homemade twix bars

Even the pictures came out crumby. And not in a good way.

Last week when I was eating a mini-Twix bar I read the side of the package "chocolate. caramel. COOKIE BARS"  and I thought to myself. Cookie bars? I should try and make some. So I did.

The morning I started these cookies my Dad said "What are you making?" 

I responded with "Homemade Twix Bars."

"Hmm. You know you can buy those at the store for twenty-five cents?"

"I know. And seriously, it's obviously been awhile since you bought a candy bar. They don't sell anything for twenty-five cents." 

"Maybe the little ones."

"Maybe" I said and the day went on...

As night time approached and I was growing frustrated, still trying to complete these so-called Twix bars my Dad reminded me again "Only twenty-five cents at the store."

My pregnant legs were achy and I was in no mood to be sassed around by a guy who never buys candy and so I kind of told him to "shut up they don't even sell the little ones for that." The way it came out didn't even have a tinge of funniness.

My meanness shocked even myself and I knew these Twix bars were officially done for. So I gave up trying to revive them. Cookies should never make people grumpy. 

Homemade Twix Bars

Shortbread Cookie:

5 1/2 ounces (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups cake flour

2 tablespoons ground rice (regular rice processed until ground to a powder)

Caramel:

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

Melted Chocolate (@ 6oz)

1. Shortbread cookie: Put oven rack in lowest position. Pre-heat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray, line with parchment paper and spray again.

2. In a large bowl or kitchen mixer cream together sugar and butter until fluffy (@ two minutes.) Slowly incorporate the flour and ground rice until it all comes together. For me the consistency was exactly like play-dough at this point. 

3. Press dough into prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 8 minutes, the shortbread should be a deep golden brown. 

4. Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack until shortbread reaches room temperature. 

5. Make the caramel: In a large saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, water and lemon juice. Cover saucepan and cook on medium heat for 4 minutes. Then remove lid and turn up heat until it boils. Do not stir from this point on. Keep boiling and make sure you put it in a big enough pan, sugar bubbles can get really big (and are extremely hot, like molten lava.)

6. In a separate small saucepan heat cream until it boils and then remove from heat an set aside. 

7. After five or six minutes, the sugar will turn golden brown. When the mixture reaches 300 with a candy thermometer take off heat for 1 minute and then slowly wisk in cream until smooth. Then stir in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. 

8. Return pan to heat stirring constantly (or cream will burn) until the caramel reaches 240 on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat pour over cooled shortbread and allow to set.

9. Top mixture with melted chocolate and allow to set. Then slice and serve. 

My Notes: 

Nearly every recipe that I found by Googling "Homemade Twix Bars" was essentially a slight variation of the same recipe originally attributed to Sherry Yard, from her book Desserts by the Yard.  That being said if I were to every make these cookie again I would only do so using a different recipe. I'd use my own caramel recipe which is a lot less temperamental and easier to make. Oh and I'd find a better shortbread recipe too. One that didn't require rice, because I will never do that again.