Twix Cookie Bars
There’s a whole genre of homemade twix recipes online and most of them cheat. They melt store bought caramels with cream, or they blend dates into “caramel,” or they skip the caramel entirely and use peanut butter. I tried the melted caramels route first and ended up with bars that seeped caramel out the sides the second I sliced into them. It was a mess.
So I made real caramel. From scratch. On the stove. It’s the same method I use for my salted maple caramels, just cooked a little differently so it firms up into a sliceable chewy layer instead of a wrapped candy. Refined sugar free, thick and chewy like a real twix, and it sits in a clean layer between buttery shortbread and a crisp chocolate shell.
These take a little patience but they’re not hard. The caramel is the only step that needs your attention. Everything else is mix, press, melt, pour.
Why These Twix Cookie Bars Work
Here’s the thing nobody tells you when you try to make twix bars at home: melting storebought caramels with cream just makes a sauce. And a sauce is going to ooze out of your bars the second you cut into them, no matter how long you chill it. Ask me how I know.
The fix is cooking the caramel to what’s called firm ball stage (245 to 250°F on a candy thermometer). That concentrates it enough that it stays chewy and sliceable when cold, but doesn’t go rock hard. This is the same stage you’d cook caramels at for candy, just poured into bars instead of a mold.
The shortbread base is exactly what you’d expect, butter, sugar, flour. Nothing fancy. It bakes up crisp and holds the caramel without going soggy. The chocolate on top gets a little coconut oil stirred in so it snaps when you bite but doesn’t shatter off the top when you cut the bars.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter: Softened for the shortbread so it creams smoothly with the sugar, and cold cubes in the caramel to add richness and help it emulsify. Salted or unsalted both work, just adjust the added salt to taste.
- Coconut sugar: Does double duty here. In the shortbread it gives the crust a deeper, almost toasted flavor (way better than white sugar), and in the caramel it’s what gives you that real caramel color and taste without refined sugar.
- All purpose flour: The shortbread base. Plain white flour gives you that crisp, sandy texture you want under the caramel. A 1:1 gluten free flour blend works here too if you need it.
- Coconut cream: The thick white part from a chilled can of full fat coconut milk, or a straight can of coconut cream. This is the dairy free stand-in for heavy cream and it’s what gives the caramel its body. Do not use light coconut milk, it won’t thicken.
- Maple syrup: Pure maple, not pancake syrup. It keeps the caramel from crystallizing and helps it reach that glossy, spoon-coating stage. Honey works as a 1:1 sub if that’s what you have.
- Vanilla: Goes into the caramel at the end, off heat. Rounds everything out.
- Refined sugar free chocolate: Hu Kitchen, Lily’s, or any dark chocolate bar sweetened with coconut sugar. A chopped bar melts smoother than chips, but chips are fine if that’s what’s in your pantry.
- Coconut oil: Just a little bit mixed into the chocolate. It thins it out so it spreads easier and gives you that twix snap when you bite. Same trick I use for the shell on my cherry cheesecake clusters.
- Flaky salt: Non-negotiable on top. The salt is what makes these taste like real twix bars instead of just another chocolate caramel dessert.
A Few Things To Know Before You Start
Don’t rush the caramel. Because this version uses coconut sugar and maple instead of corn syrup, it takes longer to reduce than traditional caramel. 10 to 15 minutes of steady boiling is normal. If you pull it early, it won’t set.
Also, ignore the “caramel” mark on your candy thermometer if it says 340°F. That reading is for dry caramel, the kind that goes hard and brittle (think Werther’s). What you want here is firm ball stage, 245 to 250°F. Totally different animal.
If your caramel starts looking separated or clumpy while it’s cooking, don’t panic. Stick an immersion blender right in the pot for 30 seconds and it’ll come back together. Then keep reducing if it thinned out.
Let the caramel layer chill fully before you add the chocolate. I know you want to keep going but warm caramel under warm chocolate is going to blur your layers together and you’ll lose that distinct twix look. An hour in the fridge minimum, overnight is better.
And when you slice, use a hot knife on cold bars. Run the blade under hot water, wipe it dry, cut, wipe, repeat. This is the difference between messy squished bars and clean ones that actually look like something.
How to Make Twix Cookie Bars
Step 1: Make the shortbread. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides so you can lift the bars out later. Cream the butter and coconut sugar until smooth, then mix in the flour until a dough forms. Press evenly into the pan and bake 18 to 22 minutes until lightly golden. Cool completely before adding the caramel.
Step 2: Make the caramel. Combine the coconut cream, coconut sugar, maple syrup, butter, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until everything is melted and the sugar is fully dissolved (rub a drop between your fingers to check for grittiness). Bring to a steady boil and cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens and thickens enough to heavily coat the back of a spoon. A candy thermometer should read 245 to 250°F (firm ball stage). Stir in the vanilla off heat.
Step 3: Layer and chill. Pour the caramel over the cooled shortbread and spread evenly. Chill in the fridge at least 2 hours, or overnight for best results. It should feel firm to the touch before you add the chocolate.
Step 4: Add the chocolate. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in a microwave safe bowl in 20 second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Pour over the set caramel layer and spread quickly to the edges. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
Step 5: Slice. Chill another hour until the chocolate is set. Lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment overhang. Run a sharp knife under hot water, wipe dry, and slice into bars, wiping the knife clean between each cut.
How To Store Them
These need to stay cold. An airtight container in the fridge will keep them good for about a week, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months. I actually like them better straight from the fridge than at room temp, the caramel gets that perfect chewy snap.
If you’re bringing them somewhere, pack them in a cooler. After about 20 minutes at room temp the caramel softens and the whole thing gets a little melty. Good, but messy. If you need something more travel-friendly for a cookout or potluck, my banana bread blondies hold up way better on a countertop.
Recipe FAQs
You can, but they won’t set the same way. If you go this route, use way less cream than the package suggests (2 to 3 tablespoons per cup of caramels) and chill overnight. Expect a softer, more oozy bar.
Yes, swap the all purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour blend. Texture will be slightly more tender but still good.
Yes, same amount. The flavor will be a little different, more floral, but it works.
The coconut sugar probably didn’t fully dissolve before the mixture came to a boil, or the fat separated from the liquid. Fix it by reheating gently and whisking, or blend with an immersion blender for 30 seconds.
Yes, just double everything and watch the shortbread bake time, might need an extra 5 minutes.
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Twix Cookie Bars (Refined Sugar Free)
Ingredients
Shortbread base
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
Caramel
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
Chocolate shell
- 1 cup refined sugar free chocolate chopped
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- Flaky salt for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.
- Cream butter and coconut sugar until smooth, then mix in flour until dough forms.
- Press dough evenly into pan and bake 18 to 22 minutes until lightly golden. Cool completely.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine coconut cream, coconut sugar, maple syrup, butter, and salt. Whisk until sugar dissolves fully.
- Bring to a steady boil and cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until thick and deeply golden. A candy thermometer should read 245 to 250°F.
- Stir in vanilla off heat. Pour over cooled shortbread and spread evenly.
- Chill 2 hours or overnight until firm.
- Melt chocolate and coconut oil together until smooth. Pour over set caramel layer and spread to edges. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Chill 1 hour until chocolate is set. Lift out of pan, slice with a hot knife into 16 bars.
Notes
- For clean slices, run a sharp knife under hot water and wipe dry between each cut.
- If caramel separates while cooking, blend with an immersion blender for 30 seconds to bring it back together.
- Bars need to stay refrigerated. They soften quickly at room temp.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months.
