Homemade Twix Bars {a.k.a. Chocolate, Caramel, and Shortbread Bars}



As the holidays approach, I crave all those classic "squares" that my grandmothers & aunts would bring to the family potlucks!

A lot of my favorite squares have a shortbread base - a simple butter, flour, and sugar mix pressed in a pan and baked.

Greyson recently asked me to make "granola" bars with chocolate.  I pictured a bar with a shortbread base, caramel in the middle, and chocolate on top.  We browsed for recipes and ended up modifying a few different recipes and making it up as we went.  What we ended up with was a three layer chocolate bar with similar tastes to a "Twix" bar!

These are a sweet, sugary treat and would be perfect to gift or when you're looking for a chocolate-y, sugary fix!

Homemade Twix Bars

Ingredients:

Shortbread Layer:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/4 cups white flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Caramel Layer:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate layer:

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions:

Line a 8x8" square baking dish with parchment paper so that the parchment comes up over the sides (you'll want to pull the parchment like "handles" to remove the bars from the pan).

Preheat the oven to 350F

Combine all the ingredients of the shortbread layer.  Mix until all the flour is mixed in.  Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, pressing the mixture down in an even layer.

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes until the shortbread is lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan.

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the white sugar and water.  Heat over medium heat until bubbling.  Remove from heat and add the butter.  Whisk to combine.  Add the cream and salt.  Return to heat and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Turn down to maintain a light simmer while avoiding burning the caramel to the bottom.  Continue to cook until the caramel thickens to the consistency of liquid honey.

Let the caramel cool for about 5 to 10 minutes.  Pour over the shortbread layer and transfer to the fridge to set the caramel layer.  You can leave in the fridge overnight or tuck in the freezer for about an hour.

Using the parchment "handles", remove the bars from the pan and transfer to a large cutting board.  Using a large butcher knife, cut the bars into 12 to 16 bars (depending how big you'd like them).  Place them on the cutting board spaced out as you prepare the chocolate layer to pour over them.

To make the chocolate layer, you can melt the chocolate and butter over low heat in a small saucepan on the stove or microwave in 30 second increments.  Melt until the chocolate chips are melted and the butter will mix in.

Gently pour the chocolate over each individual square, allowing the chocolate to drip down the sides of each square.  Place in the fridge to set completely.