Lately, things have gotten entirely too healthy around here. Roasted vegetables? Lentil stew? Baked oatmeal? If it is true that this is the Healthy Dessert Blog, where are all the desserts?
Where is all the CHOCOLATE?
Oh there it is.
When I compiled my candy recipes into the Healthy Chocolates & Candy page, many of you lamented the absence of a healthier copycat Twix bar. I put it on the to-do list, but the list keeps growing longer and longer… Luckily, my incredibly-talented friend Leanne agreed to take on this healthy-Twix-bar challenge, for the benefit of all of us!
Please welcome Leanne and her allergy-friendly, gluten-free Twix bars:
Hi Everyone! My name is Leanne Vogel. I’m a holistic nutritionist and the lady behind Healthful Pursuit – a space where I share my pursuit of self-discovery through allergy-free recipes, travel, and a whole lot of yoga.
I’m super stoked to be here with you guys today. I’ve had to pinch myself multiple times as I prepared this post. Katie is one of my favorite bloggers so to be here sharing a recipe with you is a bit too exciting for words!
The food we surround ourselves with has a dramatic impact on the way that we live out our lives. If we feel good about what we’re eating, if food makes us feel like we can accomplish anything and gives us a sense of balance, we’ll be so much more open to the experiences life has for us. And ya, this includes finding a replacement to our favorite candy bars.
What’s more indulgent than creating your very own a vegan and gluten-free homemade Twix bar?
I couldn’t think of anything else either.
Healthy Twix Bars
(makes 12 bars)
- 1/2 cup white rice flour or buckwheat flour or sorghum flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot or tapioca
- 2 tbsp evaporated cane juice or regular sugar or coconut sugar
- 3 tbsp sunflower seed butter (or another nut or seed butter)
- 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
- 1 tbsp freshly ground flax mixed with 2 tbsp water (Allow to sit for 5 minutes before using.)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Caramel:
- 100g pitted dates (approximately 6 dates)
- 3 tablespoons sunflower seed butter (or another nut butter of choice)
- 1 tsp water
- pinch salt
Chocolate Coating:
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Begin by preparing shortbread. Add first three ingredients to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk to combine. Then add sunflower seed butter, coconut oil, flax mixture and extract. Mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer until fully combined. The dough should stick together well.
Shape dough into twelve 3-inch cookies. To do this, scoop out about 1 1/2 tablespoons at a time into your hand and roll into a ball. Slowly shape into a long tube by rolling back and forth between the palm of your hands until it’s about 3-inches long. Set down on prepared cookie sheet and flatten with fingers. You can make the cookie even straighter by using the side of a knife to press up against the edges. Place cookies in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until tops are slightly cracked and sides are golden. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, place caramel ingredients in the bowl of your food processor. Process until smooth. If the mixture will not get smooth, just add a touch more water.
Once cookies are cooled, top with caramel and place on a second cookie sheet that’s lined with parchment paper. To do so, roll caramel like you did the cookies; into 3-inch tubes, and place over top of cookies. Place in the freezer and allow to set for at least 10 minutes. This will make the cookies easier to dip in the chocolate. Melt chocolate chips by dropping into a metal bowl and place over top of a sauce pan filled with water. Bring water to a boil and stir chips until melted. Remove from heat.
Remove the cookie sheet from the freezer and; one by one, coat the bars in chocolate. To do this, drop the bar into the chocolate and coat it with your fingers. Remove excess with your fingers and place back on the parchment. Repeat with remaining cookies. Place back in the freezer and allow to set for 15 minutes.
Leanne’s question of the day: How do you create balance in your life?
Link of the Day:
JaLynn says
Thanks for posting this! I love Twix bars, but I’m trying to cut back on my processed sugar intake.
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Hey JaLynn – I’m so happy that you liked my recipe! It’s challenging to lower processed sugar intake, but not when you have treats like this waiting for you in the freezer! Seems to be the story of my life. Good luck with the journey 🙂
Tanya @ Playful and hungry says
Dates are a great replacement for caramel! Love it!
Michelle says
These look so good!
Joy @ Caspara says
Actually I’ve really been enjoying the healthy recipes! I made the lentil stew last night, and it was so good, I was just thinking I should look to see if I have enough ingredients to make it again today for lunch!!
