muhahauha
I don’t know why, but that just felt appropriate to open with being 6 days from Halloween and all.
Evil cackles are the perfect compliment to many situations, don’t you think?
Such as:
– When you’re bored at work and want to make coworkers think you’re up to something (aren’t you always??) See Dwight Kurt Schrute III.
– Ditto above, but for your significant other/family members.
– Obviously, evil scheming is one of them, which I did lots of as a teenager with my sister Kristi and girlfriends. (Don’t worry sis, your secrets are safe with me…..unless I ever write a novel. mhauhauha!)
– When you hide behind a wall and then jump out to scare your pet or husband (not that I do this or anything…)
– When you send your spouse to work with salty cookies…on April Fools Day
– When kids ring your doorbell on Halloween
– When you make a killer dessert recipe
When to avoid witch cackles: going through airport security or customs, when the officiate asks if anyone objects to the marriage, in church, after serving food to your guests at a dinner party (Halloween excepted), near any newborn, during a GRE, at a job interview.
Use at your own risk.
Last week, a couple of you asked me if I could revamp my Vegan Twix bar recipe. I like the way you think because I was already planning on doing so! The original recipe was very tasty and decadent, but the shortbread crust was fairly crumbly and contained a ton of vegan butter. It also required baking the crust and making caramel from scratch.
For this version, I made the recipe lower in fat, gluten-free, faster, and improved the crust. After the Homemade Rolos were such a hit with many of you, I knew I wanted to use date caramel again. The crust ended up driving me a bit crazy though. I used oat flour, agave, and just a touch of coconut oil. While it held together perfectly it was way too dense and the flavour was too earthy for a Twix recipe.
I also knew I didn’t want to make a soft, fluffy crust. To me, a Twix bar has to have a crisp crust! Then Eric suggested I use rice crispies for the crust. Genius. It’s easy, fast, and just a few ingredients. Most of all, you don’t bake the crust which saves a lot of time. The crispy texture turned out to be the perfect compliment to the gooey date caramel and hardened chocolate coating. I don’t think I need to explain any further…
You can thank Eric for this one. (He says he will accept boxes of Homemade Twix bars.) ;)
Homemade Crispy Twix Bars
Yield
16-18 bars
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
30
Total time
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 & 1/4 cup GF crispy rice cereal (I use Nature’s Path)
- 1/4 cup brown rice syrup*
- 2 tbsp peanut butter*
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch of fine grain sea salt
For the date caramel
- 200-210 grams pitted soft Medjool dates (about 1 & 1/4 cup pitted dates)
- 1 tbsp peanut butter*
- 1 tbsp almond milk, or more if needed
- pinch of fine grain sea salt
For the chocolate coating
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil (optional)
Directions
- Line an 8-inch pan with two pieces of parchment paper. In a small pot, add the brown rice syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla. Increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently until combined. Add pinch of salt. Pour into a large bowl with rice crisp and stir well.
- Scoop the rice crisp mixture into pan. Wet hands slightly and then spread the mixture evenly and press down firmly until smooth. Place in freezer while you make the date caramel.
- Soak dates in water until soft (only if necessary) and drain. Place pitted dates, peanut butter, milk, and salt in the food processor and process until almost smooth and a big ball forms.
- Spread caramel layer over top of the crust until it’s as smooth and even as you can get it. Place back in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to set.
- Melt the chocolate and optional coconut oil in a small pot over low heat. When 2/3 of the chips are melted, remove from heat and stir until smooth. Spread chocolate on top of the caramel and place in the freezer for about 3 minutes only.
- Remove from freezer (chocolate should be slightly firm, but not completely set) and slice into rows and then in half. Freeze again until set for about 10 minutes. Store in fridge or freezer.
Tip:
- The brown rice syrup can probably be subbed for honey (if you include honey in your diet). Agave won’t hold together as well since it’s not as “tacky”, but it will hold together when kept in the freezer. It will fall apart at room temperature though.
- You can sub peanut butter for sunflower seed butter as a nut-free option.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
I wrapped up two at a time in orange candy wrappers (from Bulk Barn) and secured them with kitchen twine. Not spooky, but so darn cute and festive.
Wow I am drooling twix that are easy and healthy I am gonna half to make these and take them into work they would defiantly love them!! :)
You really want to share? ;)
Lol that was my first thought! I would need to get them out of the house for my sanity but I don’t know if I could bare to part with them :)
twix are my favorite!! mmm
I will be making these tonight! My husband will be so excited!
Love this DIY version! Thanks for creating it! Now I have something to share with my friends that is a healthy version of the gmo-laden original. I am such a chocolate lover, I can’t wait to try this.
