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This recipe for homemade Paleo Twix Bars is a game changer! When you take a bite, you won’t believe that this candy bar Twix Bar copycat is gluten-free, refined sugar-free, Paleo, and vegan.
Today, celebrate with your new favorite thing: HEALTHY(er) homemade Twix Bars. You may know I love taking some of my favorite candies from childhood and turning them into amazing healthy candy recipes. These healthier homemade Snickers and these Homemade Peanut Butter Cups are particular favorites…but this healthy Twix recipe may top the list!
Whaaaat? Healthy Twix? I know. Yes, this is for real. I have homemade Twix bars for you to enjoy, knowing all of the ingredients are simple and wholesome.
These easy and delicious Twix copycat bars are…
- Gluten-Free
- Grain-Free
- Sweetened with Maple Syrup
- Dairy-Free
- Vegan
- Can be made nut-free
I made this recipe three times because you know, testing and stuff…but also because I needed an excuse to eat more of these delicious goodies.
Now, let’s talk about how to make these magical homemade Twix Bars!
Something to note: This Twix Bar recipe contains many coconut ingredients, so if you’re worried about it tasting too much like coconut, simply use refined coconut oil, which has no coconut flavor.
First, we make the crust with coconut flour, maple syrup, and coconut oil. We use coconut flour specifically to make a cookie base with a texture that’s more similar to shortbread than any other gluten-free flour I’ve tried.
TIP: because coconut flour is super absorbent, no other flour would substitute well with 1:1 ratio. However, if preferred, you could substitute about 3 times as much of a different kind of flour, like almond or oat flour.
Thankfully, A little goes a long way with coconut flour, so pick up a bag and you’ll have it around for a while (and you can make lots of homemade Twix Bars!).
How do you make a No-Cook Caramel Filling?
This is my favorite thing, and it’s SO easy. It can be made in the microwave or on the stove, but you’re really not cooking, just melting the following ingredients together:
- Almond Butter
- Maple Syrup
- Coconut Oil
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
Once the ingredients are fully combined, pour the scrumptious mixture over the cooled crust. The almond butter tastes so nutty and delicious here, but cashew butter also makes a fabulous substitute—it gives an even more caramelly flavor! Peanut butter also works and tastes delicious, but it has a stronger flavor.
For a nut-free option: use a seed butter like tahini, pumpkin seed butter, or sunflower seed butter.
Now, let’s make the easiest homemade chocolate.
- Coconut Oil
- Cocoa Powder
- Maple Syrup
Yup, you only need three ingredients! You melt these together, whisk until smooth, then pour the chocolate over the caramel and let it set.
However, if you don’t want to make your own, you can also melt some dark chocolate and spread it over the top!
I also opted to sprinkle a bit of fleur de sel over the top before the chocolate set. I’m a believer that a sprinkle of flaky sea salt makes pretty much anything better, and I loved the bite of crunchy salt on these homemade, healthy Twix bars. It’s the perfect complement to the sweet filling, but you can leave it off for a more classic flavor.
I seriously can’t get over these homemade Twix Bars. I greatly regret sending them all off to work with my roommate and not saving any for myself! I think another batch may be in order soon 😃
The recipe for these Homemade Twix Bars only calls for SIX ingredients. All of them are ingredients you don’t need to feel guilty about putting in your body. I love that they’re gluten-free, grain-free, Paleo, refined-sugar-free, and vegan, so you can serve them to just about anyone. Just make sure to save some for yourself!
Of course, just because we make them with better-for-you ingredients doesn’t mean they’re “healthy” if you’ve eaten half the pan! You should still enjoy them in moderation. I hope you adore these as much as I do!
WANT MORE HOMEMADE CANDY?!
- Peanut Butter Cups (Vegan + Refined Sugar-Free)
- Almond Joy Brownies (Gluten Free + Paleo)
- Homemade Gummy Bears (Gluten Free + Paleo)
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Caramel Cups (Vegan + Refined Sugar-Free)
Homemade Twix Bars (Paleo, Gluten-Free + Vegan)
Ingredients
For the shortbread crust
- ⅔ cup 85g coconut flour
- 3 tablespoons 63g pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup 66g coconut oil, solid, use refined for no coconut flavor
For the caramel filling
- ½ cup 128g creamy almond butter, I also love making these with cashew butter, or use sunflower seed butter or tahini for a nut-free option
- ⅓ cup 111g pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup 66g coconut oil, melted, use refined for no coconut flavor
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the chocolate topping
- ¼ cup 50g coconut oil, melted, use refined for no coconut flavor
- ¼ cup 21g cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons 42g pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 14×5” tart pan or 8×8” square pan with coconut oil (I recommend lining the pan with parchment paper as well if your pan doesn’t have a removable bottom).