But I’m happy to see the chocolate return, too. 😉
sailorwind says
These look amazing! My one question – could I throw some chia seeds in a food processor and use those instead of the ground flax seeds?
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Heck yes you could, great question. Just use 2 teaspoons of ground chia instead of 1 tablespoon of ground flax. Mix with the same amount of water and you’re good to go! I’d love to know how you like them when you give the recipe a shot!
Tracy says
Can Kit-Kats be next please? These look great!
trajayjay says
I’m pretty sure a kit kat is a twix without caramel, so, omit caramel?
Anonymous says
Kit kats are wafers..twix are cookies…I love my candy bars lol
Tracy says
Yeah, kit kats have wafers. And texture is important to the kids! lol
trajayjay says
Thanks for noting the difference. I don’t eat candy too too often, but from my experience, the cookie of a kitkat tastes like the cookie of a twix.
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
Um these look kind of amazing, and I don’t even like Twix bars.
Alanna says
Wow, these look SO yummy, and I love the step-by-step photos on the nutrition page! Twix are definitely one of my favorite candy bars. I’m hoping someone will try this with regular flour and have success, since I’m unfamiliar with the types of GF flours listed!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Hi Alanna – they are pretty darn good! You could make the cookie base with anything you have on hand, or any cookie recipe you’re comfortable with. Shortbread-type recipes are best.
Alanna says
Thanks, Leanne — that’s great to know!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
My boyfriend loves twix, I wonder if I could sneak these in on him instead
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Oh you totally, completely could! My boyfriend loves Twix as well and he went NUTS for these!
Carissa says
I cannot wait to make this!!! I absolutely looove twix, and I bet these taste so much better than the original 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
They totally do, Carissa. The best part? You can add as MUCH caramel as you want! When I made these a second time, I made double the caramel and just stacked it all up. Mmm!
eating 4 balance says
I love your blog Leanne!… And this recipe! 🙂
I totally agree with you- It would be a dream to guest post a recipe on Chocolate-Covered Katie. Congrats and a job well done!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
A total dream. Like I said, major pinching action throughout the whole process! Hope you’re having a great weekend, Madison 🙂
Carley says
Twix bars never sounded so alluring!
Anna @ The Guiltless Life says
This is AWESOME! I can see myself tripling or quadrupling the recipe, making a whole batch and then putting in the freezer – it’s probably not something I want to make all the time but that’s the same with any homemade candy bar. When you realize the effort that goes into it, you eat less! Haha. They look amazing!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
That’s a great way of looking at it, Anna. They do take a bit of time so best to stock up and enjoy slowly. I’m the same way about cake. Totally hate making it, so tedious but man, there’s nothing better!
Kristen says
num num num 😉 So just wondering though, can other flours be subbed here? Is the sorghum/rice/buckwheat + arrowroot/tapioca starch combo so it’s gluten free? (So then you could just use 1 cup of other type of flour? Or is a least a little starch needed?) I’m wondering if I could use some spelt or whole wheat flour instead since I don’t have the flours listed and I already have like 5 types of flour!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Hey Kristen – oh for sure, no worries. No sense going out to the store and buying more flours if you already have a bunch on hand. My suggestion would be to find any ‘ol shortbread recipe or if you have cookies in the house, use those. I could imagine digestive or arrowroot cookies working really well with these. The thing with gluten-free recipes is that they don’t always translate so well into gluten-filled recipes. Katie’s sugar cookie recipe may work really well for this too, here’s the link: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/12/18/grain-free-sugar-cookies/ Good luck!
Kristen says
Thanks Leanne!! Good ideas & info!
Stephanie Dreyer says
Wow, Katie! These look awesome. My 7 year-old is going to love these (so will my 9 and 4 year olds!). Can’t wait to try them.
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Hey Stephanie – they’re super popular with the kids, I’m sure they’ll love my recipe! Best to double up… many Mom’s have told me that one batch didn’t leave them with any leftover to snack on 😉
anonymous says
These look wonderful! Katie, thank you for highlighting a gluten-free blogger. I’m always interested in new gluten-free recipes, and I like what I see so far from her site. Leanne, you have a new fan in me.
