh.
Caramel Studded Oatmeal Blondie Bars [vegetarian, gluten free]
Ingredients:
- 1 medium banana, mashed
- 2-3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted (+ more to grease pan)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 1/2 cups whole rolled oats
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup ground chia seed (or ground flax seeds)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6-8 caramels, quartered
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mash the banana, then add in the syrup, oil, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients (flours, seeds, and salt). Then add the boiling water and stir until mixed.
Add the two separate bowls together, then fold in half the caramels.
Pour into greased baking dish (I used a rectangular 6-cup pyrex but any pan that holds 6 cups will work) and pack down. Then add the rest of the candies on top.
Bake for 25-28 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Enjoy! Breakfast, dessert, snack, whatever. It’s awesome however you serve it.
Notes:
If you want it to cut into neat squares with defined edges (like above), allow it to cool all the way. [Don’t ignore this step!!!] It’s best after it has fully chilled in the fridge. To be honest, I prefer to eat them cold.
If you don’t care about the shape, go ahead and dig into it fresh from the oven (see below photos). You’ll burn your mouth, but I certainly won’t judge you.
Photos of the process…
And now for the giveaway portion!
Would you like to win your own sampler pack? [Rhetorical, obvs] That’s what I thought.
Chocolate Caramel Swirl!
Swirl…swirl…swirl…
Have you ever tried real authentic dulce de leche from Argentina? Because that’s exactly what this tastes like.
To enter, leave a comment telling me which Lovely Candy Co item catches your eye the most – or your favorite caramel recipe. Tweet about the giveaway for an extra entry (and leave another comment saying you tweeted).
Separate comments = separate entries.
I’ll pick a random winner on Friday, August 23rd.
The chocolate swirl candies sound delish!
The chocolate swirl candies sound so yummy! Anything with a swirl of chocolate I am a fan of!
This recipe looks ahhh-mazing!! I would for sure love to try the chocolate swirl kind. chocolate lover for life!
I just tweeted about the giveaway!
The chocolate swirl caramels sound yummy! But then so do the Superfruit Chews and the Cherry Licorice…
Chocolate Caramel Swirl! Oh MY Salivation!
Choco-caramel swirls!!
regular caramel sounds delicious…!
And I tweeted (twitter name: @laurelis)
Favorite caramel recipe: I made a butternut squash bread pudding with caramel sauce once that was AMAZING.
I’m always skeptical of any dessert that uses “healthy” or “gluten-free” or any kind of good-for-you ingredients….but these look awesome!
Hi,
First the caramel blondies look so good.
But most important is your baby is adorable.
Yum! The original chewy caramels sound good to me. I have a major sweet tooth and love candy but (this is probably a good thing!) there aren’t many options that don’t have a ton of garbage ingredients in them. Looks like the Lovely candies are sold at a couple of places near me so now I will be on the look out!
the choco caramel swirls!! reminds me of my grandma:)
I’m so excited for this giveaway!! Chocolate swirl catches my eye, chocolate and caramel together- delicious combination! Even if I don’t win, I definitely want to try this candy!
Chocolate Swirl, duh! And the fruit chews. This recipe looks great!
Oh boy, those chocolate swirl caramels sound like such a dream. Love the ingredient list on those, too! Can’t wait to try these bars!
Choco caramel swirls! Yum
Mmm, the fruit chews look so yummy. I’m a sucker for chewy candy.
Chocolate Swirl….Yum! I’m drooling just reading this post 😉
I tweeted about the giveway too!
YUM! I’d love to try original caramels. When I was little I was obsessed with Werther’s original caramels, but I’m positive the ingredients are anything but sketch-free.
These bars look delish! I love the sounds of the chocolate caramel swirl… best of both worlds! And not sure if your “swirl… swirl… swirl…” comment was in reference to the ‘Orange is the New Black’ episode- but if so, I had a laugh! 🙂
I tweeted too!
They cherry licorice sounds fantastic! But I would really love to try either of those caramels for this recipe! If I don’t win, I’m going to have to find a replacement regardless because I’m craving these bars RIGHT this second.
Oh, wow. This dish looks so yummy! Have to get some of those candy’s into this kitchen! I would choose the original caramel candies.
Chocolate Swirl looks pretty darn great too, though!
Yum! Those bars look yummy.. my favorite caramel recipe is a Caramel Apple! It’s a classic!
Caramel apples are my FAVORITE!
Ooooo these would be great to pair with some tart green apples and strudel crust…. NOM NOM NOM
I’m not sure how you were able to keep your hands out of the chocolate swirl caramels…they looks delicous!
oh, that looks soooo yummy. already hungry.
Ive never cooked anything with caramel! I get too intimidated for some reason (to be fair i only tried to make caramel once and never thought just to buy it premade.) But the chocolate swirl and the caramel one look delish. I’m not much of a candied fruit girl 🙂
I also can’t think of swirl anything anymore without thinking of this… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPQEg0M4sFA
chocolate swirl and caramel both sound delicious!
What a handsome model you have in your pictures 😉
I think the chocolate caramels sound good, but I’m intrigued by the vegan fruit bites. I would probably want to try those!
The caramels sound delicious.
I would love to try the super fruit chews.
Well, normally I would have been oogling over the caramels throughout this entire post but P is just too darn adorable- he steals the show!
