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Homemade Twix Bars - Yes, Please!


Two words:  Homemade + Twix!

If you love Twix candy bars like I always have, then boy are you going to adore this recipe!!!  These bars are made from 3 deliciously decadent layers - A layer of shortbread on bottom, creamy caramel in the middle, and chocolate on top.   

Seriously...does it get much better?

Instead of cutting these into square bars like I did, you could even cut them into longer slices and dip them into chocolate to resemble actual Twix bars!

When we first tried these bars, patience was not on our side (can you imagine that?), so the chocolate hadn't really hardened up all the way when we took our first bites.  I wish we had waited a little longer, because these bars are much better once they've had a chance to set up.  They are best stored in the refrigerator.  Before enjoying, just pull them out of the fridge and let them come to room temp.  That way, they'll be easier to slice.

Brad and I tend to love the taste of darker chocolate, plus I already had bittersweet chocolate on-hand, so that's what I used.  I will say that these would be even better if chopped peanuts were perhaps sprinkled on top of the caramel layer before pouring on the chocolate.  Or, you could even add a little sea salt.  They could have used just a little "something", and I think a little saltiness would have been amazing.

One thing that I will add is that the shortbread was a tinky tiny bit crumbly.  After reading the recipe reviews, this seems to be a common concern.  However, the kind folks at King Arthur replied to those reviews, and they seemed to think it might be because the shortbread either had a little too much flour added or that it was cooked a little too long.  Either way, it still tasted fabulous!

I'll definitely be making these again...with the peanuts next time!

Bon Appetit, my friends!


Thousand Dollar Bars (aka homemade Twix bars)

Ingredients:
Shortbread Layer:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Caramel Layer:
2 cups caramel, cut into small chunks
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Chocolate Layer:
3 cups chopped milk chocolate or dark chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (optional)

Directions:
1) FOR THE CRUST: Preheat your oven to 300°F. Spray a 9" x 13" pan lightly with cooking spray, or line with parchment, and set aside. 

2) In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the flour. At first the mixture may seem dry, but will come together as you continue to beat at medium speed. 

3) Take the dough (it will be somewhat stiff) and press it evenly into the pan. Lightly flouring your fingertips will help with any sticking. 

4) Prick the crust all over with a fork. The holes will allow steam to escape and the crust will bake evenly with fewer bubbles. 

5) 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.

6) FOR THE CARAMEL LAYER: Melt the caramel and cream over low heat in a small saucepan. Pour the caramel over the cooled crust and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill and firm up. 

7) FOR THE CHOCOLATE LAYER: Melt the milk or dark chocolate slowly in a double boiler or over very low heat. If it seems very thick, add a tablespoon of shortening to thin it. 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. It's best to store these bars in the refrigerator.

8) 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. 

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Comments

I loooove the caramel Twix bars. The shortbread crust on these looks great!
twix bars are one of my favs, thanks for the recipe! C:
Anonymous said…
OMG-I can't even fathom that such awesomeness exists that one can make themselves :) Can't wait for a snowy day to try these out myself.
Good Lawd, I must make this! Twix bars are one of my favorite candies. Genius.

Kendra
Anonymous said…
I love twix, especially the peanut butter ones. Any ideas on how to make it with peanut butter vice caramel?
Anonymous said…
I love Twix, especially the peanut butter ones. Any suggestions on how to make these with peanut butter vice caramel?
Those look a million times better than a real Twix bar! They would so not last long in my house...
Angela said…
These look delightful!!! Thanks for sharing!
tegel outlet said…
Looks so beautiful .. Thanks for sharing
really a awesome dish i love it a lot
a very nice post i like it a lot great one
what a awesome and really a amazing post
drika34 said…
Looks delicious!
I am SO glad I found your blog on RecipeNewZ! Who knew twix bars were SO easy to make? I can't wait to try them! :)
Celeste said…
Thanks everybody for the sweet comments! You guys rock! :)
livismomma said…
Do you think you can you caramel in a jar and add the cream or do you have to use the candies??
Celeste said…
Hi Livismomma! Thanks for your comment. I've honestly never worked with the caramel in a jar...You'll just want to make sure that the caramel hardens up enough so that you can cut the dessert into bars. Caramel from a jar might be a tad too soft.
I'll take one please! These look awesome...they remind me of these homemade snickers bars I have made. Might have to add these to my "collection"...Thanks for sharing! (Found you through recipenewz)
Michelle said…
I just made these and I can't wait for them to set up...I think I'll double the caramel next time though. Thanx so much for sharing
Celeste said…
Thanks Sarah and Michelle! :)
Anonymous said…
Must it be that flour? Or would regular flour be ok?
Arlindaus said…
What brand of caramel candy did you use? I could only find caramel topping and it did not set thick at all.
Arlindaus said…
The flavor is great. I did not have the caramel pieces so I used the topping and it was too loose; it did not set up with the thickness of yours in the picture.
Kate McR said…
These are really good. WARNING: be careful cutting them!! I almost impaled myself trying to cut them - even using a sturdy butcher's knife! I would recommend letting them sit out of the fridge for 20 minutes before trying to cut them (they had softened quite a bit by that point) and heat your knife!
Kate C. said…
Just made these tonight and they are AMAZING!!! I'm still waiting for the chocolate to set completely but I snuck one. :) I used regular bleached flour and the shortbread turned out just great! For any of you wondering what caramel to use, I used the Werther's chewy caramels. 1 package is enough for a thin layer but I recommend 2. Thanks for the recipe. Can't wait to pass these out to the neighbors-if there are any left!
Celeste said…
Thanks to you all for your comments and feedback! :)
Anonymous said…
I tried these using homemade caramel made with butter, brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk. It was out of this world. 1 can of Eagle brand, 2 sticks of butter and 1/3 c. dark brown sugar made enough caramel for two batches. They were the most amazing bar cookies I've ever eaten. I never made the second batch, just nibbled on the caramel by the spoonful!

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