Now we’re talkin’! It’s been sooooo long since I’ve had a Twix bar and I used to just love them when I was a kid! I’ve been drooling over your rolos, but I think this recipe has moved to #1 on my ‘must make’ list!!
The Twix are my new #1 too with the rolos a close second. :) Or – maybe you could even make the Rolos but mix in some rice crisp in the caramel? Anyway, enjoy!
Yum! Twix bars were always my favorite, so I can’t wait to try this out!
Those look absolutely delicious!! I will definitely be making these. I love that you used dates for the “caramel” layer.
You are so creative and festive. I love it!
I am just about to make these now, I will let you know how they turn out!
Thanks for sharing!
Yes please do :)
I made them with great success! Your method is flawless.
I added some more pb and some cocoa powder to the date caramel (just because)….great recipe!
So happy to hear that Cara!! Thanks for letting me know. :) Enjoy
Great minds think alike, my friend! I just posted Vegan + Gluten-free No Bake Twix Bars yesterday. They were a huge hit in this house.
I love the idea of using rice crisps for the base! Also, thanks for the tip on where to get those candy wrappers. I ended up buying muffin cups and then ironing them flat. Heh, it worked… but still.
The Mr will FLIP for these!! Twix are his favorite!
Thanks for the notes on substitutions too. Muahahaha! (I don’t think I used that appropriately, I need to work on that)
hah I’ll take it!
Looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try. What are your thoughts on using maple syrup instead of brown rice syrup. Thanks!!
Hey Christina, I did a quick trial this morning using agave and it would only stay intact when chilled, at room temp it breaks apart – I expect maple syrup would be the same, if not a bit more so. It just depends if you mind that or not! Let me know how it goes.
Yum! I have never been a Twix fan, but I think this homemade version could convert me!
Angela they look amazing! Both Twix and Rolo are some of my fave candies! I love that you worked on the crust and revamped and got it to where you wanted it to be. Date caramel. Swoon.
And the layers, and the texture in these, every thing about them… I am loving!
Currently studying for the GRE, I took a quick procrastination break ’cause I saw you had a new post. I am now seriously considering cackling during my test tomorrow :P Thanks for the laugh!
hahah, glad it made you smile. you will do great I’m sure!!
I am really excited to try these! That caramel sound perfect – I love the PB twist!
Genius.
Who needs 1/2 price Halloween candy purchased the day after when you keep posting these amazing recipes?
I’ve yet to try the rolos (or the kit kat–might be too complicated for me), but I did recently make your peppermint patty bars, sweetened with dates. YUM! I can’t wait to eat one for my afternoon snack. :-)
Glad to hear that you enjoyed the peppermint patty bars! They are a fav over here.
Rice crispies – so genius! Way to go, Eric! This is such a great way to make the recipe more doable… plus, more ways to use that date caramel… awesome!
I made these last night and managed to snap a picture before the last one was snapped up! They are delicious (and definitely don’t last long in our house!) Great recipe!
Somehow you always find a way to make me crave chocolate! This look like a lot of fun and not too much work either, just mixing and placing. Yumm! Probably difficult to ship due to temp controls and melty chocolate issues?
I wouldnt think they would ship well either unless it was super cold to keep the chocolate hard.
Ah, ok, then I may send these out to my BF. He’ll be in the woods for long periods at a base camp, and what’s a better surprise package than chocolate yumminess.
I recently ate a real Twix bar and it wasn’t nearly as good as I remembered it to be. Hard caramel, sub par chocolate, artificial aftertaste, if that makes any sense.. Your version looks delicious and far superior to the original!
I expect I would feel the same way with many of my old fav treats. Funny how tastes can change!
Would it work using quinoa puffs instead of rice crispies?
I can’t see why not!
WOW-your candy recipes just keep getting better and better!!!
Festive indeed! I had no idea you could buy candy wrappers at Bulk Barn.. and I shop there ALL the time! I had to smile when you mentioned the salty cookies… I remember that post and thought it was hilarious!
I am an even bigger fan of yours now since you just used Dwight’s full name lol. Very funny intro! The bars look amazing and so crunchy!
Oh Dwight, heh :)
These look so good!! And I think I just might have all the ingredients on hand… Muahaha!
Rarely would I relinquish food control to anyone; but I would, absolutely, 100%, relinquish cooking duties to you. Gorgeous.
I tried this out today, and boy is it good!
I (sadly) don’t have any dates on hand right now, so I used raisins instead. Of course, it tastes like raisins, but they’re still really yummy. I can’t wait to try this recipe again but with dates to get a more caramel flavor!