I was obsessed with Carmello bars as a kid so that chocolate caramel swirl sounds to die for! Although, I don’t think I’ve ever met a caramel I didn’t like…
<3
yum.. i’d love to try the fruit chews! i love fruit snacks
You had me so excited about a caramel with brown rice syrup as a sweetener, but they have dairy in them 🙁 Bummer. I would still love to try their fruit chews, though, since those are vegan! Your caramel studded oatmeal blondie bars are making my mouth water, though…YUM. I might have to make them minus the caramel… 😉
Courtney
Yum, the original caramel ones look delish! and so does your recipe 🙂
Original caramel all the way!!!
chocolate swirl for sure! If I find these in the market, I will likely be covering them with TJ balsamic glaze. Since you turned me onto it here, I put it on everything!
oh my the chocolate swirl look amazing!
i made a caramel surprise cookie before, where i dropped caramels in the middle of cookies so when you bit it, melted caramel was in the middle. they were amazing!
I would love to try the cherry licorice, being gf…I miss Twizzlers!
Last winter I made spice cookies with caramel filling, they were delicious!
I would love the original caramel to make the recipe. And the chocolate swirl just to eat! 😉
The original caramels look awesome! Caramel is one of the things I miss the most after giving up GMOs. The superfruit chews are at a really close second though.
My favorite caramel recipe includes equal parts of full fat coconut milk, coconut nectar, and coconut sugar. Mix it all together on the stove and bring to a boil. Then, simmer for 5 – 10 mins or until liquid is reduced by half. Then, freeze. Yummy 🙂
The fruit chews sound good!
Original caramel! The bars look a look good. Awesome giveaway 🙂
Should read, the bars look so good!
These blondie bars look amazing but I would LOVE to try the fruit chews!
original caramel!! delish!
The eegular Carmel looked good to me!! Thanks!!
Sorry, I spelled everything wrong!! I think the regular caramel looks best!! 🙂
It was!!! Yes!! I’m so glad you got the reference 😉
Caramel sounds good to me.
Recipe? Caramel popcorn!
The caramel sounds amazing…I only knew they made the fruit chews!
chocolate caramel swirl…looks sooooo delicious!
Original caramel looks yummy, although all are wanted by me! I need to check these out. Btw, I made this recipe tonight (sans the caramel studs) and it was so delish. I have eaten half already. So moist and my head is spinning with all the possible combinations I could create using this recipe. Instead of almond flour (due to an allergy), I subbed 1.5 tbsp coconut flour. Great recipe!
I tweeted by the way!
They all sound freaking delicious. I love caramel everything- especially these caramel apple bars my mom makes 🙂
The original caramels look yummy! I can’t wait to try the blondie bar recipe!
The chocolate swirll sounds delish!
cuteness and candy. amazing. CHOCOLATE SWIRL ME!!!!
The chocolate swirl sound delicious!
They all look great though I’d have to stick with my favorite food and go with chocolate swirl.
Those blondies look amazing and will be coming with me to a potluck next week, for sure. This is beginning to sound a tad redundant but I’d be remiss in not saying how adorable P is – and I’m never surprised to hear how good he is in your various posts – he just somehow looks like a good baby; with all the positive energy flowing through your home it’s hardly a surprise!
Caramel apples!!! i am willing to give them a try..Being Argentinian I must say there is nothing compared to the real dulce de leche ( we can have a long discussion about brands here, being San Ignacio and La Serenisima my faves ) , it’s not even close the caramel they make here in the US, but that is not the point of this entry, right? I know you have been in my country before and so glad you liked it !!!
The caramel chocolate swirl candies sound amazing!
The original caramel sounds delightful! Especially with fall on it’s way! 🙂
The caramel because I would love to make the recipe of the Caramel Studded Oatmeal Blondie Bars, they look amazing.
I don’t want to enter, sweets aren’t my thang – but hugs to P xx
Cheers
Lori x
I’m in love with my salted caramel sauce and frosting–it’s such a fantastic treat!
Those chocolate swirl caramels look incredible!
Chocolate and caramel all the way!!
Those look so yummy!!! The chocolate caramel swirl sounds awesome.
Oh holy heck. My sweet tooth is RAGING right now. I want to inhale those bars. That chocolate swirl kind has me drooling.
Some of those chocolate caramel swirls might just find their way into a batch of GF brownies…..yum!
The Chocolate Caramel Swirl sound amazing!!!
Fruit chews!
The original caramel chews look amazing! Could add those to so many recipes!
That original caramel darling caught my eye! (And frankly so did P-man!). And vegan GF treats are so hard to come by! I want to start by adding some diced apple to this recipe to get my caramel apple fix, and then try a trick I saw on FB where you core an apple, pour in melted/softened caramel, chill p, and then slice. Caramel apple with less mess! That means I can eat it at work and no one will be the wiser!!
I am always a fan of the original caramel flavor. YUM!
I’d love to try the Chocolate Caramel Swirl!!
Mmm…I love caramel! One of my favorite summer desserts is to grill pineapple and drizzle with dulce de leche – so simple and delicious, and perfect after a Mexican-themed dinner.
I would definitely like to try the chocolate swirl candies!
Chocolate Caramel Swirl?! Let’s be realistic, I don’t have the self-retraint required to make candy last long enough to make it into a recipe…
Chocolate Caramel Swirl, of course!
anytime i can recreate argentina, buenos aires specifically, back into my life without having to go there, i do. from yerba mate dranks to dulce de leche as in your aforementioned caramel deliciousness above, well why not?! dame dulce rubia!
Tweet! Tweet!
https://twitter.com/mgaltier/status/370308149334380544
Haha yes! So good!
I’d love to try the original caramels. Yum! I’m going to make this tomorrow without the caramels for now until I can find them.
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The caramel looks amazing! Drooling!
The chocolate swirl caramels sounds awesome!