Lately, things have gotten entirely too healthy around here. Roasted vegetables? Lentil stew? Baked oatmeal? If it is true that this is the Healthy Dessert Blog, where are all the desserts?
Where is all the CHOCOLATE?
Oh there it is.
When I compiled my candy recipes into the Healthy Chocolates & Candy page, many of you lamented the absence of a healthier copycat Twix bar. I put it on the to-do list, but the list keeps growing longer and longer… Luckily, my incredibly-talented friend Leanne agreed to take on this healthy-Twix-bar challenge, for the benefit of all of us!
Please welcome Leanne and her allergy-friendly, gluten-free Twix bars:
Hi Everyone! My name is Leanne Vogel. I’m a holistic nutritionist and the lady behind Healthful Pursuit – a space where I share my pursuit of self-discovery through allergy-free recipes, travel, and a whole lot of yoga.
I’m super stoked to be here with you guys today. I’ve had to pinch myself multiple times as I prepared this post. Katie is one of my favorite bloggers so to be here sharing a recipe with you is a bit too exciting for words!
The food we surround ourselves with has a dramatic impact on the way that we live out our lives. If we feel good about what we’re eating, if food makes us feel like we can accomplish anything and gives us a sense of balance, we’ll be so much more open to the experiences life has for us. And ya, this includes finding a replacement to our favorite candy bars.
What’s more indulgent than creating your very own a vegan and gluten-free homemade Twix bar?
I couldn’t think of anything else either.
Healthy Twix Bars
(makes 12 bars)
- 1/2 cup white rice flour or buckwheat flour or sorghum flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot or tapioca
- 2 tbsp evaporated cane juice or regular sugar or coconut sugar
- 3 tbsp sunflower seed butter (or another nut or seed butter)
- 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
- 1 tbsp freshly ground flax mixed with 2 tbsp water (Allow to sit for 5 minutes before using.)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Caramel:
- 100g pitted dates (approximately 6 dates)
- 3 tablespoons sunflower seed butter (or another nut butter of choice)
- 1 tsp water
- pinch salt
Chocolate Coating:
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Begin by preparing shortbread. Add first three ingredients to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk to combine. Then add sunflower seed butter, coconut oil, flax mixture and extract. Mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer until fully combined. The dough should stick together well.
Shape dough into twelve 3-inch cookies. To do this, scoop out about 1 1/2 tablespoons at a time into your hand and roll into a ball. Slowly shape into a long tube by rolling back and forth between the palm of your hands until it’s about 3-inches long. Set down on prepared cookie sheet and flatten with fingers. You can make the cookie even straighter by using the side of a knife to press up against the edges. Place cookies in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until tops are slightly cracked and sides are golden. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, place caramel ingredients in the bowl of your food processor. Process until smooth. If the mixture will not get smooth, just add a touch more water.
Once cookies are cooled, top with caramel and place on a second cookie sheet that’s lined with parchment paper. To do so, roll caramel like you did the cookies; into 3-inch tubes, and place over top of cookies. Place in the freezer and allow to set for at least 10 minutes. This will make the cookies easier to dip in the chocolate. Melt chocolate chips by dropping into a metal bowl and place over top of a sauce pan filled with water. Bring water to a boil and stir chips until melted. Remove from heat.
Remove the cookie sheet from the freezer and; one by one, coat the bars in chocolate. To do this, drop the bar into the chocolate and coat it with your fingers. Remove excess with your fingers and place back on the parchment. Repeat with remaining cookies. Place back in the freezer and allow to set for 15 minutes.
Leanne’s question of the day: How do you create balance in your life?
Link of the Day:
……….Copycat Mounds Bars
Thanks for posting this! I love Twix bars, but I’m trying to cut back on my processed sugar intake.
Hey JaLynn – I’m so happy that you liked my recipe! It’s challenging to lower processed sugar intake, but not when you have treats like this waiting for you in the freezer! Seems to be the story of my life. Good luck with the journey 🙂
Dates are a great replacement for caramel! Love it!
These look so good!
Actually I’ve really been enjoying the healthy recipes! I made the lentil stew last night, and it was so good, I was just thinking I should look to see if I have enough ingredients to make it again today for lunch!!
But I’m happy to see the chocolate return, too. 😉
These look amazing! My one question – could I throw some chia seeds in a food processor and use those instead of the ground flax seeds?