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
That’s fantastic, welcome to Healthful Pursuit 😉 and enjoy the bars if you give them a go!
michelle says
using the dates for caramel sauce is a REALLY good idea. sadly i am either allergic to dates or the mold dust that is on them. lol
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Oh no! Are you the same way about all dried fruit? If not, raisins or prunes would work with this recipe, too. If both of those are out, I did a refined sugar-free toffee recipe that may work with this, it’s just honey (if you’re vegan you can use another sugar like maple syrup, agave or coconut nectar), nut butter and a bit of vanilla. Here it is if you’re interested: http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6015328
trajayjay says
These look very authentic, could i use oat flour instead of the rice or sorghum?
Christi says
don’t use oat flour: oats get either mooshy or spongy when you cook them (think oatmeal) rice and sorghum are much more grainy substances and tend to be crispy and or crumbly like the cookie part of a twix bar. if you have a flour mill or food processor you can make your own rice flour by grinding up uncooked rice. hope this helps!
trajayjay says
thanks for saving me from ruining a recipe, I hate when I sub something in for an ingredient because i don’t have the listed ingredient on hand, then the recipe doesn’t come out right.
trajayjay says
Actually, I got a magic bullet for christmas, so i should be all set.
Laura says
By uncooked rice… Do you think instant rice would work? I got a food processor for my birthday and did not know this!
Christi says
I don’t know: the liquids added might make the instant rice cook spongy
unlike whole uncooked rice (density difference). I wouldn’t try it: but if
you are the adventurous type, go for it! You might discover something
awesome! You could always google it: Google knows all! 😉
wog says
this is ok, but i want a katie recipe :'( there is a difference!!
Karen says
I actually like when Katie does guest posts. I’m interested to see what blogs and recipes from others that SHE likes :).
Harsha says
What a mean thing to say…..the recipe looks great and I am sure it will come out really well. Leanne has put so much of effort into making something fabulous for us and you could at least give it a try before making such comments.
Karen says
Bookmarking this recipe, and Leane’s blog.
Her site looks lovely. Thanks for the new find :).
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Thanks Karen!
Alex Katzen says
Thank goodness for the chocolate! That looks delicious 🙂
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
No kidding. I couldn’t live without it 🙂
Bethany says
Are the nutrition facts for 1 bar?
Lizzie says
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/twix-bars-calories-and-nutrition-facts/
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Hi Bethany – yes, the recipe makes 12 bars and the facts are for 1 bar. Hope that helps!
Nikki @ The Road to Less Cake says
Oh my oh my. They look amazing!
Mel Boerma says
Wow! Yum! It actually looks quite easy (famous last words!) will have to give this a go 🙂
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
lol… story of my life! It’s not too bad, I’d give it a 3/5 (5 being stupidly, crazy difficult). It’s more a bit time consuming than anything… but super fun to do with the kids if you’ve got a couple!
Alyx says
Wow these are amazing! What a unique set of ingredients. I’m not a huge fan of caramel, so I’m excited to try Leanne’s substitution! Can’t wait! 🙂
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Thanks Alyx. You’ve got to be about the only person I know that doesn’t like caramel… so awesome. Gosh, I could eat that date caramel from a bowl with nothing but a spoon. I hope you like it!
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says
I think I’m going to leave work early so I can go to Whole Foods and get arrowroot powder, or do you think cornstarch would wokr? This is a fantstic recipe!!!!!!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Hi Jennifer – I haven’t used cornstarch in a really, really long time so I’m not exactly sure. There isn’t too much in this recipe so you might be okay. Another alternative is making the bars with a no bake cookie bottom. I have a recipe here for them, if you’d like to check it out: http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/2012/10/vegan-no-bake-twix-bars/ Have a fantastic weekend!
Amanda @ Diary of a Semi-Health Nut says
Oh my yum!! Twix bars are my FAVORITE candy bar! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
You’re most welcome, Amanda. They were mine too. That and SKOR bars!
Lissy says
I got really excited and then I read the ingredients list. I don’t have any of that stuff. Guess I’m going shopping this weekend!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Hey Lissy – you could use a shortbread or sugar cookie recipe that you’ve used in the past to try to avoid buying all new flours. Hope that helps!
Magen says
Ummmm…. we need a SNICKERS recipe!!!!!!! Twix bars look amazing!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Snickers, that’s brilliant. I’d be totally down for that 🙂
Angela says
This is so brilliant! I know everyone starts the new year trying to get healthy, and I am no exception. I can’t wait to try these!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
And with treats like this, maybe we can last the WHOLE year long!
