These vegan peanut butter twix bars are easy to make and so moreish!
I have always been a fan of homemade twix candy bars, and what's not to love? This recipe is a spin on both my no-bake Twix bars from my desserts cookbook and my giant vegan twix bar.
This version is made with a baked shortbread base and healthy peanut butter caramel coated in non-dairy chocolate.
📖 Recipe Overview
- Made with just 6 simple ingredients.
- Make a perfect afternoon snack with a cup of tea or coffee.
- A healthier alternative to store-bought candy bars.
- Completely eggless, dairy-free and gluten-free, with the option to make them refined sugar-free.
🥜 Ingredients Needed
Just like my vegan snickers bars, these homemade twix bars are gluten-free, use just a few ingredients, and can be made refined sugar-free if needed.
Ingredient Notes
You can use any dairy-free chocolate to make these vegan twix bars. Vegan milk chocolate or dark chocolate both work well, depending on your taste. For a refined sugar-free option, try coconut sugar dairy-free chocolate
Ground almonds are used in place of plain flour which is usually found in shortbread recipes. This keeps these CopyCat Twix bars both gluten-free and grain-free.
I recommend natural peanut butter without added sugar or oils for these chocolate bars. Make sure you go for smooth peanut butter as well, or your bars will be more like snickers (unless that's what you want of course!).
Pure maple syrup is used to sweeten the peanut butter caramel and the shortbread. Agave syrup will also work.
🥣 How To Make Peanut Butter Vegan Twix Bars
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
The easy method for making these gluten-free vegan twix bars is very similar to my no-bake peanut butter oat bars and peanut butter millionaires.
The shortbread crust comes together in the food processor without kneading or much effort. The caramel filling is melted over a double-boiler, no need to blend!
(1) Add the ground almonds, sea salt, maple syrup, peanut butter, and coconut oil to a food processor and pulse until the ingredients are mixed evenly.
(2) Transfer the crust mixture to a loaf pan lined with parchment paper and smooth it down using the back of a spoon or a spatula.
(3) Use a fork to pierce several holes into the shortbread (this helps it to bake evenly and prevents air from getting trapped underneath).
(4) Bake in a pre-heated oven for 20 minutes and cool to room temperature.
(5) To make the caramel, add the peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil to a large bowl and melt them over a double boiler (bain-marie).
With the double-boiler method, the bowl is placed on a saucepan with simmering water in it. The steam rises and gently melts the ingredients in the bowl.
(6) Pour the smooth caramel mixture into the lined pan and freeze for at least 2 hours until set.
(7) Once the vegan twix bars have set completely, remove them from the loaf pan and slice them into bars.
(8) Melt together the chocolate and coconut oil and dip the bars in the mixture, coating them completely. Set them on some parchment paper and refrigerate for another 15 minutes until they firm up.
📝 Recipe Tips
Always use a double-boiler and avoid direct heat when working with chocolate or peanut butter. As fats can burn pretty easily, which can leave a grainy unpleasant consistency.
Like with all bars and slices, use a large sharp knife, ideally a chef's knife if you own one. A blunt knife will make it really tough to cut nice even slices.
If you want to be really precise with the size of your homemade twix bars, you can use a measuring tape! Very gently mark out the cuts of where you want your slices to be with the knife before cutting through them.
💬 FAQs
Yes, as the peanut butter caramel layer will become quite soft if left out at room temperature. I don't recommend leaving them out of the refrigerator for more than a couple of hours.
Yes, homemade vegan twix bars freeze well actually. Place them in an airtight container and simply defrost them in the fridge overnight before serving them.
Absolutely! You can use any nut butter of your choice. Cashew butter and almond butter both work well. Or why not try tahini like in my no-bake vegan twix bars in my cookbook!
If you find that the shortbread isn't sticking together between your fingers, add a little more coconut oil to the mixture and blend again. If the shortbread is too dry, it can cause it to crumble once baked!
Yes, the bars will set in the fridge but I recommend leaving them set overnight. Also, it's easier to coat the bars in chocolate if they are frozen solid, as the caramel can melt from the heat of the chocolate.
🍫 More CopyCat Candy Bars
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Peanut Butter Twix Bars (GF)
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 150 g (1 ⅓ cups) ground almonds
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 20 ml (4 tsp) pure maple syrup
- 60 g (¼ cup) smooth peanut butter
- 20 g (1 ½ tbsp) coconut oil solid
Peanut Butter Caramel
- 280 g (1 cup) smooth peanut butter
- 125 ml (½ cup) pure maple syrup
- 40 g (3 tbsp) coconut oil solid
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1-2 tablespoons maca powder optional
Coating
- 200 g (7.05 oz) vegan chocolate
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
Shortbread
- Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a loaf pan with a parchment paper sling. You can also use a rectangular or square 8" pan, just note that the bars may not be as tall.
- In your food processor, combine the ground almonds, salt, maple syrup, peanut butter, and coconut oil until they stick together to form a dough. Evenly press the dough into the base of the pan and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. With a fork, gently prick the dough several times.
- Bake for 20 minutes until slightly browned, then remove from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Peanut Butter Caramel
- Add all of the ingredients to a heat-resistant bowl. Heat over a double boiler (bain-marie) while stirring until all of the ingredients have melted into a smooth caramel.
- Pour the caramel on top of the shortbread crust and place it in the freezer to set for 2 hours, or until set. Overnight works well too.
Assembly
- To slice, place a sharp knife in a jug of boiling water to heat it. Wipe the knife dry and gently cut, allowing the heat from the knife to melt through cut the caramel shortbread into bars. Place the bars on a baking sheet lined with parchment and put them in the freezer to help them keep their shape while you prepare the coating.
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil over a double boiler (bain-marie) and stir to combine. Pour the melted chocolate into a shallow bowl. Use two forks or spoons to dip them into the chocolate. Set the coated bars on a sheet of parchment paper, sprinkle with sea salt, and allow them to set completely back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Storage
- Store these slices in an airtight container in the fridge and consume them within 10 days. Alternatively, you can freeze any unused portions in an airtight container and defrost them in the fridge overnight as needed.
Notes
- Peanut butter: Feel free to swap it out for another nut butter of your choice, or a mix if you're trying to clear out the cupboards! You can also use Biscoff spread.
- Always use a double-boiler and avoid direct heat when working with chocolate or peanut butter. As fats can burn pretty easily, which can leave a grainy unpleasant consistency.
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If you want to be really precise with the size of your twix bars, you can use a measuring tape! Very gently mark out the cuts of where you want your slices to be with the knife before cutting through them.
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This looks amazing! If I don't have a loaf pan with a removable base what else could I use? Thanks
Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you so much! You can use a regular loaf pan as well, just be sure to create a sling with the parchment paper so that you can easily remove the twix bar when its done 🙂