These easy homemade twix bars are made with a layer of crisp & buttery shortbread crust topped with silky & luscious homemade caramel sauce and coated in a shiny decadent layer of dark chocolate ganache. Once you have these, there is really no going back to the store bought ones. This recipe can be halved or double as desired and these bars make the perfect treat for any & all occasions. These homemade candy bars are lastly topped with some flaky sea salt which makes them even more irresistible!
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Unsalted Butter: It is very important to have your butter at room temperature. You can ensure this by lightly pressing your finger on the block of butter. It should slightly leave an imprint. I also prefer to use unsalted butter because salted butters have varying amounts of salt content in them and it is always a good idea to add it on your own and avoid your bakes from being too salty.
- All-purpose flour: I highly recommend weighing all your ingredients using a kitchen scale for accurate recipe results. If you’re using cups, don’t scoop your cup into the flour. Spoon the flour into your cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
- Granulated Sugar: Along with adding sweetness, granulated sugar helps these bars hold their perfect shape and structure.
- Fresh Cream: Adding fresh cream to your caramel will help thicken it, and give it the perfect consistency. You can use either low-fat or full-fat cream but full-fat gives better results.
- Vanilla: I highly recommend that you use a high quality, pure vanilla extract. This helps in giving a rich flavor to your baked goods. Pure vanilla extracts are typically dark brown in color. This enhances the flavor of all ingredients and you should never leave this out.
- Chocolate: I highly recommend using good quality baking chocolate chips or chocolate bars (I use callebaut) to ensure the best flavor.
- Flaky sea salt: These bars are lastly sprinkled with flaky sea salt for the best flavours.
FAQ
Caramel bubbles up a lot when cooking, so be sure to have a pan big enough to accommodate the caramel as it heats and the sugar bubbles rise. A heavy bottomed pan that will help distribute heat evenly is best. The reason caramel bubbles is due to a temperature difference between the sugar and your ingredients. As they come to a stable range, the bubbling stops. It is normal and I recommend stirring constantly to avoid it from burning.
The best way to get a shiny, smooth ganache is by using the bain-marie method. Take a glass bowl, add all the chocolate and butter to it. Transfer it over a pan of simmering water until all the chocolate is melted, stirring constantly. However, for these bars you can also make it in a microwave by heating it in 15-20 second intervals and stirring constantly.
Twix bars can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a week. Alternatively, you can also freeze twix bars. Transfer them to an airtight container and mark the date so you don’t forget it. You can freeze them for 3 months. I would recommend that you thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Other Chocolate Recipes you’ll love:
- One-Bowl Dark Chocolate Tahini Blondies
- Dark Chocolate Tahini Thumbprint Cookies
- Fudgy Espresso Brownie Cookies
Some Other Tips:
- Caramel bubbles up a lot when cooking, so be sure to have a pan big enough to accommodate the caramel as it heats and the sugar bubbles rise.
- The best way to get a shiny, smooth ganache is by using the bain-marie method. However, for these bars you can also make it in a microwave by heating it in 15-20 second intervals and stirring constantly.
- You can freeze these bars for 3 months. I recommend that you thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
- I highly recommend investing in an oven thermometer and a kitchen scale. Baking at accurate temperatures and weighing your ingredients correctly ensure that you can replicate the recipes perfectly and enjoy the best flavors.
Happy Baking!
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Homemade Twix Ice Cream Bars
- Total Time: 3.5 hours (includes chilling time)
- Yield: 14 twix bars 1x
Description
These easy homemade twix bars are made with a layer of crispy, buttery shortbread topped with silky & luscious homemade caramel sauce and coated in a shiny decadent layer of dark chocolate ganache. Once you have these, there is really no going back to the store bought ones. This recipe can be halved or double as desired and these bars make the perfect treat for any & all occasions. These homemade candy bars are lastly topped with some flaky sea salt which makes them even more irresistible!
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 227g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 100g granulated sugar
- 240g all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Caramel Sauce
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (480ml) fresh cream, at room temperature
Chocolate Ganache
- 200g semi-sweet chocolate, melted
- 113g unsalted butter, melted
- flaky sea salt for spinkling
Instructions
Shortbread Crust
- Preheat your oven to 325ºF (163ºC) and line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, or in the bowl of your stand mixer add the unsalted butter. Using a hand mixeror a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth.
- Add in the sugar and beat on medium speed again until fully combined. The mixture will be light and fluffy at this point.
- All in the all-purpose flour and salt. Beat on low speed until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be crumbly.
- Transfer it to the lined pan and spread it evenly using the back of a spoon or bowl.
- Poke holes in the crust using a fork (see photo above).
- Bake the shortbread crust at 325ºF (163ºC) for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and allow to cool completely before pouring caramel on top.
Caramel Sauce
- While the crust is baking, add sugar to a heavy bottomed saucepan and start melting it on medium-low heat.
- Stir continuously until all the sugar has completely melted.
- Add in cubes of butter, around two at a time and stir vigorously. The mixture will bubble when you do so. Repeat until all the butter is incorporated.
- Add in the salt and vanilla. Stir vigorously until thoroughly combined.
- Lastly, add in around half of the cream and stir vigorously again. The mixture will bubble even more at this point. Remove from heat and add in the other half. Stir again until thoroughly combined.
- Transfer to a glass jar and allow to cool completely.
- Pour caramel on top of cooled shortbread crust and spread it evenly towards the edges using an offset spatula.
- Transfer your pan to the refrigerator and allow it to chill for atleast 2 hours or until the caramel is completely set.
- You can even double the caramel recipe and store the leftover sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container, preferably a glass jar for upto 3 weeks!
Chocolate Ganache
- In a medium bowl, add chopped chocolate. Microwave it in 15-20 second intervals stir vigorously in between. Repeat until the chocolate has completely melted.
- In another small bowl, add the cubed butter. Heat it in the microwave for around 30 seconds or until completely melted.
- Add the melted butter to the melted chocolate and mix using a silicone spatula until completely combined. You will have a smooth and silky ganache. Allow to cool slightly.
Assembly
- Cut the chilled crust into bars. You will get around 14-16 bars.
- Take each bar and dip it in the chocolate ganache. Transfer to a parchment paper or a wire rack immediately.
- Dip all bars and transfer them to the refrigerator until set around 20 minutes.
- Transfer the remaining chocolate ganache to a disposable piping bag. Cut a small hole in the front and drizzle with extra chocolate ganache if desired.
- Lastly, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Bars, Chocolate
- Method: No-bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: caramel sauce, twix bars,, millionaire bars, chocolate ganache, shortbread crust
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