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:
They look good but I just viewed the nutrition facts and I don’t know how many bars they are for but they don’t look that “healthy” to me. Not trying to be mean or snarky because I love a good healthy recipe. I am trying to imagine the dates as “caramel” but am having a hard time doing so. Lastly, I have exactly 3 of the ingredients in the house to make these – water, vanilla and salt so I will not be trying these. I really hope that someone who makes them will report back because I would love to hear how they turned out!
Have you tried the caramel apple milkshake (older recipe) or samoas fudge babies? I was skeptical at first, too, but they really do taste caramel-y! And healthy can be a bit of a subjective term, but in this case I think it’s a healthier recipe because the ingredients list is shorter and/or less processed than a regular Twix bar, even if it doesn’t work out to be low-calorie. 🙂
Hi Michele – I appreciate your honest comment and totally understand where you’re coming from. The nutrition facts are for 1 bar, the recipe makes 12. Something that I write about a lot of on my blog is the difference between whole foods based recipes and store-bought gunk. The nutrition facts may look very similar, in some case a “healthy” recipe made with whole foods will look worse. But, when you look at the ingredients and see how much better they are as a whole, it all starts to come together. Also, if you don’t want to go out and buy a bunch of new things, you could try to make the cookie base out of the cookies you already have at home (arrowroot or digestive would work well) that, or Katie’s recipe for sugar cookies would work as a good base: https://lett-trim.today/2012/12/18/grain-free-sugar-cookies/%3C/a%3E Hope that helps 🙂
Thank you for responding but I have to apologize. When I looked at the NI, I was looking more for low-cal than “healthy.” I realize these are more about healthy ingredients rather than a bunch of processed junk like the regular Twix bars. I was in a crabby mood last night and I shouldn’t have even said anything because I don’t think I sounded very nice in my comment. I’m sure these are delicious. Again, thanks and sorry.
No need to apologize! You brought up some valid points. No hurt feelings! Hope you’re having a great weekend 🙂
They look very healthy to me. There’s nothing unhealthy about fruit and seeds. They look delicious, too.
Seeing this recipe is so ironic…my husband and I are trying to avoid wheat- not b/c we’re allergic, just b/c we want to, and tonight he said he was craving a candy bar. I follow Katie and Leanne’s blog and have tried several recipes already so I gave it a shot and tried these tonight. They turned out really good! I did think the chocolate got too thick on the outside, so the last few I only put some over the top. I really liked the caramel, used cashew & peanut butter- also put in a squeeze of honey & couple drops of stevia.
Awesome Stacy! I’m so happy that you liked the recipe, what perfect timing!
I don’t know why, but certain brands / types of chocolate seem to melt (and stay melted) much better than others. In my limited experience, regular chocolate chips melt okay but solidify too quickly if you’re trying to make a larger batch of something! If you can find Bakers brand chocolate (it comes in 1 oz blocks), that melts really evenly in the microwave (no stove required) and doesn’t set back up as fast as some of the other brands. They all taste pretty good, though… Bakers is just a little easier to work with. 🙂
Thanks Alanna for the tip abt Bakers choc. While melting choc chips i always wondered if one brand melts better than others but never got around to experimenting. Now i know which one to try next time!
I’m looking forward to making them! 🙂
PLEASE more copycat candy recipes, like KitKat and Ferrero Rocher!
BTW: Katie, you should do a series of dessert recipes from all around the world (since you say in your FAQ that you lived in Japan, China,..), like a chocolate covered trip around the world. 🙂
That’s such a great idea, Lizzie. I second that, an all around the world recipe post would be rather cool! Glad you enjoyed my recipe. Let me know if you have any questions when you give it a shot!
Sobbing with joy. Blubbering like a baby. And (not) worried (at all) because my tastebuds have an addictive personality and I’m positive this is going to be a new fix. A fix of the very best kind.
A healthy fix…for vegan Twix. *BOOM*
Thanks to Leanne and Katie alike!