Grace says
Hi there! I am a huge fan of Twix and you don’t even know how excited I was when I saw the work “TWIX” in the headlines!! I was wondering though, are the nutrition facts based on the entire recipe of 12 bars? Or is it per serving? And if so, what is the serving and how many bars is the nutrition info based on?
And I totally agree, more candy bar recipes are needed!! We need more! Kit-kat, snickers, milky way, and cookies’n’creme chocolate are my main thing besides twix! haha 🙂 will you be posting any of those recipes?
Thanks!
-Grace 🙂
P.S. ChocolateCoveredKatie! You are a lifesaver! Love your blog 🙂
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Hi Grace – so glad that the headline got you all excited! To answer your questions, the recipe makes 12 bars, the nutrition facts are for 1 of those bars.
I used to love that cookies n’ creme chocolate bar. Oh the memories!
Grace says
Thanks! I will definitely be making these soon! This definitely seems healthier since it uses all natural ingredients!
Do you think you or Katie will ever make a recipe for cookies’n’creme chocolate? You would be my hero if you did!! 😛
-Grace 🙂
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Oh man, I would LOVE to make it… Katie posted a white chocolate recipe awhile back, did you see that? I bet you could just use that recipe and smash up chocolate cookies inside… the wheels are turning!
Bernice says
Yay!!!!!! Twix are totally my guilty pleasure (and one of my stress comfort foods)!
I am going to make these right away!!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Oh that’s great, Bernice! Hope you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Bernice says
That was supposed to include a “thank you,” I hit the submit button too quickly in my excitement:)
Michele says
They look good but I just viewed the nutrition facts and I don’t know how many bars they are for but they don’t look that “healthy” to me. Not trying to be mean or snarky because I love a good healthy recipe. I am trying to imagine the dates as “caramel” but am having a hard time doing so. Lastly, I have exactly 3 of the ingredients in the house to make these – water, vanilla and salt so I will not be trying these. I really hope that someone who makes them will report back because I would love to hear how they turned out!
Alanna says
Have you tried the caramel apple milkshake (older recipe) or samoas fudge babies? I was skeptical at first, too, but they really do taste caramel-y! And healthy can be a bit of a subjective term, but in this case I think it’s a healthier recipe because the ingredients list is shorter and/or less processed than a regular Twix bar, even if it doesn’t work out to be low-calorie. 🙂
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Hi Michele – I appreciate your honest comment and totally understand where you’re coming from. The nutrition facts are for 1 bar, the recipe makes 12. Something that I write about a lot of on my blog is the difference between whole foods based recipes and store-bought gunk. The nutrition facts may look very similar, in some case a “healthy” recipe made with whole foods will look worse. But, when you look at the ingredients and see how much better they are as a whole, it all starts to come together. Also, if you don’t want to go out and buy a bunch of new things, you could try to make the cookie base out of the cookies you already have at home (arrowroot or digestive would work well) that, or Katie’s recipe for sugar cookies would work as a good base: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/12/18/grain-free-sugar-cookies/ Hope that helps 🙂
Michele says
Thank you for responding but I have to apologize. When I looked at the NI, I was looking more for low-cal than “healthy.” I realize these are more about healthy ingredients rather than a bunch of processed junk like the regular Twix bars. I was in a crabby mood last night and I shouldn’t have even said anything because I don’t think I sounded very nice in my comment. I’m sure these are delicious. Again, thanks and sorry.
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
No need to apologize! You brought up some valid points. No hurt feelings! Hope you’re having a great weekend 🙂
Ruth says
They look very healthy to me. There’s nothing unhealthy about fruit and seeds. They look delicious, too.
Stacy K says
Seeing this recipe is so ironic…my husband and I are trying to avoid wheat- not b/c we’re allergic, just b/c we want to, and tonight he said he was craving a candy bar. I follow Katie and Leanne’s blog and have tried several recipes already so I gave it a shot and tried these tonight. They turned out really good! I did think the chocolate got too thick on the outside, so the last few I only put some over the top. I really liked the caramel, used cashew & peanut butter- also put in a squeeze of honey & couple drops of stevia.
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Awesome Stacy! I’m so happy that you liked the recipe, what perfect timing!
