Monday, November 5, 2012

Homemade Twix Bars



Before I get on with the food, I just have to say something... THEY'RE MAKING A STAR WARS EPISODE SEVEN!!!!! I don't care if Disney is doing it. I don't care if Han is going to be an old man. All I know is that my wildest dreams are finally coming true.


The only thing I'm sad about is that I didn't become a famous actress in time. I should have foreseen this happening with my jedi intuition and gotten into acting! What was I thinking??? I mean, now that Star Wars is owned by Disney, I could have hit two womp rats with one stone... become a kick-butt, blaster wielding, rebel jedi princess AND a Disney princess at the same time! It would have been the perfect opportunity. Oh well. Maybe I'll be more prepared for Episode VIII.



Now, about the Twix. I'm sorry I'm so obsessed with caramel lately. It's just so fun to make and I've just been having way too much fun with it. I actually made these Twix bars last year when this blog was new. But that was A. before I actually knew how to make caramel and B. Before I actually knew how to take pictures.

Anywho, I was not a Twix fan when I first made these. I mean, Twix are a pretty good idea in theory, but the execution is a bit of a fail if you ask me. I mean, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't be above stealing a Twix or two from the kids massive Halloween stash. I'm just saying everything is better homemade. And this is no exception.

First comes the crust. Just a regular shortbread cookie. Just butter, sugar, and flour. So simple, yet so wonderful.



Press it in there real good.



While that's baking, make some caramel. I never use a thermometer to make my caramel. I just judge it by the color. Let go of the thermometer! Trust your feelings, my young apprentice!


That is the color I look for. It's the signal that your caramel is ready for some butter.


The caramel is always very excited to receive it's butter. Let it calm down a bit before you add the cream.


Now onto the crust.



Refrigerate it for a while until the caramel is firm. It actually gets more firm than it looks in the pictures. I just was impatient... as usual.


Now on with the chocolate.


Smooth it out gently so you don't disrupt the caramel.



And there you have it. Delicious, 100% homemade candy bars. Even Darth Vader himself would take his vent off for these.

So if you're running low on Halloween candy and are having chocolate withdrawals, I hope these ease your pain. Have fun.



Homemade Twix Bars

For the Cookie:
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter
1/4 C sugar
1 C flour

For the Caramel:
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn syrup
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

For the chocolate:
1 cup chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate, but dark would be awesome too)


Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Cream the sugar and 6 tablespoons of the butter. Mix in the flour with a fork until crumbly. Add the rest of the butter and kneed a little until a dough forms. Press into the bottom of an 8x8 inch pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Combine the sugar and corn syrup and cook over medium heat on the stove, stirring occasionally. It will melt, then become honey colored and from there you'll have to watch very closely as it turns from a golden honey color to an ambery caramel color. As soon as it's caramel colored, add the butter and stir until bubbling subsides. Add the cream and stir until well combined and bubbling subsides. Add the salt and vanilla. Allow to cool slightly before pouring over crust. Refrigerate until the caramel is firm (at LEAST 20 minutes).

Turn the microwave to about 30% power. Melt the chocolate at about 40 second intervals, stirring each time until smooth. Drizzle over the caramel and gently smooth it out to the edges. Throw it back in the fridge so they'll harden faster. Cut into bars. They don't need to be refrigerated, but they can be.




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