BOOM is right! I’m positive your little taste buds are going to enjoy this one! Have an awesome weekend, Willow 🙂
Thanks! You, too! =D
PS: Now if you can ever muster up a vegan nougat recipe to make a vegan milky-way bar…well, I can’t even express the joy that would bring me.
Yes!! I agree! A milkyway bar would be amazing. I love my caramel! Haha and chocolate of course! If you make a milky way recipe, please let me know!
Thanks!
-Grace 🙂
I create balance in my life by making sure I slow down and enjoy life- stay happy and whilst I enjoy the healthier substitutes like you have before me, I also indulge in a non healthy substitute every now and again 🙂
Good on you Bek, it’s all about knowing when to mindfully indulge and be the observer of our lives at time to really pull in that balanced perspective. Hope you’re having a fabulous weekend!
Aaaaah…the amazing date caramel again! I love that idea. I *CAN’T WAIT* to try this recipe!
It’s a phenomenon, isn’t it? Hook me up to an IV, I’m a date caramel lady for life 🙂
I want to try this so bad, but I don’t think any of those flours are even sold in my country… I’ll just wait to see how it turned out for people who tried with something else. This looks so tasty! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Hi Lena – well, we want you to be able to enjoy this recipe no matter where you are! You could use any type of cookie base that you have the supplies for. Katie’s sugar cookie recipe may work out well: https://lett-trim.today/2012/12/18/grain-free-sugar-cookies/%3C/a%3E that, or if you have arrowroot cookies or digestive cookies, that would work well too! Heck, graham crackers could suffice. Hope that helps 🙂
Yay that’s awesome! I’ll definitely try it with one of those. Thanks so much!
ha ha…I thought this looked like Leanne’s photo when I saw the thumb nail in my reader…and so it was! Good job guys 🙂
Very awesome that you caught that, Jo!
What a great recipe! Definitelly gonna try!
Hi Katie! I was just wondering when your cookbook will be published? And if it’ll be on amazon? I have two gift cards for amazon and I want to make sure I save one for you’re book! You been so inspirational and when I’m having a bad day your site always cheers me up. And you’ve also made my eating disorder a little easier to handle with how you think, this site makes me trust food again.
Thank you so much, Emily. That really means a lot to me. The book will actually not be out until next year, but I will definitely post more info when I know more specific details!
Would anyone happen to know if this would work with regular, non-gluten free flour?
Hi Carolyn – 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!
Leanne, you are SO lucky! Katie, it would be a dream to be a guest poster on your site. I know you must get a lot of requests, but if you ever need any help I would be happy to step in sometime :).
I know, right? It was literally a DREAM come true. For real!
No offense, and I am the odd one out here, but there is no possible way that a date- paste “caramel” could possibly taste nearly as good as real caramel. Sure, it might be healthier, but I just can’ t imagine eating it unless I had a dairy allergy. To me, it’ s ok to occasionally indulge in the real thing! Everything in moderation- eating normal caramel a couple times a year never killed anyone or made them suddenly get fat/heart problems!
I totally agree with you Leah, there is a time and a place for indulging mindfully. If I could have dairy and gluten, I’d treat myself to a Twix bar every once in awhile. These types of recipes are great for those with allergies, or those that want to find that balance but know that if they go out and buy that Twix bar it’s a slippery slope to buying another, and another and forming a habit around it. The real thing; in this case caramel, will always taste different than the healthy version but this stuff combined with the cookie and chocolate… it’s really, really the next best thing. I totally appreciate your honesty, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Thanks for your reply! If I ever someday am trying really hard to get super-healthy, maybe this recipe will be used (or if I am part of a family with a kid/husband who has allergies).
I’ve tried Katie’s date recipes before, the dates really do give them a caramel flavor. To me, dates taste kind of like 30% prune, 60% brown sugar.
That’s true, but please keep in mind this is a vegan blog 🙂
I’m definitely going to try this! 🙂
I made these today and they were really good. 🙂
That’s so great Anna, I’m so happy that you liked my recipe!