Twix cookies carry the flavor of Twix while being packaged in a cookie form. Delicious!
I love Twix, it has always been one of my favorite candies. And, with my love of cookies, I started to think, how can I combine the two? At its core, Twix has a shortbread base and a soft caramel layer with all of that encased in chocolate. I thought of just doing a three-layered approach for its cookie transformation.
The only real problem was not eating all of the shortbread cookies before Twix-ifying them. All of the components of these Twix cookies were hard to resist. My sweet tooth is unstoppable sometimes. But, with some restraint, I was able to complete the full cookie and the outcome was absolutely delicious. The cookie is a little softer than what is generally found in Twix, but the taste was still irresistible. And the texture was perfect for a cookie.
Check out the Make section of MCG for more fun recipes like desserts and savory dishes.
Ingredients
The number of ingredients to make this cookie was a little higher than normal since it was truly three recipes combined into one: the cookie, the caramel, and the chocolate. Even still, there were less ingredients than I would have expected. When making the caramel, I would highly recommend having a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature of the mixture.
Process
Shortbread Cookies
The base of these Twix cookies is the shortbread. I decided to go with a softer shortbread to lean more into the cookie and away from the Twix. I started by whipping together the butter and sugar. Since there are only five ingredients in this cookie, I tried to pay extra attention to each step.
Once I felt the butter was fluffy enough, I added in the vanilla extract, baking powder, and flour. Shortbread cookies need a little bit of rise but not too much. Maybe that’s why they are short? I blended until the ingredients were just combined. Overworking the cookies would make them tough instead of soft.
Then I wrapped the whole piece of dough in a plastic wrap and placed it in the fridge. The minimum amount of chilling time is about an hour, but I prefer to keep it overnight. This step is to ensure that the butter solidifies again so it stays in the cookie when baked.
After the dough had been adequately chilled, I started to shape the cookies. The dough was rolled out to be about ¼ inch thick before I got a cookie cutter and started cutting out each cookie. I ended up using a circular cutter as I felt that felt like a classic cookie.
Then all that was left is to bake the cookies. I feel like shortbread cookies just want a kiss of color when baking. Too dark and they will lose that soft shortbread goodness. While the cookies cooled, I moved onto the other components.
Caramel
The caramel was the most intriguing part of this recipe for me. I love making candy, but a soft, spreadable caramel wasn’t exactly in my wheelhouse. I started by combining the light corn syrup and the sugar. With some heat, the sugar will dissolve in corn syrup and become a thin clear mixture.
Then it’s time to crank up the heat! I wanted to get the mixture to reach two hundred- and forty-five-degrees Fahrenheit. This will get the mixture to reach that right soft caramel flavor and texture.
Right before the sugar mixture reaches its desired temperature, I used the microwave to warm / melt the heavy whipping cream / butter. I wanted both mixtures to be at maximum heat at the same time.
Then, I added the two together while both were boiling hot. This helps prevent hardening, which often happens when two mixtures of vastly different temperatures come into contact. It also reduces the mixture splashing. Trust me, you don’t want to get boiling liquid sugar on your skin. … don’t ask me how I know this. This recipe does make more caramel than needed but no hard in enjoying some extra caramel.
As the caramel cools, it will begin to harden. I wanted to spread the mixture onto the cookies while they were warm but not scalding hot. It’s important that the caramel doesn’t cool too much during this step. The caramel should cool and harden fully while on top the Twix cookies.
Chocolate Top
The chocolate top was simultaneously the easiest and most difficult part of the Twix cookie to accomplish. I used the microwave again to melt together the chocolate and the vegetable oil. Milk-chocolate chocolate chips was not the smartest move on my part. They worked out fine but do not have the flexibility of almond bark or chocolate melts (which is a better choice for this recipe).
I ended up working very fast during this process because the chocolate would harden up on me faster than I was anticipating. Although, remelting the chocolate would have also been a good choice. I placed chocolate atop each cookie just enough to get to the caramel (or a little less to show an outer caramel ring).
Once the chocolate was cooled, all that was left was eating up all the cookies! And it was hard to resist eating them all in one sitting.
Reflections
This is, by far, one of my favorite cookies. Unfortunately, it is a little too complicated to make on the spur of the moment. Cooling the caramel alone takes a decent amount of time. The thinner the caramel, the faster it cools.
The flavors of these Twix cookies are very similar to the candy. Although it’s not an exact replica, it has a great mix of flavors and texture. The softness of the cookie, the chewiness of the caramel and the snap of the chocolate just makes me want to come back again and again.
Lessons
Cooling it Down
Being patient was particularly needed while making this recipe. Every part needs to be fully cooled before the next layer can be added. The residual heat from each layer will affect the next one if the temperature is not controlled properly. This could cause mixing between the two layers or prevent the layers from hardening properly.
recipe
Twix Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Candy Thermometer
Ingredients
Cookie
- ½ Cup Unsalted Butter softened
- ½ Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
Caramel
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/3 Cup Light-Corn Syrup
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- ½ Cup Unsalted Butter softened
Chocolate
- 1 ½ Cup Milk Chocolate
- 1 Teaspoon Vegetable Oil
Instructions
Cookies
- Combine Butter and Sugar in a large bowl. Beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, baking powder, and flour until just combined.
- Wrap dough and chill for at least an hour (preferably overnight).
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Roll out cookie dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out 2 ½ inch circles. Combine dough scraps and repeat this process until the dough has been depleted.
- Bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool on baking tray for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Caramel
- In a saucepot, combine light-corn syrup and granulated sugar. Place over a low heat to allow the sugar to dissolve.
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine heavy whipping cream and unsalted butter. In 30-second burst, melt the butter into the cream.
- Boil the sugar until it reaches 245° Fahrenheit. Then add in the heavy whipping cream mixture while the heavy whipping cream is still hot.
- Let cool to 100° Fahrenheit. Add a tablespoon of caramel to the top of each cookie. Let cool completely.
Chocolate
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine milk chocolate and vegetable oil. In 15-second burst, melt the chocolate until smooth.
- Place one tablespoon of chocolate on each cookie. Spread if needed. Let set by cooling completely.
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