Make your own keto Twix bars! Tender shortbread crust topped with sugar-free caramel and milk chocolate. A delicious low carb way to satisfy those chocolate cravings.
Oh hello delicious homemade keto candy bars! I first published this Keto Twix Bar recipe back in 2014. But the keto lifestyle has come a long way since then and I decided it was time for a delicious update.
Are you a milk chocolate fan or a dark chocolate fan? Or are you like me, entirely ambidextrous when it comes to chocolate, happily swinging both ways depending on your mood?
I do love some really good, anti-oxidant rich dark chocolate, but there are some keto desserts that just scream milk chocolate. Like these homemade keto Twix. It simply wouldn’t be right to make them with dark chocolate. It would take away from their Twix-ness, if you know what I mean.
It really is remarkably fun to make your own keto candy and chocolate. Remaking your old junk food favorites into healthier alternatives means you are less likely to be swayed into temptation. And you can indulge without guilt!
Maybe you weren’t a fan of Twix back in the day. But I have any number of copycat keto candy recipes, so you’re sure to find something you love.
Updated Keto Twix Bars
When I decided to re-visit this recipe, I was happy to find that I didn’t have to change all that much about it. But the caramel filling really needed an overhaul.
Back when I first created keto twix, I made my caramel sauce with a few tablespoons coconut sugar. Good brown sugar replacements like Swerve didn’t exist back then and it was a compromise to get the deep, rich caramel flavor I was seeking.
But I’ve vastly improved my keto caramel sauce with the combo of Swerve Brown and BochaSweet. Not only does it have a rich and deep flavor but it also stays soft and doesn’t recrystallize.
But for the filling of these homemade Twix, I needed the caramel to be thicker. So I used much the same method as I did when making my Keto Turtles. It turned out perfectly!
Tips for making Keto Twix
For the crust:
- Be sure to line your pan with parchment paper, so that you can lift the bars out in one piece and cut them to your liking.
- Almond flour makes the best keto shortbread crust, but if you need to be nut-free, you can try sunflower seed flour instead. Coconut flour will not work in this recipe.
- Press the crust mixture firmly into the pan with your fingers. Then take a flat bottomed glass to even it out.
- Bake until golden brown and then let it cool completely before adding the caramel. Otherwise it won’t crisp up properly.
For the caramel:
- There’s no getting around it… if you don’t use the mix of two sweeteners, you won’t get the perfect caramel filling.
- While I highly recommend Swerve Brown, you can use Golden Lakanto instead. It really doesn’t have the deep brown color and flavor but it will work. If you can’t get any brown sugar substitutes, try using ½ cup granular erythritol with 1 teaspoon molasses. That small amount of molasses will only add about 0.5g carbs per serving.
- If you can’t use BochaSweet, try xylitol or allulose instead.
- Boiling the caramel in two stages helps it thicken up better. In the second stage, you know it’s ready when the bubbles move more slowly to the surface.
- Don’t pour the caramel sauce right away or it will soften the crust. Let it cool for 10 minutes first.
- Freeze the bars after putting the caramel filling on, so that it firms up enough for you to spread with melted chocolate.
For the chocolate topping:
- This part’s easy! Just be sure to melt your chocolate double-boiler style. Milk chocolate tends to seize more easily than dark chocolate and the gentle heat of a double boiler will help prevent that.
- Also stay near your chocolate as it melts and stir frequently. Once it’s melted, remove from the heat right away.
How to cut and store your keto Twix bars
You can cut these however you like. It’s fun to cut them into long thin bars, to truly resemble the real deal. But it does make them a bit more fragile, so you can also just cut them into 16 even squares. They taste the same either way!
I do recommend a good sharp knife for slicing through the bars evenly. If the bars have just come out of the fridge, it’s a good idea to heat up the knife first to make clean slices. I like to hold my knife over the open flame of my gas stove.
Simply store in a covered container on the counter for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for 10 days.
Now go make yourself some delicious keto Twix bars. You can thank me later!
Keto Twix Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ¼ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 ½ tablespoon butter melted
Caramel Filling
- ½ cup Swerve Brown
- 5 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup BochaSweet (can sub allulose or xylitol)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon glucomannan or xanthan gum
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Topping
- 4 oz sugar-free milk chocolate chopped
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 325F and line a 9x9 inch pan with parchment paper, allowing some overhang for easy removal.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until the dough begins to clump together.
- Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan and bake 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and let cool completely.
Caramel Filling
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the Swerve, butter, and BochaSweet. Bring to a boil and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until bubbling and the sweeteners have dissolved.
- Remove from heat and add the cream and vanilla. The mixture will bubble vigorously. Sprinkle the surface with the glucomannan and whisk vigorously to combine. Whisk in the salt.
- Bring the mixture back to a boil, and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbling thickly.
- Remove from heat and let caramel cool about 10 minutes, until thickened but still pourable. Pour over the cooled crust, making sure to spread to the edges.
- Place the pan in the freezer 1 to 2 hours to set the caramel.
Topping
- Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water. Add the milk chocolate and stir until melted.
- Pour the chocolate over the caramel and spread to edges with a knife or offset spatula.
- Refrigerate 30 minutes to set the chocolate before cutting into bars. You can cut long thin "Twix" bars or squares, your choice!
