Homemade Twix Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Healthier homemade Twix bars with a crunchy cookie layer, date caramel, and perfectly sweet chocolate coating. Undetectably vegan and gluten-free. Just 9 simple ingredients required!
Servings 20 (Twix bars)
Ingredients
COOKIE LAYER
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2/3 cup tapioca starch
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup melted refined coconut oil*
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp water
CARAMEL LAYER
- 15 large dates (we used medjool // ~1 ⅓ cups or 270 g as recipe is written), pitted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp melted refined coconut oil*
CHOCOLATE COATING
- 2 cups semisweet vegan chocolate chips (~1 bag // we like Enjoy Life brand)
- 2 ½ tsp refined coconut oil*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (176 C) and line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- Remove pits from dates (if not already pitted), and place in a small mixing bowl. Pour boiling water over the dates until they are just covered. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine almond flour, tapioca starch, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to fully combine. Add in melted refined coconut oil, the maple syrup, and water. Stir until a dough forms. It should come together easily, look like cookie dough, and hold together when squeezed. If too dry, add a tiny bit of water. If too wet, add more almond flour a little at a time.
- Transfer dough to your parchment-lined baking dish and press into an even layer. It might seem like too little dough, but stick with it! You want it to be thin and even. Bake dough in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden and the center of the dough is pale and firm to the touch.
- While the dough is baking, make your caramel. Pour out the water to drain the dates and place your soaked dates in a food processor. Pulse a few times to break up the dates slightly. Add vanilla, sea salt, and melted coconut oil, and turn the food processor on. If all the ingredients are stuck to the sides, scrape them down and continue processing. It will be very thick and sticky but should also be spreadable and smooth. If your date caramel is too thick, you can add water 1 tsp at a time. Keep in mind you don’t want it too thin or it will be too runny and difficult to work with.
- Remove your cookie layer from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. While the cookie layer is still slightly warm, scrape your date caramel directly onto your cookie layer and spread it evenly into all corners of the baking dish. Then, using the parchment paper, carefully lift and slide the bars onto the counter. Be delicate! Slide the bars onto a cutting board.
- With your bars securely on the cutting board, cut your 8 x 8-inch Twix square in half. Then cut each half into 10 even bars, each about 3/4-inch wide.
- In the meantime, add 1 inch water to a small saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low / simmer. Add the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a small glass or metal bowl. Carefully place the bowl on top of the saucepan with simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally with a spatula or spoon, until melted and no lumps remain (~5 minutes). You can also melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave in 20-second increments until melted. Remove chocolate from heat.
- Carefully place your Twix bars onto a cooling rack and place the cooling rack over a sheet tray or some parchment paper to catch drips from the chocolate. Using a spoon, carefully scoop a heaping tablespoon of melted chocolate and pour it onto each bar individually. With the back of the spoon, spread the chocolate and encourage it to go down the sides of the bar. Add more chocolate in the spots that need it, and tap the cooling rack on the counter to help the chocolate smooth out. When all the bars are covered in chocolate, transfer them to a plate and place in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes to set the chocolate.
- Enjoy! Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 1 month. If frozen, let them come to room temperature before enjoying.
Video
Notes
*If using unrefined coconut oil, the coconut flavor will be a bit more noticeable, but it still works! We think vegan butter would also work, but we haven't tested it. Let us know in the comments if you do!
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Nutrition (1 of 20 servings)
Serving: 1 Twix bar Calories: 230 Carbohydrates: 29.4 g Protein: 2.7 g Fat: 12.8 g Saturated Fat: 7.1 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.8 g Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 76 mg Potassium: 169 mg Fiber: 3 g Sugar: 21 g Vitamin A: 4.2 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 51.3 mg Iron: 1.7 mg