Homemade Twix Bars
Homemade Twix Bars have a shortbread crust topped with caramel and chocolate. When I’m raiding my kid’s Halloween stash, you can be sure that Twix candy bars are the first ones I go for. Now, you can make this dessert at home!
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HOMEMADE TWIX BARS
Laundry. Ugh. Mother’s Day was yesterday and if I were to be graded on my skills as a mother I would definitely get a ‘D’ in laundry. Okay, maybe a ‘C’.
I’m really good at washing all the clothes. I’m obsessed with the smell of laundry detergent and find myself strolling down the detergent aisle at the store even when I’m not buying it.
I’m even good at drying all of the clothes. I love the smell of dryer sheets. What can I say? I’m a smell girl.
But that’s where it stops. I’m the absolute worst folder in the world. I’ve even succumbed to my weakness and try to buy clothes with fabric that is forgiving to poor folding.
I don’t know if it was because I was never taught correctly? Or had no desire to learn? I do the flip both sleeves backward and and fold over once trick. That’s as good as it gets.
I guess my love for cooking makes up for my deficiencies elsewhere…right? I just whip out some Homemade Twix Bars and the laundry looks perfect.
Twix is one of my favorite chocolates out of a bag. Around Halloween that’s what I dig out of my kid’s bags. I love that this is a bar version of the chocolate.
You can make individual bars but I wasn’t in the mood to individually dip each one. Start with a shortbread crust. Prick it with a fork so you don’t get any bubbles.
Pour on your caramel layer and then chill. The actual recipe is really simple but you must allow enough time to cool each layer.
Spread on the chocolate.
Chill and you’re done!
OTHER DESSERT RECIPES
- Homemade Reese’s Bars
- Carmelitas
- Homemade Oreos
- Lemon Crumb Squares
- Rolo Pretzels
- Samoa Brownies Bars
- S’mores Cookie Bars
Homemade Twix Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Layer:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Caramel layer
- 2 cups caramel, cut into small chunks (about 14 ounces)
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
Chocolate layer
- 3 cups chopped milk chocolate or dark chocolate, melted
- 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300°F and line a 9" x 13" pan with parchment. The parchment makes it easier to cut the bars later.
- For the crust: In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the flour (see Note) and salt. Mixture will be dry but will come together after mixing.
- Press dough evenly into the pan. Lightly flouring your fingertips will help with any sticking. Prick the crust all over with a fork to prevent bubbles.
- Bake the crust until it's lightly golden brown on top and the edges are deeper golden brown, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately run a knife around the edges to loosen the crust. Set it aside to cool completely.
- For the caramel layer: Melt the caramel and cream in 30 second intervals in a microwave safe bowl, stirring in between. This can also be done on the stove. Stir until smooth. Pour the caramel over the cooled crust and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill and firm up.
- To make the chocolate layer: Melt the milk or dark chocolate slowly in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Add a tablespoon of shortening to thin it out if desired. Pour evenly over the chilled caramel layer and spread to cover all of the caramel. Return to the fridge until the chocolate is well set. Cut into 2" x 2" squares to serve. I found it easiest to remove whole pan of bars out of the baking dish using the parchment. Let bars sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes to make cutting easier.
- Store bars in the fridge. Caramel will soften at room temperature.
- *These bars can also be cut and dipped in milk chocolate to resemble Twix ® bars. After the caramel layer has chilled firm, cut down the length of the pan, splitting the bars into two long, narrow bars. Then cut each long strip into "fingers". Dip the chilled bars into melted chocolate and place on parchment paper to set for several hours.
Notes
Source: King Arthur Flour
Hi, how do you make the individual bars?
I’m so excited!!! I love Twix, I love Twix, I love Twix
I just cut them into squares. I didn’t do individual bars.
Excellent recipe! I ALWAYS use the Unbleached King Arthur Flour in my baking. The higher protein content makes everything hold together better without leaving an over-floured flavor.
Thanks!!!
Is the shortbread as crunchy as the cookies in the candy bars? That’s one of the things I love about them so I am looking for a recipe that can replicate it.
