These twix cookie bars are a delicious spin off of my favorite candy bar – Twix. A shortbread base, chewy caramel middles and soft chocolate tops these homemade Twix bars are a sure crowd-pleaser.
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Anyone who really knows me knows how much I love Twix. I remember in grade school saving up my money so I could buy a Twix at the student store. The school couldn’t sell candy bars to the students, but since Twix claim to be “cookie bars” rather than candy bars, they got away with it.
True story. Thinking about that now makes me laugh. I’m not sure who was responsible for that justification, but I’ll thank them personally if I ever find out.
Yum. Twix bars.
The perfect homemade Twix bars
This past year I have determined to come up with a perfect homemade Twix cookie bar. Just the right texture and sweetness. Not to replace Twix per say. But to make a cookie bar that can stand next to it without being ashamed. That has been my goal. And speaking as a Twix expert (if eating hundreds of Twix in my lifetime qualifies me to be an expert), I believe I have far exceeded my expectations with this recipe.
This recipe has three layers: a light shortbread crust, a chewy caramel center, and a soft chocolate top. Each layer can stand on its’ own for deliciousness, but put them together and something amazing happens. A delicious cookie bar that is practically perfect in every way.
I love these. Love them so much.
Made with pantry friendly ingredients
One of the best things about this recipe is that most of the ingredients are pantry friendly. Just stuff that I keep on hand all of the time. And that means that my Twix cookie bar needs can be satisfied without much planning. Isn’t that great? And maybe a bit dangerous? I hate it when I go to make a recipe and it has something like “Soft caramels” in it. Because I think to myself: Who keeps stuff like that around anyway? It would get devoured in seconds around here.
Case in point: Just in the few minutes I was taking these pictures for this post I devoured like five of these babies. ‘Cause you know I had to take a bite out of them for the pictures, right? And then once I took one bite, suddenly the entire cookie was gone and I needed another picture perfect cookie with a bite out of it. Seriously dangerous business I’m in. Yes this cook certainly took her share of cook’s treats this time.
Okay my friends. Before I go, let me just reiterate that every ounce of my twix-loving soul is begging you to make these twix cookie bars. And when you do your taste buds will know why. If you plan to share them, be sure to act quickly. They have a remarkable habit of disappearing.
Details about the Caramel Layer (an Update on 6/12/2020)
After reading through comments here and on Pinterest about problems you’ve been having with these twix cookie bars (the caramel layer to be specific), I decided to dig a little deeper into what maybe going on and I think I’ve got it figured out. I will update the recipe with my findings and try to explain them below.
Temperature is SUPER important when making the caramel layer. There are two things that could actually make the temperature off. So if you want to get the perfect texture of caramel in this recipe, listen closely.
Be sure to adapt the recipe for your elevation
The first thing you need to be aware of is that elevation matters. I live at 4500 feet above sea level. And that is the elevation that this recipe was created. If you live below or above that elevation you will need to adjust the temperature in the caramel recipe accordingly and here’s a simple formula to do a quick adjustment:
Add 1 degree for every 500 feet of elevation below 4500. Subtract 1 degree for every 500 feet of elevation above 4500.
Example #1: If you live at sea level, you will need to add 9 degrees to the temperature in the recipe to get the same texture of caramel as I have. So when it says 235 degrees, you will actually use 244 degrees as your target temperature.
Example #2: If you live on the top of a 9000 foot mountain, you will need to subtract 9 degrees from the temperature I have listed in the recipe. So when it says 235 degrees, you will actually use 226 degrees as your target temperature.
Make sense?
How to calibrate your candy thermometer
Okay, now for all of you overachievers. You will want to check whether or not your candy thermometer is calibrated. I found this super helpful article that Mel @ Mel’s Kitchen Cafe did explaining about how to calibrating your candy thermometer. I followed it to a T and found that the candy thermometer I use measures 203 degrees F. after boiling for 10 minutes. That number is accurate for the elevation I live at which is about 4500 feet above sea level.
Again your boiling point temperature will vary depending on your elevation. See Mel’s article which does a great job of walking you through the process of calibrating (Thanks Mel!).
Here’s an easy way to find how many degrees to adjust the recipe by (it accounts for elevation gain plus thermometer calibration and will be the most accurate).
