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Sharing a healthier, peanutty take on a Twix bar. Homemade Vegan Peanut Butter Twix Bars. Layered with dark chocolate, toasted almond “shortbread”, sweet peanut butter “caramel”, additional dark chocolate, and finished with flaky sea salt. Every last bite is sweet, nutty, extra chocolatey, and so DELICIOUS. These Twix bars are easy to make, have no processed sugars, and are gluten-free!
There are regular Twix Bars, and then there are these. And these are so much better. Kind of a cross between a Twix and a peanut butter cup…but better than both, and completely addicting too.
Some of you might remember the original Homemade Twix Bars I shared a couple of years ago. Well, the odd thing is, a Twix bars weren’t a candy I’d reach for as a kid. I mean, they were fine, just not my first choice. Especially for someone who’s never really enjoyed candy that much.
But I love the idea of making candy bars healthier and more delicious at home, so I tested out the Twix Bar. It turned out so good, better than a Twix in my opinion.
This year however, I wanted to do something different. If you google it, Twix has a discontinued Peanut Butter Twix Bar. Why it was discontinued I don’t know, but a peanutty Twix sounded so good.
So I made my own, and well, it’s so good. As I said above, it tastes like a Twix and a peanut butter cup combined. You get the best of each candy.
The details
These bars have two layers, the first layer is an almond, coconut shortbread. It’s nutty, perfectly sweet, and really the best base for these bars. The second layer is a creamy maple syrup based peanut butter “caramel”. This isn’t really anything like caramel, but more of a lightly sweetened peanut butter layer with vanilla.
Start with the cookie base. This is a very simple mix of almond flour, coconut flour, and coconut oil. It bakes in the oven until lightly golden and toasted. It’s simple, yet delicious. Once baked, this layer tastes sweet and “buttery”. A lot like a classic shortbread cookie.
The peanut butter layer, which is my favorite layer, is simply just peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil, boiled together to thicken the mix. I added some almond butter to give it a little more stiffness, and then vanilla too.
The secret to making this layer really delicious is to use a peanut butter with just peanuts and salt. Don’t use a no-stir peanut butter that contains oils and or sugar. You just want a natural peanut butter. This will give you the best flavor and texture.
Pour the peanut butter layer over the almond cookie base, then freeze the bars. You only need them to freeze 30 or so minutes, but you can leave them in the freezer overnight too. This step helps the bars set up quicker, cut cleaner, and makes them solid enough to dip into the chocolate.
Once the bars are cut and frozen, dip them into the chocolate. Then finish them with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for that salty-sweet combo we love so much.
Tips
Make sure the bars are thoroughly chilled before dipping them into the chocolate. If the bars are frozen, the chocolate will quickly set up on the bars and be easier to work with.
It’s also important to store the bars in the fridge. If you leave them out on the counter, they’ll get a little melty. But they are perfect right out of the fridge.
Looking for other healthier dessert recipes? Here are my favorites:
5 Ingredient Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies
Healthier Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies
Healthy…ish Homemade Samoas Cookies
Tahini Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Salted Tahini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Homemade Vegan Peanut Butter Twix Bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Homemade Vegan Peanut Butter Twix Bars
Servings: 16 bars
Calories Per Serving: 262 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/3 cup, plus 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (just peanuts and salt)
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8×8 inch square baking dish with parchment paper. 2. In a bowl, mix the almond flour, coconut flour, 1/3 cup coconut oil, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and salt until combined. Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden and toasted. 3. In a small pot, mix the peanut butter, almond butter, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup coconut oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Pour over the crust. Freeze 30 minutes, until firm. Cut bars into 16 bars.4. Melt the chocolate and 1 tablespoon coconut oil in the microwave until melted. Let cool 10 minutes.5. Cover/dip each bar in chocolate, sprinkle with salt. Freeze 10 minutes, to set the chocolate. Eat or store in the fridge.
If someone is allergic to almonds would I still be able to make this with substitutions? If so what can I substitute almond flour and almond butter for?
Hi Marissa,
You can use another flour that you enjoy in place of the almond flour. You can use additional peanut butter in place of the almond butter. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi,
My son is alergic to peanuts so I have to substitute the PB with something else. I was think almond butter or maybe Tahini? Thanks for your help
Katja
Hey Katja,
Almond butter will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Can you give your homemade peanut butter instructions? I just have Laura Scudders.. do you think that would work?
