These bars are everything you want when eating a Twix. They have the sweet, smooth, chocolate coating, with a soft chewy caramel accompanied by the crunch of the shortbread.
A little disclaimer, the shortbread isn’t super crunchy. If you want more of a crunch, I recommend baking the shortbread a little longer and/or taking out the aquafaba.
Bonus: These Vegan Twix Bars are so easy to make! They take a little time (you have to let the caramel set), but they’re so worth it!
The shortbread recipe is from Mark Bittman's How to Bake Everything. (Any surprise there? Haha)
Shortbread:
Ingredients:
1 c vegan butter
2/3 c powdered sugar
1 tbsp aquafaba
2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
Spray an 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper (make sure there’s lots of overhang on both sides)
In a bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter and powdered sugar together until they’re a homogenous mixture
Add in the aquafaba and continue to mix until it’s well combined
Stop the mixer, and add in the salt and flour
Mix the dough at the lowest speed until just combined
Transfer the dough into the pan and spread the dough evenly throughout the bottom of the pan
Poke holes in the bottom so the shortbread will bake evenly
Place the pan in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up the dough
Heat your oven to 275 degrees F
Bake the shortbread for 40 - 45 minutes or until the top and sides are golden brown
Let the shortbread cool completely and either set aside or put it in the fridge until you're ready to serve
Make the caramel
Caramel:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1/4 c corn syrup
1/4 c water
1c coconut cream (chilled)*
5 tbsp vegan butter (I used Earth Balance, but you can use whatever brand you want)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
Chocolate:
1 tbsp coconut oil
3 c vegan-friendly chocolate, melted**
*I recommend chilling two cans of coconut cream overnight just in case you can't get a whole cup out of one can. You should be able to, but it's better to be safe than sorry! **I used Trader Joe’s dark chocolate and Almond Drink Milk Chocolate bar
Directions:
In a separate bowl, combine the coconut cream, vegan butter, and vanilla extract and set aside but close to the oven, and make sure the cream and butter are at room temperature
Make sure your thermometer, bowl of ice-cold water (optional), a pastry brush, and your bowl with cream and butter are close to the stove
Put the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium-sized saucepan and place over medium heat
Stir continuously until the sugar melts, the mixture becomes clear, and it starts to boil
Or until the sugar is well combined with the water and corn syrup
Once boiling, stop stirring, place your candy thermometer on the side of the saucepan, and wipe the sides down with water and a pastry brush so there are no sugar crystals left on the sides
Cook the sugar until it reaches caramel stage, 320 degrees F (or whatever your temperature is depending on your elevation), or when the sugar is a deep amber color
Pull it off the heat and pour in the vegan butter, coconut cream, and vanilla extract and stir (it might bubble up and look crazy for a few seconds, but keep stirring, it will calm down)
Place the pan back on the stove and cook until it reaches 245 degrees F
While the caramel is cooking to 245 degrees F, take the shortbread out of the fridge if it’s in there
Take the caramel off the stove, stir until the mixture stops bubbling, and pour it into the pan with the shortbread
Stick in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight to let it set
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil and let it cool for 5 minutes
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, wax paper, or a silicone baking mat and place in the fridge for 5 - 10 minutes
You don’t have to place the baking sheet in the fridge if you don’t want to, but it does help the chocolate to set a little faster on the bottom
While the chocolate is cooling, cut your bars into whatever size you want (I like to cut them 1 inch wide by 2 inches long)
Dunk the bars into the chocolate and set them on the baking sheet
Place in the fridge for 20 minutes or until you’re ready to serve them
Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a few weeks
Enjoy!
Tips to help you make caramel successfully:
Make sure you have all the ingredients and tools needed and close by to you
It helps to have a thick-bottomed saucepan, but it’s not required
Have a good candy thermometer and check it every so often to make sure it’s accurate
Know if you need to adjust your temperatures because of your elevation (not sure what it would be? I have a great blog post about this that will help you determine how much you need to adjust your temperatures)
Read through the instructions completely before you begin making the caramel
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