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:
Wow, these look fantastic! Homemade candy is the best 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Can you make these without dates?
See here for Leanne’s suggested replacements:
https://lett-trim.today/2013/01/11/healthy-twix-bars/#comment-777102%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Yum! Your recipes have rekindled my ability to eat “candy bars.”
I’ve made TONS of your recipes before, and because they’ve always turned out, I nominated you for a Super Sweet Blogging Award. The rules are here: http://xtinaluvspink.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/and-the-award-goes-to/ I hope you choose to participate. Happy baking!
Wow – Leanne, these look *amazing*!
Sadly, I’m on a chocolate cleanse for the month of January, but I can’t wait to make these in February =)
I’m missing a couple of ingredients, but am strictly gluten-free so am looking to expand my pantry and these look super fun.
mmmm caramel-y goodness
I’m doing a chocolate-free thing right now, too! Are you able to have carob? If so, these are pretty good with carob! Enjoy your cleanse 😉
Hi Leanne! I actually saw the “No Bake Vegan Twix Bars” recipe you posted on your own blog back in October, and that recipe had less ingredients. Do you have a preference between the two recipes? (Is this an “upgrade,” in other words?)
Thanks!
Oh that’s a tough one. I’ve since gone grain-free so for me, I liked the first version (the one from October). The first version is great too because it’s no bake. But for authenticity, these ones I’ve shared here are definitely as close to the real thing as you can get. Hope that helps!
Great answer, thanks! I’m mostly grain-free myself (except I do some amaranth, millet, and quinoa per my nutritionist’s input), so I’ll try the first one for our home. But I’ll probably have to try the second at some point too, to serve to others. 🙂 Thanks for the quick feedback!
oooohmygoodnessgoshness!! I was just looking for a recipe sub for Twix!
YOU are it… 🙂 I am so enjoying your recipes… YOU ROCK!!
Thanks Dee! So happy that this one hit home for you 🙂
Shut the front door! These look amazing! I just came up with a healthy vegan samoa cookie just in time for girl scout season. I never even thought of twix. I will be making these soon!
Vegan Samoa? YUM! Do you have it posted to your blog? I’m intrigued!
It will be on my blog tomorrow. My husband told me i.t’s the best thing I have made so far.
Wow okay, definitely going to check it out!
YOU ARE AMAZING! WOW! WOW!WOW! I love following your blog!
Wow, so much enthusiasm, Daniella. I LOVE IT! Glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Sounds great, but I think I’ll skip the “remove excess chocolate” step ’cause I’m not sure it’s possible to have excess chocolate!
Amen to THAT!
Oh yum! Fab idea… thanks so much!
I really should try this recipe. I sounds delicious and really helathy. My chocolate praline recipes are traditionall and has a lot of calories:P
Pozdrawiam,
http://czekoladomania.blogspot.com/
Please Katie, please please make a sugar free single lady chocolate chip cookie
These are great! I am wondering if you’ve tried them with coconut flour instead of buckwheat flour (or white rice/sorghum flour). I use buckwheat flour all the time and had it on hand so I used that. I’m going to try them with coconut flour per my husband’s request. Is the arrowroot flour used for a specific purpose or can I substitute there as well? I also used Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate chips. Yum!
Ok, I don’t even eat Twix bars, but I want to try this recipe. Those look really good!
Made these tonight. Reeeally yummy, but I wouldn’t say they taste like Twix bars – the seed butter overpowered the other flavors for me. Excited to play around with the recipe though. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Leanne,
Please help! I can’t have coconut.
Can U sub another oil for the coconut oil????
I used safflower oil and they turned out great.