Okay, is there actually a better flavor combo than chocolate and caramel? I know everyone has a different favorite but this will forever be mine. Growing up we weren’t allowed to have candy unless it was halloween, so going to houses I stocked up on milky ways, 100 Grand, and my absolute favorite, Twix bars. Even now I love buying Twix bars and keeping them in the freezer for when the craving hits. For this recipe I decided to combine my soft and chewy sugar cookie base and wha-la, these incredible Salted Caramel Twix Bars were created!
Recipe tips
- Baking pan: I HIGHLY suggest you use a metal baking pan. Metal pans cook baked goods more evenly than a glass pan and are super easy to transport the bars in (the one I tagged comes with a lid which is super convenient!)
- How to make them soft and chewy: Like most of my cookie recipes, these bars are soft and chewy. In order to make these they stay soft make sure you don’t skip the corn starch in the recipe! Corn starch helps to create a really tender cookie and that’s what we want! You also want to pay close attention to your baking time. I baked mine for 20 minutes on the dot. The top and outside edge will be nice and golden brown but the inside will seem under baked. Pull them from the oven and let them completely cool in the pan. This will produce the most delicious soft and chewy cookie bars .
- Caramel: This recipe is super easy, the only thing that you need to watch is not to burn the sugar. When I make this recipe, I plant myself by the stove and stir constantly until it starts to turn amber. Depending on the heat and pan, this can take anywhere between 5-10 minutes. Once it gets that deep amber color with no sugar crystals, stir in the cream. When you stir in the cream and the butter the mixture will bubble and steam. This may seem obvious, but DO NOT stick your finger in the hot caramel sauce. Unfortunately I’ve seen this happen in real life and it’s not pretty. When we were kids my mom let us stir and my twin sister stuck her finger in to try it. It’s blew up to double its size and was a pretty bad blister for a few weeks 🙁 Needless to say, wait to try the mixture until it cools.
Salted Caramel Twix Cookie Bars
This recipe is everything you love about the classic Twix bar in cookie form! A soft & chewy cookie base is topped with a buttery caramel and sweet chocolate ganache. Add flaky seat salt on top and wha-la!
Ingredients
For the cookie bar:
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature. you can use unsalted butter if you prefer!
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 2 tsp corn starch
For the caramel:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 10 tbsp salted butter
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- flaky salt for garnish
For the ganache:
- 1 ¼ cups milk or dark chocolate baking chocolate or chocolate chips. I prefer Ghirardelli milk chocolate
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
For the sugar cookie bar:
- Preheat the oven to 350° and grease and line a metal 9×13 pan with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter and granulated sugar. Mix until combined. Add in vanilla and egg and egg yolk, and mix until incorporated.
- While the mixer is on low add in the flour, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar and corn starch. Mix until just combined. Scoop batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula or lightly wet your hands to evenly press the dough into the pan. Poke dough several times with a fork. Bake or 20-22 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before assembly.
For the caramel:
- Add sugar to a saute pan over medium-high heat. The sugar will look normal for the first few minutes, stir occasionally with a metal whisk. Then it will start to clump and melt, turning a deep amber color. Stir continuously until all of the sugar is dissolved. Once melted, stir in butter, one tablespoon at a time. After the butter melts completely, slowly drizzle in warm heavy cream until completely combined. The mixture will bubble and steam up each time you add the heavy cream so be careful! Remove the caramel from heat and stir in the kosher salt.
For the ganache:
- Break up the chocolate and place in a medium sized bowl. Heat cream for 30-45 seconds in the microwave or until it bubbles. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for 3 minutes before whisking. If the chocolate doesn’t completely melt, microwave for 20 additional seconds and whisk in between until smooth. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
For assembly:
- Once the cookie bars are completely cooled pour caramel on top and evenly spread. Add to the refrigerator to set for 15 minutes.
- Pour ganache on top of the caramel and spread to evenly coat. Sprinkle on flaky sea salt. I let these set up for an additional 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator to make it easier to cut into slices! Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.