(P.S. Just assign your kids the chore of folding clothes, each one on a specific day or something. They need the responsibility of doing things that aren’t fun — after all, those things don’t happen by magic; someone has to make them happen. You have enough things to do, and besides, the mommy gets to make those decisions.
I like the way you think. Yes, the shortbread is pretty crunchy but not quite as much as the candy bar.
I’ve made this twice, and really like doing the following alterations:
Adding pie spice to the shortbread so there’s more depth in flavor. I use Penzeys but I’m sure other brands are just as good.
Serving it in a spring form pan so it comes out being a bit easier to transport and cut
Controlling the sugar by mixing semi-sweet chocolate with how much sugar I want in it
Thank you so much for your tips! I appreciate them.
I made these for work today to celebrate my birthday, and my co-workers are going nuts over them! They also loved the s’mores cookies — thanks so much for sharing! These taste like the real thing.
Happy birthday to you!!
2 cups of caramel? The directions mentioned cutting the caramel into small chunks. Did you have a big block of caramel that you cut up? Could I just use the little wrapped Kraft caramels that are about 1-inch by 1-inch squares? And would I just measure 2 cups of those little square caramels?
Thanks for your help!
Yes. Just the wrapped caramels cut up and measured to 2 cups. Hope that helps!
My family loved these!!!! Thanks so much for sharing!
What brand/type of caramel and chocolate did you use?
I used Kraft caramel and just used Nestle chocolate chips.
YUM! Tried this recipe yesterday and it was such a hit! Everybody LOVED it!
So glad you loved it!
Bud’s gift to me this year was folding the 7 loads I washed and dried. Best gift ever!
Haha. He’s awesome.
OMG that look so yummy!!! I need to try this for sure,thank you so much for sharing the reciepe. 🙂
http://www.madishaofficial.com
I have four kiddos myself with number 5 on the way and laundry is the devil. I have to do three loads a day just to keep up. But hey every husband should have to find his under g’s on the same couch for at least two days in a row and making my children dig out their own socks from the dryer builds character. Laundry baskets are also the devil, because they put off the inevitable folding. I do not fold shirts anymore. My kids bring me hangers and I hang them & they put them away. Heck my 6 year old daughter hangs up clothes WAY better than her older brothers.
I digress, I haven’t addressed these yummy, naughty twix bars. This one is getting printed and put in my binder. Looks like a yummy late night treat with my hubby.
Hang in there laundry lady!! 🙂
Haha! Glad I’m not the only one!!
Leave the clothes in a basket! I’ll be there soon with the one domestic skill I possess!
Yum! I’ve been trying to recreate a treat I found in Paris that is similar to this, but with a graham crust. I can’t wait to try it now that you seem to have solved the caramel issue for me!
Mmmmm. I love twix, they are one of my faves! I hear ya on the laundry! I hate folding clothes and it feels like it is all I am doing sometimes. I am also not very good at putting it away after I have folded it.
Yummy!! These look amazing! I love sweets! Just be patient about the laundry take your time and the clothes will get folded!! Have fun girl!!
Wow – love how simple these are (but presumably totally delicious).
In the UK they call this “Millionaire Shortbread – they sell it virtually everywhere (shortbread originated in Scotland). The homemade is much better than any we’ve purchased.
I was going to leave the same comment! Being from England, I remember eating Millionaire Shortbread as a little girl and always made it for my kids when they were growing up here in the U.S. but they call them “caramel bars”. I think I definitely need to make some this week:)
Christy, I’m obsessed with the Chicken Gyro recipe from your site and have made it about 10 times in the past few months…better than any I’ve had in a restaurant!
Thank you Victoria! Glad you enjoyed them!
These bars are gorgeous! Oh I would love them, they are so much better than Twix!
I love the idea with this recipe. I want to serve this as an alternative to candy bars that contain so much sugar. Thank you for your recipe!
Omg, I need to try this! Twix are my favorite candy.
Dori | dorigamii
Well now, these sound like a little piece of heaven. Yum!
I HATE folding clothes. With three kids, I feel like it’s never ending.
It’s more than a feeling!