Find out what temperature your thermometer reads after being in boiling water for 10 minutes. If that temperature is hotter than 203 degrees (which is what my thermometer reads), then add the difference to all of the temperatures in the recipe. If it is lower than 203, subtract the difference to all the temperatures in the recipe.
Example #3: Your candy thermometer is measuring 214 degrees after it’s been in boiling water for 10 minutes. You will need to add 11 degrees from the temperature in the recipe. So when it says 235 degrees, you will actually wait until it reaches 246 degrees on your thermometer.
Okay, my friends. I hope this makes sense! If you’re still confused, leave a comment and I’ll help you figure it out.
The results will be 100% worth a few extra steps to make sure your caramel turns out perfect. These twix coookie bars are AMAZING.
Twix Cookie Bars
These twix cookie bars are a delicious spin off of my favorite candy bar – Twix. A shortbread base, chewy caramel middles and soft chocolate tops these homemade Twix bars are a sure crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
CRUST:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (4.5 ounces) powdered sugar
- 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
CARAMEL LAYER:
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup (7.5 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream divided
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE LAYER:
- 1 ¼ cups (8 ounces) milk or dark chocolate see note
- ⅓ to ½ cup (3.5 ounces) heavy whipping cream see note
Instructions
For Crust Layer:
-
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a 9×13” pan with tin foil, spray bottom and sides, and set aside.
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In a large bowl, combine the butter, powdered sugar, flour, and vanilla and mix with a pastry blender or fork until is very crumbly and sticks together when pressed your hands. With your hands, press the crust gently into the prepared pan.
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Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
For Caramel Layer:
-
While crust is cooking, combine in a medium saucepan over low heat the butter, salt, corn syrup, sugar, and ½ cup of the cream. Warm the ingredients slowly until the butter is melted (about 10 minutes). Gently stir to combine, being careful not to stir too vigorously and splash the liquid on the sides of the pan. The low heat will help the ingredients melt evenly so the butter does not separate.
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Once the caramel ingredients have warmed and melted, increase the heat to medium-low. The caramel should maintain a simmer, but not be so hot that it is burning on the bottom. Keep cooking at a simmer WITHOUT STIRRING for about 20-30 minutes until temperature reaches 235 degrees F (see note about elevation adjustments).
-
Pour in the remaining ½ cup of cream. Gently swirl the caramel with a wooden spoon once or twice. Then let it simmer WITHOUT STIRRING or adjusting the temperature for 10-15 minutes until the temperature returns to 235 degrees F (see note about elevation adjustments).
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Take the caramel off the heat and carefully stir in the vanilla. Then pour over the cooled crust (it’s okay if it’s not cooled completely) and quickly smooth it until it’s evenly distributed. Let caramel layer cool for 45 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator before adding the chocolate layer.
For Chocolate Layer:
-
Add the chocolate chips and cream to a microwavable bowl (or alternately you can use a double boiler to melt). Microwave them in two or three 30-second intervals, stirring well in between just until the chocolate starts to melt. Be careful not to over melt it or it will seize (meaning it will get hard and then never melt again), especially milk chocolate.
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Pour chocolate layer over set caramel layer and smooth it until it’s evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours until the cookie bars are set completely. Carefully remove the tin foil and cut into four rows of eight bars for 32 bars total.
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These cookie bars can be eaten immediately, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, or frozen for a couple of months. For best results, let come to room temperature before serving so caramel is soft.
Recipe Notes
1. The kind of chocolate to use depends on your preference. I usually use a good brand of chocolate chips. I think I slightly prefer milk chocolate in this recipe, but I also really like the Ghirardelli brand of dark chocolate chips.
2. The perfect amount of cream to add to the chocolate layer is right between ⅓ and ½ cup, which is why I gave the weighted measurement. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, just measure a bit less than a half of a cup and you should be right on.
3. Update (6/12/2020): After reading through comments here and on Pinterest about problems you’ve been having with the caramel layer I decided to dig a little deeper into what maybe going on and I think I’ve got it figured out.
The first thing you need to be aware of is that elevation matters. I live at 4500 feet above sea level. And that is the elevation that this recipe was created. If you live below or above that elevation you will need to adjust the temperature in the caramel recipe accordingly and here’s a simple formula to do a quick adjustment:
Add 1 degree for every 500 feet of elevation below 4500. Subtract 1 degree for every 500 feet of elevation above 4500.
