Averie Cooks

-1 Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Lining your pan is highly recommended for ease of cleanup due to the stickiness of the caramel; set pan aside.
-1 To a large microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 90 to 120 seconds.
-1 Add the brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
-1 Add the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and stir until combined.
-1 Turn half of the mixture out into the prepared pan (just eyeball it), and smooth it with spatula to create an even, smooth, flat crust layer; set remainder aside. Bake crust for 10 minutes.
-1 After 10 minutes, remove pan from the oven and evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips, pecans, and evenly pour the caramel sauce over the top. The sauce I used is very thick but with patience it can be spread with a spatula to completely cover pan.
-1 Evenly crumble the reserved oatmeal mixture over the top like small pebbles, approximately 1/4-inch in diameter.
-1 Return pan to oven and bake for about 15 to 16 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and center is set.
-1 Allow bars to cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving, giving the molten caramel time to firm up. This can take up to 3 hours, or overnight, at room temperature. You can speed it up by placing pan in fridge with a sheet of foil over the top to prevent fridge smells. If you don’t wait for bars to cool completely, they’ll be very messy and hard to slice neatly.