Homemade Twix Candy Bars

It's always more fun to DIY. Every week, we'll spare you a trip to the grocery store and show you how to make small batches of great foods at home.

Today: It's Halloween come early! Kristin Rosenau of Pastry Affair shows us how to make homemade Twix bars, just in time for trick-or-treaters.

These Twix bars may be a homemade take on an original, but they taste just as charming as the store-bought version. The base layer is composed of a classic, sandy shortbread, then soft caramels are melted and spread evenly over the top. And lastly, after being cut into pieces, the bars are dipped in chocolate, and allowed a few moments to set. These are the three steps to Twix Bar Heaven.

The thing that I adore about these candy bars is their texture: the shortbread is soft and melts in your mouth, leaving the chewy caramel to give it bite. The chocolate is just the icing on the cake. While I chose to cut corners using store-bought soft caramels, you could use your favorite caramel recipe in their place.

More: Feeling crafty? We've got 8 more homemade candy recipes for you.

Homemade Twix Bars

Makes 18 candy bars

Shortbread Layer

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

To Assemble

10 ounces soft caramels
6 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate, chopped

First, bake off your shortbread and let them cool. (Get the full instructions here.)

In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the caramel candies until completely melted and smooth, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Using an offset spatula, spread the caramel evenly over the shortbread layer. Allow to cool for 15 minutes to set.

Transfer shortbread to a cutting board and cut into nine, 1-inch wide pieces. Then, cut each piece in half, creating eighteen 1-inch wide and 4 1/2-inch long candy bars.

In another microwave-safe bowl, melt the chopped chocolate for 15 seconds at a time, stirring between each interval, until smooth. Dip each candy bar into the chocolate, remove any excess chocolate, and set on wax paper to set completely, about 1 hour.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature. The candy bars keep for several days.

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photos by Kristin Rosenau