Homemade Twix Cookie Bars with Shortbread, Caramel, and Chocolate

Twix Cookie Bars

These Twix cookie bars are my homemade answer to the candy aisle favorite. Three layers stack up in one pan: a light shortbread base, a chewy caramel middle, and a soft chocolate top. Nothing here needs a specialty shopping trip, and nothing here needs equipment you do not already own.

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I have been loyal to Twix since grade school. Back then I counted out coins for the student store and spent them on the same thing every single time.

The wrapper called it a cookie bar instead of a candy bar, which felt like official permission to eat dessert at lunch.

Years later I still wanted that snap of shortbread, the slow pull of caramel, and the soft chocolate finish, only made at home and cut into neat squares.

That is what this recipe gives you. The shortbread stays tender and barely sweet. The caramel is chewy without turning sticky. The chocolate layer stays soft enough to bite through cleanly. If you own a 9×13 inch pan, a saucepan, and a microwave, you already have everything the job requires.

The perfect homemade Twix bars

Over the past year I set out to build a homemade Twix cookie bar with the right texture and sweetness. The goal was never to replace the candy bar. The goal was to make something that could stand next to it and hold its own.

Three layers do that work: a light shortbread crust, a chewy caramel center, and a soft chocolate top. Each layer tastes good on its own. Together they taste like the real thing.

Here is how the layers come together, step by step.

The crust. Heat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a 9×13 inch pan with tin foil, spray the bottom and sides, and set it aside.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of room temperature salted butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 cups of all purpose flour, and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.

Work everything with a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture is very crumbly but sticks together when you press it in your hands. Press the crust gently into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, until it is lightly golden. Pull it out and let it cool.

The caramel. Start this layer while the crust is in the oven.

1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine 6 tablespoons salted butter, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup of the heavy whipping cream. Warm slowly until the butter melts, about 10 minutes, stirring gently so you do not splash liquid up the sides of the pan. Low heat lets everything melt evenly so the butter does not separate.
2. Once the mixture is warm and melted, raise the heat to medium low. The caramel should hold a simmer without burning on the bottom. Cook at a simmer without stirring for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the temperature reaches 235 degrees F. Read the elevation notes below before you start.
3. Pour in the remaining 1/2 cup of cream. Swirl the caramel gently once or twice with a wooden spoon, then let it simmer without stirring and without changing the heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the temperature returns to 235 degrees F.
4. Take the pan off the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Pour the caramel over the cooled crust, and it is fine if the crust is not completely cool. Smooth it into an even layer and refrigerate for 45 to 60 minutes before adding the chocolate.

The chocolate.

1. Put 1 1/4 cups milk or dark chocolate and 1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream in a microwave safe bowl, or melt them over a double boiler if you prefer. Microwave in two or three 30 second intervals, stirring well in between, just until the chocolate starts to melt. Do not overheat it or it will seize, meaning it turns hard and will not melt again. Milk chocolate is especially quick to seize.
2. Pour the chocolate over the set caramel and smooth it evenly. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, until the bars are completely set. Lift the whole slab out with the foil and cut four rows of eight for 32 bars total.
3. Eat them right away, or store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. They also freeze well for a couple of months. For the best texture, let them come to room temperature before serving so the caramel softens.

Made with pantry friendly ingredients

Almost everything in this recipe is something I keep on hand, which means you can decide to make these bars on a whim instead of planning a shopping trip around them.

I am not a fan of recipes that call for specialty items like soft caramels. A bag of soft caramels would not survive long in my kitchen anyway, and melting them never gives the same chewy pull as caramel cooked from scratch.

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
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 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 1/4 cups (8 ounces) milk or dark chocolate
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) heavy whipping cream

Milk chocolate tastes closest to the candy bar you grew up with. Dark chocolate gives the bars a deeper, less sweet finish. Both work, so use what is already in the cupboard.

Beyond the ingredients, you need a 9×13 inch pan, tin foil, a medium saucepan, a wooden spoon, a pastry blender or fork, and a candy thermometer. The thermometer is not optional here. Caramel is a sugar syrup, and sugar syrup is judged by temperature, not by color or by how long it has been on the stove.

One warning about these bars: they disappear. I ate about five of them while photographing this post, because every bite in the pictures needed a fresh cookie in my hand. If you plan to share, act quickly.

Details about the Caramel Layer (an Update on 6/12/2020)

After this recipe was published, comments started coming in on the site and on Pinterest about the caramel layer. Readers ended up with caramel that was too soft, too firm, or grainy, and the bars did not slice the way they should. I looked into it and updated the recipe with what I found.

