Carmelitas

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line and grease an 8X8 inch baking pan. Parchment paper is highly recommended as caramel can be sticky.
Melt the butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Once this is melted, whisk in the brown sugar and vanilla. Then stir in the flour, oats, baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt. A pastry cutter works well for this.
Press about half of the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake this for 10 minutes.
While this is baking, prepare the caramel. Place the caramels, cream, and ¼ teaspoon salt into a large microwave-safe bowl. Stir them together. Heat on high power for 1 minutes. Stir again. Heat again for 1 minute and stir until the mixture is smooth. (Only heat as needed to get the mixture smooth.) If using caramel bits, heating time will likely be reduced.
When the crust is finished baking after ten minutes, remove from oven and evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips over it. Be careful the pan will be hot. Then pour the caramel sauce over the chocolate layer.
Cover the caramel with the remaining crust mixture. Use your hand to sprinkle it on and then just tap it down lightly. Again, take care as the pan in hot. Place the baking pan back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove the pan to a wire rack and then allow to cool completely before slicing.