Alanna says
I don’t know why, but certain brands / types of chocolate seem to melt (and stay melted) much better than others. In my limited experience, regular chocolate chips melt okay but solidify too quickly if you’re trying to make a larger batch of something! If you can find Bakers brand chocolate (it comes in 1 oz blocks), that melts really evenly in the microwave (no stove required) and doesn’t set back up as fast as some of the other brands. They all taste pretty good, though… Bakers is just a little easier to work with. 🙂
~Nilu~ says
Thanks Alanna for the tip abt Bakers choc. While melting choc chips i always wondered if one brand melts better than others but never got around to experimenting. Now i know which one to try next time!
Lizzie says
I’m looking forward to making them! 🙂
PLEASE more copycat candy recipes, like KitKat and Ferrero Rocher!
BTW: Katie, you should do a series of dessert recipes from all around the world (since you say in your FAQ that you lived in Japan, China,..), like a chocolate covered trip around the world. 🙂
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
That’s such a great idea, Lizzie. I second that, an all around the world recipe post would be rather cool! Glad you enjoyed my recipe. Let me know if you have any questions when you give it a shot!
Willow says
Sobbing with joy. Blubbering like a baby. And (not) worried (at all) because my tastebuds have an addictive personality and I’m positive this is going to be a new fix. A fix of the very best kind.
A healthy fix…for vegan Twix. *BOOM*
Thanks to Leanne and Katie alike!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
BOOM is right! I’m positive your little taste buds are going to enjoy this one! Have an awesome weekend, Willow 🙂
Willow says
Thanks! You, too! =D
Willow says
PS: Now if you can ever muster up a vegan nougat recipe to make a vegan milky-way bar…well, I can’t even express the joy that would bring me.
Grace says
Yes!! I agree! A milkyway bar would be amazing. I love my caramel! Haha and chocolate of course! If you make a milky way recipe, please let me know!
Thanks!
-Grace 🙂
Bek @ Crave says
I create balance in my life by making sure I slow down and enjoy life- stay happy and whilst I enjoy the healthier substitutes like you have before me, I also indulge in a non healthy substitute every now and again 🙂
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Good on you Bek, it’s all about knowing when to mindfully indulge and be the observer of our lives at time to really pull in that balanced perspective. Hope you’re having a fabulous weekend!
Amber @ Slim Pickin's Kitchen says
Aaaaah…the amazing date caramel again! I love that idea. I *CAN’T WAIT* to try this recipe!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
It’s a phenomenon, isn’t it? Hook me up to an IV, I’m a date caramel lady for life 🙂
Lena says
I want to try this so bad, but I don’t think any of those flours are even sold in my country… I’ll just wait to see how it turned out for people who tried with something else. This looks so tasty! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Hi Lena – well, we want you to be able to enjoy this recipe no matter where you are! You could use any type of cookie base that you have the supplies for. Katie’s sugar cookie recipe may work out well: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/12/18/grain-free-sugar-cookies/ that, or if you have arrowroot cookies or digestive cookies, that would work well too! Heck, graham crackers could suffice. Hope that helps 🙂
Lena says
Yay that’s awesome! I’ll definitely try it with one of those. Thanks so much!
jo @ includingcake says
ha ha…I thought this looked like Leanne’s photo when I saw the thumb nail in my reader…and so it was! Good job guys 🙂
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Very awesome that you caught that, Jo!
Tanya @ Playful and hungry says
What a great recipe! Definitelly gonna try!
Emily says
Hi Katie! I was just wondering when your cookbook will be published? And if it’ll be on amazon? I have two gift cards for amazon and I want to make sure I save one for you’re book! You been so inspirational and when I’m having a bad day your site always cheers me up. And you’ve also made my eating disorder a little easier to handle with how you think, this site makes me trust food again.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Thank you so much, Emily. That really means a lot to me. The book will actually not be out until next year, but I will definitely post more info when I know more specific details!
carolyn says
Would anyone happen to know if this would work with regular, non-gluten free flour?
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Hi Carolyn – No sense going out to the store and buying more flours if you already have a bunch on hand. My suggestion would be to find any ‘ol shortbread recipe or if you have cookies in the house, use those. I could imagine digestive or arrowroot cookies working really well with these. The thing with gluten-free recipes is that they don’t always translate so well into gluten-filled recipes. Katie’s sugar cookie recipe may work really well for this too, here’s the link: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/12/18/grain-free-sugar-cookies/ Good luck!