Okay, now for all of you overachievers. You will want to check whether or not your candy thermometer is calibrated. My thermometer measures 203 degrees F. after boiling for 10 minutes. That number is an accurate reading for the elevation I live at which is about 4500 feet above sea level.
Here’s an easy way to find how many degrees to adjust the recipe by (it accounts for elevation gain plus thermometer calibration and will be the most accurate).
Find out what temperature your thermometer reads after being in boiling water for 10 minutes. If that temperature is hotter than 203 degrees (which is what my thermometer reads), then add the difference to all of the temperatures in the recipe. If it is lower than 203, subtract the difference to all the temperatures in the recipe.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.
Can’t wait to try your recipe! After numerous years of making caramels and using candy thermometers that never seemed to be accurate, even after calibrating them, I got rid of them and now use a meat thermometer. My caramel has come out perfect every time since- not to soft or too hard, like used to happen!
THANK YOU for the advice to calibrate the thermometer and the altitude difference. My bars came out great! I overcooked the cookie part a bit but that was on me letting it go longer. My caramel took about an hour total (WV here) and was worth it.
So glad the recipe worked well for you Alexis! Thanks for letting me know.
Dayton Ohio! Cooked the Carmel to 240 and it came out great, my cook time was about on par with the recipe but im cooking in lower humidity in my area too!
Carmel tastes very good
Thanks for chiming in with your experience Alyssa! I’m so glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
You need to rewrite the recipe. The caramel is supposed to cook at the most 30 minutes. I’m going on ONE HOUR and the caramel is still at 230 degrees!!
Standing g at the stove now for almost 2 hrs
Hi Susan, sorry you had trouble with the recipe. You are absolutely right that the times will vary with this recipe (like they will with any recipe) depending on your experience with making the recipe, the cooking tools you use, etc. They are given as a guide and in this case the fact that it took that much longer for you is a bit concerning. So I’m curious how the result turned out. If they did turn out (just took too long), then stove temp is an obvious difference it could have been. If your stove temp was lower than mine the caramel could take significantly longer to come up to temp. You don’t want to turn it up too high or your caramel could burn but you maybe could have gone a little higher. If your caramel ended up being too hard or soft then the first thing I would check is whether your candy thermometer was calibrated and if you adjusted the recipe for elevation as I suggested. Also I’ve made this recipe on gas and electric stoves and gas stoves tend to be quicker as they tend to be easier to control the temp. Hope those give you a few ideas to try.
I live in Denver, CO and cooked caramel to 227 and it came out perfect.
Thanks for letting me know Ben! That’s great.
Could I use golden corn syrup that I have on hand or does it have to be light corn syrup?
Hi Chelsea, I’ve never tried it with golden corn syrup but I don’t think it will be a problem. It may affect the color and the flavor of the caramel slightly, but I think it will still taste delicious.
Could you use parchment paper instead of foil…I dont like the aluminum touching my food. Not good for my tummy unfortunately.
Hi Nansea, yes parchment will work just fine. ☺️
These look divine and just like Australia’s Caramel Slice (which also tastes like a Twix Bar). The caramel layer is made with sweetened condensed milk and practically fool-proof. (Pinterest is filthy with caramel slice recipes). I’m almost certain my husband is addicted, but there are so few Caramel Slice programs in our area.
Lol Melis! Yeah I may need a program like that too. haha. I have seen the sweetened condensed milk or dulce de leche versions, but I did not know they were called caramel slice! Thanks for sharing that bit of Australian culture with me. I will definitely have to try them.
I forgot to line the bottom with foil. Will it still come out easily with just the cooking spray?
Emma, it’s a lot easier to take them out of the pan to cut them when you’ve lined it with foil. But if you just used cooking spray, I would just cut them right in the pan to serve them and you should be fine!
Haven’t made but, going to. Just wanted to chime in to say I live in New Zealand and we call it caramel slice too (made with condenced milk). Really popular here. Every bakery, café, petrol station, supermarket, grannies house has it. My great Aunt use to make it best ❤ i think she put a touch of coffee in her base (?). I made it with a triple chocolate brownie base one….. may of been an over kill lol
That sounds yummy Kat! So glad to know about the caramel slice now. So cool.
This was a really fun recipe to make! I’ve never made caramel before and it turned out really yummy! My only problem was that At room temperature the chocolate was messy and made my bars look sloppy. Do you have a recommendation for hardening the chocolate so it doesn’t melt at room temperature?