Heck yes you could, great question. Just use 2 teaspoons of ground chia instead of 1 tablespoon of ground flax. Mix with the same amount of water and you’re good to go! I’d love to know how you like them when you give the recipe a shot!
Can Kit-Kats be next please? These look great!
I’m pretty sure a kit kat is a twix without caramel, so, omit caramel?
Kit kats are wafers..twix are cookies…I love my candy bars lol
Yeah, kit kats have wafers. And texture is important to the kids! lol
Thanks for noting the difference. I don’t eat candy too too often, but from my experience, the cookie of a kitkat tastes like the cookie of a twix.
Um these look kind of amazing, and I don’t even like Twix bars.
Wow, these look SO yummy, and I love the step-by-step photos on the nutrition page! Twix are definitely one of my favorite candy bars. I’m hoping someone will try this with regular flour and have success, since I’m unfamiliar with the types of GF flours listed!
Hi Alanna – they are pretty darn good! You could make the cookie base with anything you have on hand, or any cookie recipe you’re comfortable with. Shortbread-type recipes are best.
Thanks, Leanne — that’s great to know!
My boyfriend loves twix, I wonder if I could sneak these in on him instead
Oh you totally, completely could! My boyfriend loves Twix as well and he went NUTS for these!
I cannot wait to make this!!! I absolutely looove twix, and I bet these taste so much better than the original 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
They totally do, Carissa. The best part? You can add as MUCH caramel as you want! When I made these a second time, I made double the caramel and just stacked it all up. Mmm!
I love your blog Leanne!… And this recipe! 🙂
I totally agree with you- It would be a dream to guest post a recipe on Chocolate-Covered Katie. Congrats and a job well done!
A total dream. Like I said, major pinching action throughout the whole process! Hope you’re having a great weekend, Madison 🙂
Twix bars never sounded so alluring!
This is AWESOME! I can see myself tripling or quadrupling the recipe, making a whole batch and then putting in the freezer – it’s probably not something I want to make all the time but that’s the same with any homemade candy bar. When you realize the effort that goes into it, you eat less! Haha. They look amazing!
That’s a great way of looking at it, Anna. They do take a bit of time so best to stock up and enjoy slowly. I’m the same way about cake. Totally hate making it, so tedious but man, there’s nothing better!
num num num 😉 So just wondering though, can other flours be subbed here? Is the sorghum/rice/buckwheat + arrowroot/tapioca starch combo so it’s gluten free? (So then you could just use 1 cup of other type of flour? Or is a least a little starch needed?) I’m wondering if I could use some spelt or whole wheat flour instead since I don’t have the flours listed and I already have like 5 types of flour!
Hey Kristen – oh for sure, no worries. No sense going out to the store and buying more flours if you already have a bunch on hand. My suggestion would be to find any ‘ol shortbread recipe or if you have cookies in the house, use those. I could imagine digestive or arrowroot cookies working really well with these. The thing with gluten-free recipes is that they don’t always translate so well into gluten-filled recipes. Katie’s sugar cookie recipe may work really well for this too, here’s the link: https://lett-trim.today/2012/12/18/grain-free-sugar-cookies/%3C/a%3E Good luck!
Thanks Leanne!! Good ideas & info!
Wow, Katie! These look awesome. My 7 year-old is going to love these (so will my 9 and 4 year olds!). Can’t wait to try them.
Hey Stephanie – they’re super popular with the kids, I’m sure they’ll love my recipe! Best to double up… many Mom’s have told me that one batch didn’t leave them with any leftover to snack on 😉
These look wonderful! Katie, thank you for highlighting a gluten-free blogger. I’m always interested in new gluten-free recipes, and I like what I see so far from her site. Leanne, you have a new fan in me.
That’s fantastic, welcome to Healthful Pursuit 😉 and enjoy the bars if you give them a go!
using the dates for caramel sauce is a REALLY good idea. sadly i am either allergic to dates or the mold dust that is on them. lol
Oh no! Are you the same way about all dried fruit? If not, raisins or prunes would work with this recipe, too. If both of those are out, I did a refined sugar-free toffee recipe that may work with this, it’s just honey (if you’re vegan you can use another sugar like maple syrup, agave or coconut nectar), nut butter and a bit of vanilla. Here it is if you’re interested: http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6015328