Temperature is extremely important when you make the caramel layer. Two factors can throw your temperature off, and both of them are easy to check before you turn on the stove. One is elevation. The other is your thermometer. Sort those out first, and the caramel texture falls into place.

The two sections below walk through both adjustments.

Be sure to adapt the recipe for your elevation

The 235 degrees F caramel target in this recipe was written for an elevation of 4,500 feet above sea level, because that is where the recipe was created. Water boils at a lower temperature as you climb, and a sugar syrup behaves the same way. If you live above or below 4,500 feet, adjust the target before you cook.

• Below 4,500 feet: add 1 degree F for every 500 feet you are below that mark.
• Above 4,500 feet: subtract 1 degree F for every 500 feet you are above that mark.

At sea level you are 4,500 feet below the recipe elevation, so you add 9 degrees. The 235 degree target becomes 244 degrees. At the top of a 9,000 foot mountain you are 4,500 feet above, so you subtract 9 degrees and the target becomes 226 degrees.

Two thousand feet is 2,500 feet below the recipe elevation, which works out to 5 degrees. Six thousand feet is 1,500 feet above, which works out to 3 degrees. If your elevation lands between two rows, do the math with the formula instead of guessing.

How to calibrate your candy thermometer

Elevation math only helps if your thermometer tells the truth. Mel at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe wrote a helpful article about calibrating a candy thermometer, and I followed it closely the first time I tested this recipe.

Here is the process. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, clip the thermometer into the water, and leave it there for 10 minutes. Then read the temperature.

At my elevation of about 4,500 feet above sea level, water boils at roughly 203 degrees F, and my thermometer reads exactly 203 degrees after 10 minutes, which means it is accurate for where I live.

Boiling point changes with elevation, so your correct number will not be the same as mine.

The most accurate adjustment combines elevation and thermometer calibration. Find what your thermometer reads after 10 minutes in boiling water, then compare that to the temperature water should boil at where you live. If your thermometer reads hotter than it should, add the difference to every recipe temperature. If it reads lower, subtract the difference.

One example makes this concrete. Say your thermometer reads 214 degrees F after 10 minutes in boiling water, which is 11 degrees hotter than the 203 degree reading I get. Add 11 degrees to the recipe, and the 235 degree caramel target becomes 246 degrees on your thermometer.

When both adjustments apply, work them in order. First apply the elevation adjustment to get the true target for your location, then apply the thermometer difference so the number you are actually watching on the dial matches.

Write both numbers on a sticky note and tape it inside the cabinet door before you start cooking. It takes 30 seconds and can save a whole batch of caramel.

The extra steps are worth it for perfect caramel. When the temperature lands right, these bars are amazing.

If the caramel ends up softer or firmer than you wanted, temperature is almost always the reason. Soft caramel means you stopped below the target. Hard or brittle caramel means you cooked past it.

A thermometer that has been checked against boiling water removes most of the guesswork, and the layers reward the effort with a bar that slices cleanly and tastes like the candy you remember.

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Twix Cookie Bars

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Twix Cookie Bars These Twix cookie bars are my homemade answer to the candy aisle favorite. Three layers stack up in one pan: a light shortbread base, a chewy caramel middle, and a soft chocolate top.

• Total Time: 300 min
• Yield: 32 bars 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

CRUST
1 cup cup salted butter, room temperature
1 cup cup powdered sugar
2 cups cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon teaspoon pure vanilla extract

CARAMEL LAYER
6 tablespoons tablespoon salted butter
⅛ teaspoon teaspoon salt
½ cup cup light corn syrup
1 cup cup granulated sugar
1 cup cup heavy whipping cream, divided
1 teaspoon teaspoon pure vanilla extract

CHOCOLATE LAYER
1 ¼ cups cup milk or dark chocolate, see note
⅓ to ½ cup cup heavy whipping cream, see note

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Instructions

Crust Layer
1-Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a 9×13” pan with tin foil, spray bottom and sides, and set aside.
2-In a large bowl, combine the butter,: 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.
3-Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes: Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

Caramel Layer
4-While crust is cooking, combine in a: 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.
5-Once the caramel ingredients have warmed and: 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).
6-Pour in the remaining ½ cup of: 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).
7-Take the caramel off the heat and: 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.

Chocolate Layer
8-Add the chocolate chips and cream to: 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.
9-Pour chocolate layer over set caramel layer: 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.
10-These cookie bars can be eaten immediately,: 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.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 40 min
• Method: Bake