Homemade vegan twix bar recipe with NO DATES and the closest you'll get to the original! These have a delightful crunchy cookie base, gooey sweet caramel and crisp chocolate.
Conventional Twix bars are vegetarian but they not vegan as they contain milk solids. These homemade twix bars are a copycat of the original candy bar. They have no nuts and no coconut flavour and you won't be able to stop at one!
If you prefer a healthier, refined sugar-free and gluten-free vegan twix, check out the caramel cookie bar recipe in my cookbook which uses a date caramel and coconut flour in the base.
Ingredients to make vegan twix bars
You'll only need 6 ingredients to make these homemade twix bars including:
- All-purpose flour
- Vegan block butter, margarine spread or coconut oil
- Sugar or coconut sugar to make a refined sugar free twix
- Coconut sweetened condensed milk. Oat and soy sweetened condensed milk should work too, though I haven't tried myself.
- Brown or coconut sugar
- Vegan chocolate or dairy free chocolate chips
Making the shortcrust cookie base
It's super easy and quick to make the cookie base! Simply add the flour, butter, sugar and a dash of water to a food processor. Then pulse until combined and add the mixture to a lined cake tin.
Bake the base in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes. This will make the base extra crunchy and delicious!
Making the vegan caramel layer
These homemade twix bars are seriously the best alternative to store-bought twix that I've ever tasted. Unlike other vegan twix recipes, we're making caramel the traditional way using (vegan-friendly) sweetened condensed milk instead of dates.
I used Nature's Charm condensed milk which is really high quality and delicious.
Unlike dates, sweetened condensed coconut milk makes a BEAUTIFUL and luxuriously smooooth caramel. If you cook it for a short time, you'll get a runny pourable caramel. But if you cook it for a little longer, your caramel will be perfect for vegan twix bars or even caramel slice (millionaire shortbread)!
Caramel needs to reach the FIRM BALL stage
I won't lie... making traditional caramel (with vegan ingredients or not) is a real craft. I tried guessing whether the caramel was ready based on color but it is not accurate.
I love shortcuts but honestly, the EASIEST way to tell if the caramel is ready is the soft/hard ball method. That's when you drop some hot caramel into iced water and let it set a little (or put some on a plate and let it set in the freezer). It helps predict the final consistency of your caramel!
The caramel is the best consistency when it reaches the 'firm ball' stage. This makes a sturdy but gooey caramel which is easy to cut, eat and is as close as possible to the original twix.
The 'firm ball' stage is when the caramel can be shaped into a sturdy ball but loses its shape when it's pressed. The outside of the ball is firm but inside is a little soft.
If you have a candy thermometer, the caramel needs to reach about 118°C-121°C (245°F-250°F) and STAY that temperature. From experience, you can rapidly boil your caramel to that temperature but your caramel needs to evaporate a little before it's ready.
Troubleshooting the caramel layer
For the homemade vegan twix bars, if you don't cook the caramel for long enough, it'll be too runny. If this happens, cook it for a little longer.
If you cook the caramel for a little too long, it will be too firm and chewy when you test it. Just add a little water to your saucepan, heat it through and test the caramel again.
If your caramel starts to seperate (though this is uncommon), you've probably overheated your caramel. Simply reduce the heat and stir your caramel vigorously until it's combined again.
Once it's reached the firm ball stage, simply pour the caramel over the base then let it set in the fridge for a few hours.
When the caramel is set, it will be sticky but firm and easy to cut! You can even cut the bars into smaller portions to make vegan twix bites :). How cute would they be!
Dipping the twix bars in chocolate
It's really easy to dip the twix bars in chocolate! My tip is to make sure you use a TALL bowl so you can fully immerse the twix bars in the melted chocolate.
If you didn't cook your caramel for long enough and it starts melting, simply pop them in the freezer and allow them to firm up before dipping.
See my other vegan candy recipes:
- Reverse Caramel Slice (vegan)
- Raw Chocolate Mint Slice
- Unbaked Vegan Raspberry Slice
- Raw Vegan Brownies (5 ingredients)
- Vegan Cherry Ripe Cups
Vegan Twix Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
Base
- 2 ½ cups (310g) all-purpose plain flour, (note 1 for gluten free)
- ¾ cup (170g) vegan butter, margarine or coconut oil, chilled
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- Pinch of any good quality salt, if using unsalted butter or oil
- Dash of chilled water
Caramel filling
- ~2 cups (640g) dairy-free sweetened condensed milk, or equivalent of 2 x 320g cans
- 1 ¼ cups (280g) vegan butter or margarine, (note 2)
- ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar, or coconut sugar
Chocolate topping
- 1 cup (220g) vegan chocolate, chopped
- 2 tablespoons (30g) vegan butter or margarine, or coconut oil or liquid vegetable oil
Instructions
To make the base:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 20 cm or 23 cm (8 inch or 9 inch) square cake tin with parchment paper.
- Add all the base ingredients to a food processor or bowl and mix until combined. The mixture should stick together when it's pinched between two fingers. Add more flour or water if necessary.
- Firmly press the base mixture into the tin. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
To make the caramel filling:
- Add all the caramel ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes while stirring occasionally or until the caramel is a deep golden brown colour. To test whether the caramel is ready, spoon a little caramel into a glass of ice water (note 3) The caramel needs to reach the a 'firm ball' stage. This is where the chilled caramel can be shaped into a sturdy ball but gives a little when you press it. If the caramel hasn't reached the firm ball stage, cook it for a little longer.
- When the caramel is ready, pour it over the cookie base in the tin. Set aside in the fridge for at least 4 hours or until firm.
To coat the twix bars in chocolate
- Add the chocolate and butter (or oil) to a small saucepan or double boiler over low heat. Mix until melted and allow to cool slightly.
- Use a sharp knife to cut your twix into bars. Dip each bar into the melted chocolate and set aside on a lined tray or plate. As each bar is cold, the chocolate should set almost immediately. If not, chill the twix bars for another 30 minutes or until set.
- Store the twix in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 weeks or in the freezer up to 1 month. If it is cold at room temperature, you may store the twix outside for a few hours,
Notes
- For a gluten free twix base, use 1 ½ cup (150g) almond meal/flour and 1 cup (160g) gluten-free flour blend which has xantham gum.
- Vegan margarine spread has a higher water content than vegan block butter. If you use vegan margarine, it may take a little longer for your caramel to rich the 'firm ball' stage. Also, don't be tempted to reduce the amount of vegan butter/margarine. I found that using less butter results in either a runny or an unpleasantly chewy caramel (like chewing gum).
- If you don't have any ice, place a little caramel on a plate and pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes or until it's set. If the caramel is sturdy but still a little gooey, it's ready!
Nutrition
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I am excited to try these for a treat. Twix was always my favorite candy bar. Thank you for the recipe and I will leave a rating when I make it!
I’m trying to cut down on sugar in my snacks etc would using monk fruit sweetener work instead of sugar in the biscuit base(how much should I use?) and also for the caramel I know there is already sugar in condensed coconut milk but what’s the difference between brown and coconut sugar which is best?i am also hoping to use sugar free choc chips from coles the dark vegan ones 😉
Hi Sarah, I haven't tried monk fruit sweetener for the base so can't say but some guides recommend using less than the specified amount of recipe sugar (maybe 2-3 tbsp). For the caramel, dark brown and coconut sugar work pretty much the same except (but obviously, the darker sugars make the caramel darker). The pictures show twix bars made with coconut sugar! Hope that helps!
Can you make these gluten free?
Yes! I've just updated the recipe to include a gf option 🙂