Hi Annie, I like the chocolate pretty soft so that I can store them in the refrigerator and they are not super hard when I pull them out. But if you want the chocolate harder, just use less cream in the chocolate layer. Maybe go for more like 1/8 to 1/4 cup and see what you think. 🙂 Good luck!
Very tasty! But my chocolate didn’t harden, is that normal?
Hi Jess. Glad you liked the recipe. The chocolate should harden a bit in the refrigerator. At room temperature it shouldn’t be melty but it is smooth and creamy. Hope that helps.
This recipe looks so good I’m excited to make them.
My mom loves Twix so I think she’ll like them.I’ve never tried this recipe before but hopefully it turns out good 🤞😃
Hey Griffin. Thanks for leaving a comment and I hope you both love them. 👍🏻😊
Hi Heather! 😊 Thank you for this recipe, I loved it!! Although my caramel got super hard. They were still delicious! I ran out of corn syrup, do you thinm that could of been the reason??
Yes it very well could have been not enough corn syrup. When I was testing these bars, I ended up overcooking the caramel layer a time or two so make you check the temperature often and stop cooking it when it reaches the correct temp (make sure your candy thermo is calibrated as I mentioned). But since I love twix bars, I never let the hard caramel keep me from consuming every last one of the test subjects. Haha. I just popped them in the microwave for a bit to soften the caramel so I could still enjoy them. 🙂 SO you could try that with the bars you made. Glad you enjoyed them Andrea. Let me know if you try it again (with all of the corn syrup next time). 🙂
I loved the recipe. Although my caramel got really hard it was still delicious!!! I ran out of corn syrup, do you think that could of been the problem?? I doesn’t taste burnt or anything it’s just super hard.
I’m glad you liked it Andrea. Yes it’s very likely the corn syrup could affect the texture like that. Also did you use a candy thermometer when cooking the caramel? If your candy thermometer is not accurately calibrated you may have unknowingly cooked it a bit long as well. The longer you cook caramel the harder it gets. I tested the recipe several times to get the temperature to where the caramel comes out perfect- soft but not too soft. But if your thermometer isn’t calibrated then it will be off. (Google how to calibrate a candy thermometer for help if you need it). Good luck!
I made these and then forgot to put them in the fridge. Will they be ok to eat?
Hey Christi— putting them in the fridge just helps them set up quicker and keeps the soft chocolate tops from melting if your house is warm. They will be just fine not refrigerated for a couple of days. And my favorite way to eat them is at room temp. 🙂
Hello! I just came across your recipe for Twix Cookie Bars. Twix is my favorite candy bar, too (well, and Baby Ruth)! It’s basically three desserts in one! Anyway, I have a quick question for you. Could the individually wrapped caramel candy be used instead of actually making the caramel layer, maybe mixed with a bit of milk and melted? I’m not very good at baking, so I think I need an “easy button” option! LOL!
Hey Kari, I agree Baby Ruth is quite tasty too! 🙂 As for your question, I’m guessing your idea with the individual caramels would work great (or you could buy a block type caramel like Peter’s Caramel available on Amazon which is nice so you don’t have to unwrap millions of caramels haha). The caramel in these twix bars are slightly softer than the store bought caramel so you’d probably would want to stir in a little milk like you mentioned (or cream would probably work even better). That way it’s a bit softer and chewier. Hopefully that’s enough to get you started. Good luck! And don’t worry I totally get the “easy button” thing. 🙂
I am wondering why you need to add 1/2 cup heavy cream in two separate times?
Good question! To be honest I’m not totally sure on why you add the cream in batches like that. And I’ve never tried it just adding it all in at once. But many caramel recipes call for it separately this way. And I know it works amazing. 😊 Anyone else have any ideas to chime in with?
Okay I think I figured out why you add the cream in two batches. I accidentally forgot last time I made caramel and added the cream all at once. The caramel sauce bubbled up over the pan and made a huge mess. So now we know LOL :).
Have you ever tried freezing these? I need them for an event in 2 weeks but have some homemade caramel sauce already made and in my refrigerator that I would like to use up.
Yes I’ve frozen them many times and they taste great!
Hi. Do you line the whole pan with foil or just the bottom ??
I line the whole pan with a little overhang on each side so that it’s easy to lift the bars out of the pan for cutting.