Sarah says
Leanne, you are SO lucky! Katie, it would be a dream to be a guest poster on your site. I know you must get a lot of requests, but if you ever need any help I would be happy to step in sometime :).
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
I know, right? It was literally a DREAM come true. For real!
Leah says
No offense, and I am the odd one out here, but there is no possible way that a date- paste “caramel” could possibly taste nearly as good as real caramel. Sure, it might be healthier, but I just can’ t imagine eating it unless I had a dairy allergy. To me, it’ s ok to occasionally indulge in the real thing! Everything in moderation- eating normal caramel a couple times a year never killed anyone or made them suddenly get fat/heart problems!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
I totally agree with you Leah, there is a time and a place for indulging mindfully. If I could have dairy and gluten, I’d treat myself to a Twix bar every once in awhile. These types of recipes are great for those with allergies, or those that want to find that balance but know that if they go out and buy that Twix bar it’s a slippery slope to buying another, and another and forming a habit around it. The real thing; in this case caramel, will always taste different than the healthy version but this stuff combined with the cookie and chocolate… it’s really, really the next best thing. I totally appreciate your honesty, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Leah says
Thanks for your reply! If I ever someday am trying really hard to get super-healthy, maybe this recipe will be used (or if I am part of a family with a kid/husband who has allergies).
trajayjay says
I’ve tried Katie’s date recipes before, the dates really do give them a caramel flavor. To me, dates taste kind of like 30% prune, 60% brown sugar.
Anonymous says
That’s true, but please keep in mind this is a vegan blog 🙂
Maddie @glutendairyfreedom says
I’m definitely going to try this! 🙂
Anna says
I made these today and they were really good. 🙂
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
That’s so great Anna, I’m so happy that you liked my recipe!
Hannah says
Wow, these look fantastic! Homemade candy is the best 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Gabriella says
Can you make these without dates?
Alanna says
See here for Leanne’s suggested replacements:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2013/01/11/healthy-twix-bars/#comment-777102
Christina says
Yum! Your recipes have rekindled my ability to eat “candy bars.”
I’ve made TONS of your recipes before, and because they’ve always turned out, I nominated you for a Super Sweet Blogging Award. The rules are here: http://xtinaluvspink.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/and-the-award-goes-to/ I hope you choose to participate. Happy baking!
kimmythevegan says
Wow – Leanne, these look *amazing*!
Sadly, I’m on a chocolate cleanse for the month of January, but I can’t wait to make these in February =)
I’m missing a couple of ingredients, but am strictly gluten-free so am looking to expand my pantry and these look super fun.
mmmm caramel-y goodness
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
I’m doing a chocolate-free thing right now, too! Are you able to have carob? If so, these are pretty good with carob! Enjoy your cleanse 😉
Randa says
Hi Leanne! I actually saw the “No Bake Vegan Twix Bars” recipe you posted on your own blog back in October, and that recipe had less ingredients. Do you have a preference between the two recipes? (Is this an “upgrade,” in other words?)
Thanks!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Oh that’s a tough one. I’ve since gone grain-free so for me, I liked the first version (the one from October). The first version is great too because it’s no bake. But for authenticity, these ones I’ve shared here are definitely as close to the real thing as you can get. Hope that helps!
Randa says
Great answer, thanks! I’m mostly grain-free myself (except I do some amaranth, millet, and quinoa per my nutritionist’s input), so I’ll try the first one for our home. But I’ll probably have to try the second at some point too, to serve to others. 🙂 Thanks for the quick feedback!
dee m says
oooohmygoodnessgoshness!! I was just looking for a recipe sub for Twix!
YOU are it… 🙂 I am so enjoying your recipes… YOU ROCK!!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Thanks Dee! So happy that this one hit home for you 🙂
Melissa @ My Whole Food Life says
Shut the front door! These look amazing! I just came up with a healthy vegan samoa cookie just in time for girl scout season. I never even thought of twix. I will be making these soon!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Vegan Samoa? YUM! Do you have it posted to your blog? I’m intrigued!
melissa @ my whole food life says
It will be on my blog tomorrow. My husband told me i.t’s the best thing I have made so far.
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Wow okay, definitely going to check it out!
Daniella Silver says
YOU ARE AMAZING! WOW! WOW!WOW! I love following your blog!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Wow, so much enthusiasm, Daniella. I LOVE IT! Glad you liked the recipe 🙂
innerspacegirl says
Sounds great, but I think I’ll skip the “remove excess chocolate” step ’cause I’m not sure it’s possible to have excess chocolate!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Amen to THAT!