Hey Kathy, I’m glad to know that raisins work in a pinch! Thanks for letting me know.
Just made these with a natural version of chocolate rice crispies and sunflower butter for the pb…SO DELICIOUS! They are not going to last long at my house! Thank you for always having such awesome recipes!
Wow that does sound good! What brand makes the natural choco rice crispies? I usually buy the Nature’s Path regular kind though.
I saw this recipe on the train…and instead of homework made them! They are delicious. I had a hard time putting the cut bars back into the freezer without eating more than my fair share. I’ve made a ton of your recipes – and everything is always yummy. Your dedication to great food rocks! Thank you, Angela :)
So glad to hear you enjoyed the bars Rachel!
They look so good!! :)
Crispy rice bottoms sound even better than the original!
I think I did like it a bit better, or if not they were equal anyway! Im a big fan of rice crispie squares though hah
I like adding the date caramel… however, I guess the shortbread crust would taste more like the original…
Mmmmmmmm! ok this one is also going on the list, today I am going to try out the peppermint pattys though! :)
Wow, wow, wow! I can’t wait to make these! Twix bars are my favourite candy (Halloween or not – it’s very hard to find them in mini versions!) and now my fiancee can eat them too! I remember coming across your 2010 recipe, but I don’t often have Earth Balance in my fridge so I had to skip it. Crispy rice cereal sounds perfect, great idea Eric! :)
I’m making these! Twix is one of my favorite candybars and the mini, I mean the mini ones are 50 calories each! If your recipe works, I will be in pure candy heaven!! I can’t wait to give it a try!!
I am loving all these DIY candy posts lately! My friends and I are getting together to cook dinner this weekend and I think your homemade Rolos are going to be on the menu. ;)
i am makin these this wknd cannot waittttttttttt
I love sweet stuff but I’m on a diet.
Have you made the date caramel using almond butter yet? Amazing! The almonds compliment the nuttiness of dates super well.
I don’t think I have tried it yet, but I will certainly have to :) yum
Those are some pretty candy bars. Yum!
I hope these homemade chocolate bars keep continuing. I think I’ll start with the rolos, but have twix as my second! I seriously love that you’re veganizing these, especially with Halloween coming and me thinking about how I used to raid my sister’s pillowcase and take all her: caramilk, reese pb cup, etc!!
You can also substitute coconut nectar for a healthier replacement for brown rice syrup. It is tacky like brown rice syrup. These were DELICIOUS!! :-)
oh my gosh this is pure genius!!
There aren’t many chocolate confections (homemade) that get me salivating..and I must be hungry..these look amazing! I think I’ve got everything on hand too – a perfect Friday night activity with the chocolate loving kids in the house :) Nice work Angela!
Hey! Congratulations on your win of favorite blog in VegNews!! So happy for you and love your blog!
Thanks Ashley, that means a lot to me!! :)
These would make ANYONE happy! Great recipe Ang!
Hey Angela! I haven’t scrolled through EVERY comment, but I read all of the ones on the first page to see if anyone has asked yet. Do you know what the shelf life would be on these bars? I mean, for home at least. I’m just wondering how long the crispy bottom remains crisp, considering the moisture content of the filling and whether or not they are frozen or stored in the fridge. Have they lasted long enough in your house (ahem…Eric) to test this out? I always find that when I put anything with crispy rice in the fridge or freezer it goes stale after a day. Thanks! :)
Hey Amelia!
I had my bars in the freezer for a day and then in the fridge for a few days and they were fine when thawed at room temp. I can’t really comment to their shelf life more than that since I gave the bars to my niece and nephew today, but they were fine for at least a few days and I would expect more! If you are concerned about them becoming dry, I would store in the fridge since it’s a bit more gentle than the freezer. Enjoy!
Made these yesterday. Yum (from the whole family and the Girl Scouts). Planning on making them again soon. Realized that they really reminded me of one of my favorite childhood candy bars, the Whatchamacallit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whatchamacallit_%28candy%29), even more than Twix. This makes me very happy. Thank you.
ah interesting!! I don’t think I’ve ever had one of those before. Glad you enjoyed them :)
I completely agree! I had been trying to put my finger on what they reminded me of. And once again, thank you, Angela!
Just made these… very good! The bottom layer is a bit flimsy though… I don’t know if it’s supposed to be or if it was something I did? I think I would also use bittersweet chocolate for the top layer rather than chocochips next time! Everyone loved it but it was a bit too sweet for me!
Thanks for another great recipe!!
Those look amazing! Twix were definitely one of my favourite chocolate bars. But you have made a version where you can actually pronounce all the ingredients!
Love all your recipes :).