- Put coconut flour in a bowl. Add the maple syrup and stir until fully combined and crumbly. Add the room temperature coconut oil and mix until a large dough ball forms, pressing out any clumps of coconut oil. I used my hands at the end to bring the dough fully together.
- Press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely.
- For the filling, combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until all of the ingredients are melted and throughly combined. Pour over the crust and let cool in the refrigerator until set before topping with chocolate layer.
- For the chocolate topping, whisk together all of the ingredients and pour over the cooled caramel layer. Smooth evenly and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let cool until set. Slice into 1-inch slices, or 16 squares. Keep stored in the refrigerator.
I made these over the weekend and they are delicious! Thank you so much!! They were a hit at my office today, although many coworkers thought they seemed more like a Girl Scout Samoa bar instead of a twix bar.
Hi Michelle – if the coconut oil you used is unrefined and has a coconutty flavor, I can totally see where they would get a “Samoa” flavor. I used refined oil, so it didn’t taste coconutty. Glad they were a hit!
Love this, can it be doubled and if so what pan would you recommend?
Hi Crystal, a 9×13″ pan should work to double the recipe!
These were way too good! Made them last night and decided to use special dark cocoa for the chocolate… I am dying of pure happiness. Can’t believe how perfect the caramel was either. Thank you SO SO SO SO SO SO much for this recipe.
So glad to here the recipe was a hit! Thanks Serena :D
How are these heathy? Each tiny slice as 200 calories. 18 grams of fat with 11 being saturated. There’s still 8 grams of sugar per bar.
Hi Kelley. Like any dessert, these should be enjoyed in moderation and they are meant to be a better-for-you alternative than a traditional Twix bar.
Looks awesome! However, maple syrup is sugar…. if you wanted to truly make this sugar free, erythritol, xylitol or stevia would work.
Hi Caren. You are correct – these bars are refined sugar free, but of course maple syrup is still sugar, just an unrefined version. I’m not sure how any of them would work in this recipe since I haven’t tried it.
Be careful with sugar substitutes like those. They are bad for your adrenals. Your tongue tastes something sweet and then your adrenals start their productions to process sugar that the body doesn’t get, therefore shocking and straining them. Best avoid sweet things altogether if its in alignment with your health goals, there are no shortcuts…but boy is it worth it.
Can a person use any but butter? like peanut butter instead? I will definitely try this as my hubby is lactose intolerant in a bad way! And have two diabetics I’m the family. Thanks for sharing
Hi Shannon, yes peanut butter (or any other nut butter) will definitely work. The flavor of peanut butter will be more noticeable than almond butter is, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing! Enjoy :)
Omg! I made these this afternoon and wow. I am not a very baker but these were super easy and sooo delicious!! Thank you :)
I’m so glad you liked them, Jessica!
Can you use honey instead of maple syrup?
Definitely! The honey flavor will likely come through a bit more, but it will still be delicious. Enjoy!
Do you think these could be frozen? Easier to not eat the whole batch at once :)
Yes, they’re actually great frozen and defrost wonderfully :) Enjoy!!
How long do these keep for?
As just want to pull out when feeling like something sweet
Hi Brooke. If you want to keep them for a while, I would recommend putting them in a sealed container in the freezer! They’re delicious frozen and defrost on the counter in a few minutes. They’ll keep for a least a few months that way. Hope this helps! Enjoy :)
Hi,
How long will they keep for in the fridge?
Thanks
They’ll stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week, or in the freezer for a few months!
Could I substitute almond flour for the coconut flour? I don’t have coconut but I have a lot of almond that I need to use!!
Hi Riley. Coconut flour is it’s own beast entirely, and has a much higher absorption rate than almond flour, so unfortunately no, the recipe just wouldn’t work right if you substituted one for the other. The only way to get the right crust texture for these bars is using coconut flour. Sorry!