Rose says
Oh yum! Fab idea… thanks so much!
Aśka says
I really should try this recipe. I sounds delicious and really helathy. My chocolate praline recipes are traditionall and has a lot of calories:P
Pozdrawiam,
http://czekoladomania.blogspot.com/
suzy says
Please Katie, please please make a sugar free single lady chocolate chip cookie
Lisa says
These are great! I am wondering if you’ve tried them with coconut flour instead of buckwheat flour (or white rice/sorghum flour). I use buckwheat flour all the time and had it on hand so I used that. I’m going to try them with coconut flour per my husband’s request. Is the arrowroot flour used for a specific purpose or can I substitute there as well? I also used Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate chips. Yum!
Khaleef @ Fat Guy, Skinny Wallet says
Ok, I don’t even eat Twix bars, but I want to try this recipe. Those look really good!
Aubrey says
Made these tonight. Reeeally yummy, but I wouldn’t say they taste like Twix bars – the seed butter overpowered the other flavors for me. Excited to play around with the recipe though. Thanks for sharing!
Liz says
Hi Leanne,
Please help! I can’t have coconut.
Can U sub another oil for the coconut oil????
Paula says
I used safflower oil and they turned out great.
Emily @ Hungry Delights says
That is super amazing! I can’t believe people go out and buy crap when this sort of stuff can be made at home! xo Emily @ Hungry Delights
Brooke says
Wondering if you think brown rice flour will be ok? I accidentally bought that. Also do you just pour the tapioca balls in there? You don’t have to soak them or anything right?
Liane says
could you use oat flour instead of buckwheat or sorghum flour??
Kelly @ Hidden Fruits and Veggies says
I’ve never tried a date before… if all it takes it a little bit of nutbutter and they taste like caramel, hello new favorite food! I love Twix candy bars, so I’m very excited to try this out
Courtney says
These are seriously SOOOO SOOOO GOOD. Did the version with Katie’s sugar cookie recipe as the base. No one will believe you that theses are actually a whole food, delicious and nutritious. The use of the sunflower seed butter with the dates is superb!
Takes a little bit of prep time in the kitchen but couldn’t be any more worth it! I would definitely recommend doing 2 batches because they are that good (I’m leaving mine in the freezer for longer life expentancy) and will make it more worth the prep time.
Did I mention they are delicious?
joe says
WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO CHOCOLATE
Valerie says
OH thank you so much! I’m addicted to Twix bars and I always tell myself to stop eating them. [Since they are so unhealthy] Now I’m going to try this recipe! THANK YOU SO MUCH KATIE AND LEANNE!!!!
Amelia says
I am really sad because I took a lot of time to try to make these… cookies parts themselves were fine, but the caramel didn’t work AT ALL… not enough in the food processor. It just clumped up all over the sides almost instantly even after being pushed back down 10x. I eventually just gave up out of annoyance. I think this would have gone a lot better with the dates actually soaked first instead of the tsp of water.
rachel says
Just made these! They turned out great. I baked them in one rectangular slab, then put caramel over that, then cut into strips. They were more square than yours, but delish! I also made mine “fun size” (half) for even easier dipping. I was going to just frost the slab with chocolate, but figured it needed a 180 degree chocolate!
Healthy Grocery Girl says
Great candy make over! There is always a healthier way to make a treat. Have you ever tried them with almond butter and dark chocolate?
sailorwind says
I am so excited to try these and I LOVE your site, but I do have one request – is there any way to make your recipes more printable? I always have a hard time getting just the recipe and in a large enough font for easy kitchen use.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
All new recipes have a print option 🙂
sailorwind says
They do? Thanks! I must be making old recipes. My current obsession that I keep making over and over are the chocolate chip blondie bars.
Noah says
I saw a healthy twix bar recipe, but I’m not a big fan of those. Can you make a healthy bueno bar recipe?
Catherine says
Can I use almond butter for these? Or is it not the right consistency?
Who cares? says
OMG. I love these! My friends came over and we got bored so we decided to make these and they were a huge hit! Thanks so much!
Erin says
Just made these and they are great! I did have a little trouble getting my dates to process as completely as I would like, and think I may try soaking them next time first. Thanks for the recipe!