Alline says
Such a great idea! I have made a few different candy bars myself but need to try this one! I have made caramel and half of the time it works and half of the time it doesn’t The erythritol in Swerve re crystallizes after it cools a bit. Have you had this happen to you and do you have any tips on how to avoid it? Thank you!
Carolyn says
That’s always the tricky part but I have an update for my caramel sauce coming soon!
Mary M says
Just wondering if you have an update for your caramel sauce? I don’t use coconut sugar and don’t keep molasses in the house either. I do have that new sugar sub that’s supposed to caramalize…wondering if you have tried a recipe with that? It’s called SOLA Low Calorie Sweetener. I don’t make a lot of sweets, so haven’t even tried it yet! However, I’m wanting to “perfect” a few keto candies to give to keto friends for the holidays and I think anything caramel would be a welcome treat.
Carolyn says
Please search my blog for caramel sauce.
Adalsteinn Petur Karlsson says
I love this treat, it’s very nice when you want something that would be good for you on low carb, however just for anyone here, NEVER skip the whole “wait til it bubbles and cook for 3-5 minutes” for the caramel, I learned it the hard way that being to eager to take it off, made the cream not blend in but overpowered the whole thing and became white thin sauce, I ate it after freezing the bars but still, I did it again and did everything to the letter including bubble the caramel a bit then add the cream and it became a NICE gooey! caramel!
Kellie Hemmerly says
I can’t wait to try these!
Jennifer Farley says
These look so decadent!
Jennifer Blake says
One of my favorite candies on Earth!
Chelsea says
What can I sub the cream and butter for? I’m dairy free 🙂
Carolyn says
I honestly don’t know if you can make this caramel dairy-free but coconut milk and oil might work.
Rae Matos says
I don’t have coconut sugar. Can I substitute more swerve for it and how much?
Carolyn says
Just leave it out.
Susan Osborn says
I live in Canada where Swerve is not available. Would it be possible to substitute Spelnda? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Swerve is most definitely available in Canada (I am from Canada originally). It’s in almost all Loblaws and Canadian Superstores and can be ordered from Low Carb Canada.
Carolyn says
Oh and no…this caramel sauce will not work with Splenda.
Lori says
But it does work with Swerve?
Amy says
Hello Carolyn, I love your recipe’s. They always work perfectly for me and are a huge favourite with my family. I love the look of this one but I was wondering if I could simply use extra xylitol rather than coconut sugar? I saw someone else subbed in an alternative and it worked but didn’t set as well, do you think I could use a bit of gelatin or something to counteract that problem? Any of your thoughts or advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Carolyn says
You can try xylitol but yes, your caramel will be softer. I don’t recommend gelatin, though…it would give it a very funny texture.
Jennifer Douglas says
I know this recipe is a couple of years old but it came up on ny Facebook feed recently and I saved it. Loved the shortbread and was wondering for ages how to make caramel! I’m in the UK and recently imported some Bob’s Red Mill Fine Almond flour – oh my gosh the quality! First biscuity thing I’ve made which didn’t taste rancid. Obviously the almond flours we get here are not made with fresh almonds or stored correctly. We used 85% dark chocolate with some cream for the chocolate topping. There is a stevia milk chocolate available here but we prefer dark.
nicole @ I am a Honey Bee says
homemade candy! YES! I love removing the junk in candy to still have a sweet without the horrible stuff in there
Serena | Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch says
Huge yum! These sound fantastic!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
This recipe sounds amazing!! Wish I had one now.
Tina Marie says
These are right up my alley or should I say my kitchen! Can’t wait to try them. I haven’t had a twix bar in many years and now I can!
Ashley - Baker by Nature says
No doubt in my mind these are AMAZING!
Courtney says
These are absolutely fabulous! Twix are one of my favourite candy bars and its been so long since I had some. So glad I can eat these without the guilt or having a highly processed sugar laden product.
I used surkin gold instead of coconut sugar and Lily’s dark chocolate chips because thats what I had on hand.
The caramel took a long time to set (basically overnight) but I was impatient so after about an hour I poured the melted chocolate on top. It came out to marbleize rather than layered. So its very pretty but not the traditional mimic of a Twix bar.
Everybody in the house loves these and are unbelievably delicious. I’m fighting the urge more than one serving!
Thanks for sharing another great recipe~
Carolyn says
I think maybe your caramel took a long time to set because of the sukrin gold swap. But glad it worked out in the end.
Erica says
Hi I was wondering if there is anything I can substitute for the coconut sugar. I am allergic and would love to make this…Any ideas would be great. Thanks.
Carolyn says
A few tsp of molasses should work!
Susan says
Carolyn,
Do you think you could add more zanthan gum and make plain caramels? That sauce is so awesome! Thanks!
Carolyn says
It’s really hard to say…I am not sure erythritol based caramel will ever harden and become as sticky and chewy as sugar-based caramel.
Kelcy says
These look great .. Wondering why the xanthm gum? Could it be left out? Also trying to use what I have on hand here. I do not have swerve sweetener but I am wondering if brown rice syrup would work?
Carolyn says
I really have no idea about the syrup, I don’t use any such thing. Xanthan gum helps keep the erythritol from recrystallizing.
Amy says
can I use coconut milk in place of the cream? I’m ok with butter but can’t handle other milk products
Carolyn says
That should work.