Vegan Homemade Twix Bars
on Sep 15, 2021, Updated Aug 19, 2024
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These vegan homemade Twix bars feature a creamy layer of caramel between shortbread and chocolate, just like the classic candy bar!
For this copycat homemade version of the classic candy, we’ll make a simple oat flour “shortbread” base topped with peanut butter date caramel and a layer of chocolate.
They’re completely addictive, totally delicious and taste just like the original!
If you’re after more homemade candy bars, don’t miss copycat vegan Butterfinger bars, vegan Snickers bars and vegan Mounds bars! For Halloween or Easter, these Vegan Peanut Butter Eggs and for Christmas, I love these Homemade Vegan Ferrero Rocher and Easy Homemade Vegan Turtles Candy.
Recipe Features
- Vegan, gluten-free, can be nut-free.
- Fun and easy to make with just 8 simple ingredients.
- Amazing for a homemade Halloween treat option.
- Kids (and adults) love them!
Ingredients
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
- Oat Flour: You can use homemade or store-bought oat flour. To make oat flour, simply add oats (quick or rolled) to a food processor or high-speed blender and blend into a fine flour consistency.
- Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is needed to firm the base but the coconut oil in the chocolate layer is optional. You can use vegan butter, cacao butter or almond or peanut butter in the chocolate to achieve the same effect.
- Maple Syrup: Adds moisture and sweetens the “shortbread” layer. It can’t be substituted for a dry sweetener but you can use agave syrup or honey (not vegan) if you prefer.
- Plant-Based Milk: Any kind, such as almond, cashew or soy, works. You may not need milk if your dates were soft and moist.
- Dates: Soft, moist medjool dates work best. If you don’t have medjool dates you can use about 3/4 cup packed of another variety like sayer or deglect noor dates.
- Nut Butter: You can use peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter. For nut-free bars, you can use sunflower seed butter, Wowbutter or tahini.
- Chocolate: Chocolate chips or dark chocolate works. Make sure you use dairy-free chocolate if you want the bars to remain vegan. You could also make your own chocolate using this chocolate ganache recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Add the oat flour, melted coconut oil, maple syrup and milk to a mixing bowl and work together until you have a workable dough.
It will be a bit crumbly but you should be able work the dough into a ball. You can add a bit of extra milk if needed if it’s too dry.
Step 2: Press the dough into the lined baking pan and poke little holes around it with fork. Bake for 9-11 minutes until it’s golden brown then let cool for about 30 minutes.
Quick Note: You can start in on the caramel layer anytime but wait for the crust to cool down so it can firm up before you add the caramel and chocolate layers.
Step 3: Add the dates, nut butter, salt, vanilla and milk to a food processor and blend into a smooth, creamy consistency. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed until everything is incorporated.
Quick Tip: You may not need the plant-based milk depending on how soft and moist your dates are. If you want to skip the milk all together, consider soaking the dates in hot water for 15 minutes then draining well before use.
Step 4: After the crust has cooled and firmed, spread the date mixture over the base layer in the pan until you have an even layer.
Step 5: Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave, stir the chocolate every 15-20 seconds until mostly melted, then stir to mix in any remaining peices.
Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel and spread into an even layer using a spatula. Option to sprinkle a little coarse sea salt on top…YUM.
Quick Tip: If you prefer to make your own chocolate, use the chocolate ganache from these Cashew Cookie Dough Bars made from maple syrup, coconut oil and cocoa powder.
Place the pan in the fridge for 1-2 hours to firm then lift the bars out of the pan, slice and enjoy!
FAQs
Yes! To make nut-free Twix, substitute the nut butter in the date layer for tahini, Wowbutter or sunflower seed butter.
Sure! To make homemade oat flour for this recipe, add rolled oats or quick oats to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend into a fine flour consistency. You’ll need 250 g or 2.5 cups of oat flour.
The recipe is naturally gluten-free but make sure you use gluten-free certified oats if needed.
Storing
- They’ll keep well in a freezer-safe bag or individually wrapped and stored in a container for 3-4 months.
- I’d suggest storing the bars in the freezer. You can enjoy them straight from the freezer or let them thaw briefly at room temperature if you prefer them a bit softer.
- They can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 week as well but I prefer keeping them in the freezer so they’re firmer. It’s up to you!
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to comment section below to leave your star rating and review.
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Vegan Homemade Twix Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2.5 cups oat flour, 250 g
- 4 tbsp melted coconut oil, 40 g
- 3 tbsp maple syrup, 50 g
- 3-5 tbsp plant-based milk, as needed
For the Caramel Layer
- 12 soft pitted medjool dates
- 1/3 cup peanut or almond butter, 75 g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp plant-based milk, if needed
- pinch of salt
For the Chocolate Layer
- 1 cup chocolate chips, 170 g
- 2 teaspoons melted coconut oil, 10 g
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper so it sticks out over at least 2 sides of the pan. This will make it easier to remove the bars once set. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- If you need to make oat flour, blend approximately 250 g of rolled oats until they reach a fine flour consistency.
- Add the oat flour, melted coconut oil and maple syrup to a mixing bowl and stir into a moldable dough, slowly adding the plant-based milk as needed to create a somewhat crumbly dough you can still form into a ball.
- Firmly press the dough into the lined baking pan until you have an even layer then poke holes into the dough using a fork (15-25 pokes evenly spaced around the pan).
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to let cool for at least 30 minutes. You can start the caramel right away but don't add to the base layer until it's had some time to cool down and firm.
- To make the caramel, add the dates, nut butter, vanilla and salt to a food processor and blend into a smooth consistency. If needed, add the milk 1 tbsp at a time (water also works). You may not need any milk if your dates were soft or were soaked before use.
- Once the crust has cooled and firmed, use a spatula to spread the caramel into an even layer over the crust.
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in a double boiler or the microwave. If you're using the microwave, make sure you use a microwave-safe bowl and stop to stir the mixture every 15-20 seconds. Continue until the chocolate is mostly melted then stir until any remaining unmelted pieces are mixed in.
- Spread the chocolate over the caramel layer in the pan.
- Place the pan in the fridge or freezer for 1-2 hours to firm. If frozen, let thaw briefly before slicing to avoid cracking the chocolate. Otherwise, lift the bars from the pan using the edges of the parchment paper and slice into 14 bars.
Can I replace almond flour with oat flour?
Hi, sorry I haven’t tested this with oat flour. I don’t think it would quite work the same but let me know if you try it.
Can coconut oil be replaced with another vegan oil?
You should be able to use canola oil or vegan butter but I haven’t tested it so I can’t be 100% sure. Let me know if you try it!
These are simple to make and absolutely delicious!