Hey Alissa,
Any peanut butter you have is great to use! I just popped peanuts and salt in the food processor. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I made these during a snow storm. Tasty treat after shoveling snow. I didn’t have almond flour or coconut flour, so I substituted with all-purpose flour. It still turned out yummy.
Hi Sophie,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
These turned out amazing! I only had crunchy peanut butter and I used some special infused coconut oil ? and they are amazing!!
Hi Jenna,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Quick question.. I notice you specified “just peanuts and salt” next to peanut butter. All I have is Kraft PB and it has some other ingredients. Will that be ok? Or do I need to go get a natural PB? Thanks! Can’t wait to make these/eat these
Hi Anne,
That will be totally fine to use! I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
So so good!! Better than expected
Hi Chloe,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
Made them! Unreal!! I like eating them right out of the freezer, and I think I’ll make them a bit smaller next time. But seriously, so good.
Hey Anne,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
These are delicious! When I saw them on Instagram, my first thought was “those look like Tagalong GS Cookies!” (the best of the GS cookies). So I made them as close to those as I could: in mini muffin tins so they’d be little individual rounds. This recipe made 30 cookies, which, after tasting them, proved to be not nearly enough. They are SO good! They are almost identical to the original cookies, and since they’re a tad bit ‘healthier’ they don’t carry all that guilt 😉 I swapped the coconut flour for oat flour as my bf doesn’t like any coconut flavor and I’ll probably do the same in the future. These were so simple, pretty quick, and such a hit. Thank you!
Hi Dallas,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
These are fantastic, even better than expected. The consistency of the peanut “caramel” is perfect, really delicious. Would definitely make again! (Swapped out the flours for all purpose, worked perfectly).
And so pretty!
Hi Yasmin,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
I knew I had to make these when I saw them posted on Tieghan’s Instagram stories. I made them with all purpose flour because that’s what I had on hand and I substituted butter for the coconut oil and it turned out well!
I struggled with the chocolate coating at first, so I ended up pinching the shortbread side and dipping them peanut butter side first in the chocolate. The added benefit of this is that there was no chocolate on the bottom to stick to the parchment paper, the downside, of course, is that it made them slightly less chocolatey.
Such a good recipe! My boyfriend was impressed haha
Hey Lauren,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
Hi! My covered crust is resting on the balcony, now, waiting to be put in the freezer.
I had some time spent on converting inches in centimetres, and Farahanait in celsius, finding all the ingredients, but at last I could do it. Even if I had to substitute coconut oil with something else, so I don’t know if the risult will be good ?
Thanks for the recipe, I’ll let you know if it worked!
Have a great year,
Love from Italy
Evita
Thanks for giving the recipe a try Evita! I hope you love it!! xTieghan
These are SOOOOO GOOD! My husband loved them too! Satisfied my chocolate craving without eating total garbage. What a winner!!
Hi Tracie,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
Looks amazing. Can’t wait to try this one as I used to love Twix in my pre-vegan days!
FYI honey isn’t a vegan ingredient, as it’s sadly derived through the exploitation of bees. Glad you offered a maple syrup option to keep this recipe vegan though.
I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
I made these today and they are AMAZING! I don’t need for them to be gluten free – but am always open to trying something that uses healthier ingredients and these didn’t disappoint! They were not quite as pretty as yours Tieghan – but the taste is all that matters! 🙂 I did have to melt some more chocolate as I ran out and still had about 6 more bars to go.
Hi Beverly,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
Made them this Sunday afternoon. Absolutely delish!! Also found this recipe very easy to execute 🙂 Next time I’ll definitely leave them in freezer overnight before dipping them in chocolate. I was too impatient and only left them in the freezer for a few hours. I might also include a thin layer of caramel a top of the peanut butter mixture for the second round. Obviously that makes them not vegan and a little less healthy. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Cassie,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
Hi Tieghan – Hope you are well. I want to make these tomorrow. All I have is unsalted peanuts only PB. How much salt would you add to make the PB to include salt? Thank you!
Sue
Hi Sue,
I would add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Thanks Tieghan!
These were great! Kid approved!!!
Only thing I found was the melted chocolate was a bit thick, so it was hard to dip. What kind of chocolate did you use specifically? Thank you!
Hi Stacy,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! I always use a chocolate bar, I like Chocolove, Hu, and Lindt. Have a great week! xxT