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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.
These look great! My suggestions on substitute for the nut butter (allergy) while having them stay vegan?
Hi Indira – I’d recommend using sunflower seed butter!
Thank you, will definitely give that a go!
These are SO DELICIOUS. Ahhh I really just want to eat the entire pan. Fabulous recipe; I was a little hesitant to make them because the ingredients are a bit on the expensive side (only an issue if the recipe turns out terribly) but totally, absolutely worth it.
I’m so happy to hear that you’re loving them, Esther! I definitely think they’re worth it, too :)
Just made it last night and it’s almost gone! My whole family loves it! The crust is so simple but so crunchy and delicious – I will try making other desserts with it too :)
Thank so much for this recipe.
I love this crust so much too Majda! I use it for everything :) I’m so glad your family is enjoying the Twix Bars.
Tasty recipe, but for the last layer, I would increase the amount of chocolate layer made so that you have more spreading power. I felt there wasn’t QUITE enough to spread effectively (and this was me pouring in a zigzag formation over the surface, not just a blob in the middle to try to evenly distribute). The more I tried to spread it to cover the corners, the faster it cooled, so it set before I could get it over the entire surface! It wasn’t enough chocolate to distribute by turning the pan side to side as does work for some recipes. Just something to keep in mind before pouring!
I don’t have coconut flour what other flour could I use thats wheat free? They look amazing! X
Unfortunately coconut flour performs uniquely, and it can’t be substituted with anything else. A little goes a long way, though. I’d recommend investing in a bag, it’s not too expensive!
Hi! Could i use a maple and agave mix syrup instead of pure maple syrup?
Sure, Erin – either will work! Enjoy.
Rachel, these turned out amazing! I found the crust to be a little thin, so I added a little more coconut flour but it still held up really well. It’s super hot and humid in India right now so unfortunately the bars are melting really fast but they taste so great! Thank you for this :)
I’m SO thrilled you enjoyed them Gayatri! I’d recommend keeping them in the freezer so they don’t melt as quickly. Thanks so much for your feedback :)
Yup, the freezer is keeping them solid for longer than two seconds! I wanted to put these up on my blog, would love to know what you think of them :)
I tried making them, but for some reason, I have the hardest time mixing maple, melted coconut oil & cocoa together. It always turns into a greasy, gritty clump with separated oil. I’ve tried 3 times. What am I doing wrong?
That’s so odd, Angele – I mix them all the time with no trouble. Sorry you’re having issues. Are you using pure maple syrup? Also, try sifting your cocoa powder to prevent clumps.
So I figured it out! Always use a fork, not a whisk. I had been using a whisk and seriously every time the mixture would fail. The Twix bars are the yummiest thing I’ve eaten in a long time!
Oh. My gosh. These are amazing! I had a wicked sweet tooth late at night and had been waiting for an excuse to make these. I had no problems with the recipe whatsoever, everything came together perfectly. Love the crumbly shortbread and the caramel is to die for – I hadn’t licked a spoon in years! A few tips after reading other comments:
– Make sure to use Dutch processed baking cocoa: it has been treated to remove the strong bitterness of natural raw cocoa.
– I used a disposable non-stick 8″ x 8″ aluminum pan and had no problem removing for cutting.
Thank you SO much for sharing this wonderful recipe with us all!
So thrilled you enjoyed them Dee! Thanks for your feedback.
my husband is allergic to coconut oil …is there any replacement?
Hi Alex, the coconut oil is pretty necessary to help the bars set since it gets firm when cooled, but you could try using butter or ghee in the crust and filling, and use regular chocolate for the topping. Enjoy!