Sherri Herring says
Substitute questions:
I can’t find white rice flour, buckwheat flour or sorghum flour. Is all-purpose flour alright to use?
For arrowroot or tapioca-Is cornstarch an equal substitute?
Please make a suggestion for the substitution of the sunflower seed butter. I could not find it in the store. I am concerned about changing the taste of bar. I would appreciate any help you can give.
Thank you,
Beginner Vegan,
Sherri
Meeka says
You should be famous! You need to appear on the cooking network or something, with your own cooking show! EVERYONE would watch it. (Or, you could just consider coming to live here as our personal cook!) -Meeka from Texas
Maria says
How do you think the shortbread part would turn out with omitting the sugar? There’s enough sweetness in the other parts – caramel and chocolate..
Tracey says
These look amazing. How can I print out the recipe without the whole copy/paste ordeal. Is there a link?
Joanne says
Howdy!
I made these last night and they taste great- very much like Twix bars! I used pepita (pumpkin seed) butter instead of sunflower seed butter as every shop in Canberra seemed to be out of sunflower seed butter. I had issues with the consitencies of the shortbread and the caramel. In the end, I added and extra tablespoon and a half of the pepita butter to the shortbread mixture and and extra 2 tablespoons of water to the caramel mixture. Not sure if anyone else has had this problem but thought I’d mention it to you.
All in all, a very tasty recipe!
Cheers,
Jo 🙂
Juju says
I’m a tad sad, I used sweet rice flour hoping it would work…but I guess it didn’t since that was the only ingredient I improvised. The batter came out very crumbly it did not stick together. D; In the end I had to throw away the batter (it was a waste). Why does sweet rice flour not work?
Juju says
This is still not working, I bought rice flour and the batter continues to crumble. I wonder what I am doing wrong.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
It’s best to ask Leanne about troubleshooting issues. Just visit her blog linked in the post. 🙂
Juju says
I went to her blog, thank you Katie for the response & suggestion.
Love your blog too <3 you should make a youtube channel xD
: )
Holly says
Thank you for the recipe. I was all sorts of excited to try this recipe. I had gotten to the step of smearing the caramel over the biscuit when my son sneaked one. On first bite he said, “they taste like dog biscuits.” I decided to try one before coating them in chocolate and sure enough, he was right.
I’m sorry for the bad review. The caramel is delicious, but the cookie part was not tasty.
Thank you for the vegan & GF recipe though 🙂
Nicole says
Hey,
Thanks for the healthy twix bar recipe. Does it have to be arrowroot or tapioca powder? The recipe does not specify and I guess Tapioca pearls are more easy to find. Can you use those?
Thanks!
Michelle says
Ive made these before!!! (my own crappy recipe though – this one is SO much better!! – mine used oat flour as the base which made them kinda cookie-ish, but this caramel is SO good!!)
Thank you oh so much!
Heather says
do you think these would travel well if i wanted to ship them? or do they need to be stored in the fridge? thanks!
Unofficial CCK Helper says
I would advise asking Leanne, as this is a guest post. Perhaps she has an answer for you. Good luck!
Sophia says
These look delicious (like everything else on your blog)! I was wondering, though, if I could use xylitol instead of evaporated cane juice?
Laurel says
We made these and they were wonderful! My kids and husband loved them, which is a good thing because they were a little labor intensive. Worth it, though. I used rice/tapioca flour mix for the shortbread and did use an egg instead of the flax substitute. The rest was as written. I’d make the cookie part a little less next time and add a bit more date filling (I had some left over–didn’t use enough.) They didn’t look anywhere near as pretty as yours but who cares when they taste great? Thank you!
Christy says
My 8 yr old and I made these today. They are good for sure but we didn’t feel like they tasted like a Twix.
Amber says
Could chia seeds be a replacement for the flax? If so, how much would I have to use?
Lorna D'Bore says
Excellent recipe! Just wanted to point out the spelling errors (grammar ho here): in the last paragraph when dealing with the chocolate, it says “remove access with your fingers and place back on the parchment” when it should say “remove excess…”
Again, simply incredible-tasting recipe! I love this blog!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Thanks for the comment. This was actually a guest post… I am a grammar nerd too 🙂
Fixing it now!
Mary says
It’s very sad that you think baked oatmeal and lentil stew are healthy.
Random. says
Watch it