Twix [Candy Bar] Tart
Confession: I have never been a big candy bar eater. That’s due in large part to the fact that my mom never allowed much junk food in the house when we were kids. (Even my dad had to sneak his candy.) However, I did manage to get my hands on some candy bars back in the day (thanks to Halloween), and savored every last bite. I was always jealous of kids who whipped candy bars out of their lunchbox, but 25 years later, I’m grateful that my mom kept the junk to a minimum. In an attempt to make up for lost time, I currently have an obsession with recreating classic candy bars in my own kitchen. I just cannot quit things like homemade Snickers bars, peanut butter cups (even peanut butter eggs) and a pie based on the Take 5 bar. I just can’t. Which is why when I was flipping through one of my foodie magazines and saw a massive Twix tart, I couldn’t get it out of my head. It was begging to be made, and my stomach is oh-so-happy I followed through.
This tart has a shortbread crust base, which is awesome because it has a maintenance level of zero. No rolling out. No crimping. Just mix up the dough and press it into the tart pan; it couldn’t be easier. The shortbread base is topped with a layer of caramel that mimics the caramel in the Twix bar just perfectly. It’s not hard, it doesn’t ooze… it’s a fabulous soft and chewy caramel. The top of the tart is a simple layer of milk chocolate ganache, because a candy bar wouldn’t be a candy bar without milk chocolate.
The combination of all three is candy bar utopia.
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Crunch, chew, and chocolate.
It’s all there… In perfection ratio and consistency.
I am certainly making up for my lack of candy bars as a kid!
Do you have a favorite?
Two years ago: Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza
Three years ago: Moon Pies
Four years ago: Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies
Five years ago: Cucidati [Italian Fig Cookies]
Twix Tart
Ingredients
For the Shortbread Crust:
- 1½ cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
For the Caramel Filling:
- ½ cup (119 ml) + 1 teaspoon heavy cream
- 4½ tablespoons (4.5 tablespoons) sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons Lyle's golden syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
For the Milk Chocolate Ganache:
- 7 ounces (198.45 g) milk chocolate, finely chopped
- 5 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Make the Shortbread Crust: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt together in the bowl of a food processor. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand and there are no pieces of butter larger than the size of a pea (about 5 to 10 pulses) Add the egg a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. Once all of the egg has been added, process until the dough forms large clumps (about 10 seconds).
- Turn the dough into a 13¾x4¼-inch rectangular tart pan and press into an even layer all over the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Run a rolling pin over the top of the tart pan to remove the excess dough. Place the dough-lined pan in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pierce the dough all over with a fork, then cover the crust with aluminum foil, pressing the foil tightly against the crust and covering the sides. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Carefully remove the foil. If the tart has puffed up at all, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and place the tart pan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- Make the Caramel Filling: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk, stirring to combine until the sweetened condensed milk is melted and incorporated into the cream. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
- Place the sugar, golden syrup, and water in a medium saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts. Increase the heat to medium and cook, not stirring, until the mixture reaches 250 degrees F on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and the cream mixture (pour the cream mixture carefully, as the caramel will bubble up). Return to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until it reaches 240 degrees F. Pour the caramel into the shortbread crust and allow to cool and set completely, at least 30 minutes.
- Make the Milk Chocolate Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl; set aside. Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan and bring to a rapid simmer over medium heat, then pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 2 minutes, then stir until completely smooth. Pour the ganache over the caramel layer, spreading it into an even layer with an offset spatula if necessary. Refrigerate the tart for at least 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set. Allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. Remove the tart from the pan, slice and serve. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container, or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
how would the bake time change for using a round tart pan?
Hi Nicole, It depends on how large the pan is. I wouldn’t be able to say without testing it.
I just made this, and it’s incredible! I bake a lot, ( just look at my belly! ) and this, I will make again, ALOT! This would make a great gift! Thanks for sharing, I will bea regular visitor to your site! :)
Can I bake this in a 9×4 loaf pan? Would I need to double the recipe?
Hi Jessie, You can, but you would definitely not want to double the recipe. Since that has smaller dimensions than the rectangular tart pan, you will end up with thicker layers.
YUM! definitely baking this tomorrow!!!!
Your recipes are always amazing! I am going to make this tomorrow, only my plan is to make shortbread rounds and then layer carmel on those and then cover the whole thing in chocolate. Twix cookies :) Do you have a preferred way to cover cookies in chocolate?
Thanks!
Hi Olivia, I usually just use forks to dip and lift out. Sounds delicious!
I made this for a egg coloring party today and everyone LOVED it. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect. The caramel was a perfect consistency and it was great even after being out of the refrigerator for hour. I will be making this again!!!!
Whole Foods carries the Lyle’s Golden Syrup. Picked it up and will be making this tonight!
Hi! Do you think the shortbread crust could be used to make shortbread biscuits? Could it be rolled out and cut into circles/shapes?
Hi Sophie, I have not tried that, so I’m honestly not sure!
I don’t have a tart pan and want to try this out. Any suggestions on what type of pan I might be able to use instead?
You could use a 9″ springform pan.
This twix tart looks so good!
I read Delicious when I lived in Taiwan. It was much easier to get British food magazines than American ones. I fell in love with it, but it’s so expensive to get in the US. I need to have my husband’s family start sending it to me. This tart looks fantastic, and completely doable. I can’t wait to try it.
I read all the comments about subbing the golden syrup with light corn syrup but is there any other substitution I could use? I live in Italy and have never seen corn syrup here. Thanks in advance for your reply. Can’t wait to make this!
Hi DeAnna, Unfortunately, I’m not aware of any other substitutes for this recipe.
I made this and used corn syrup because I didn’t have the golden syrup and my caramel never set. It also didn’t turn out the same color as yours. Everything else was made exactly as stated. I even put it in the fridge overnight before adding the chocolate hoping that it would harden, but it didn’t. I still added the chocolate on top and refrigerated again. Unfortunately this is really messy and I probably won’t be making it again.
These are incredibly deliicous and easy to make–my sister and I found that they get pretty melty pretty fast, although that may differ depending upon the type of chocolate used.
It looks absolutely delicious! But can you tell me, why cover the crust with foil in the oven? Can you also just put it without foil in the oven? And what is the difference? Is the crust more crunchy maybe? I would really like to hear from you! (I’m currently baking this and I noticed that after I removed the foil (after baking) the crust was collapsed.. Is that normal?)
Hi Tessa, The foil needs to be used so that the crust doesn’t burn before it is done fully cooking.
Thank you very much for your fast answer!
This. Looks. Amazing! Twix are one of my favorites…I have got to try this!
Wow. Not only is this the best idea ever, but I also love the way it looks! The rectangular tart shape reminds me of a gigantic, more decadent Twix bar. I can’t wait to try it!
I’m liking the look of this tart…perhaps a birthday surprise for a dear one who loves Twix! You’ve been a homemade candybar kick…any luck that you might try creating a homemade Butterfinger (or Clark Bar…it’s the same basic thing)? I’ve looked for something like that for a couple years, but never found anything.
I love your blog, but would really help if you shared pictures of the recipes while being made.
It’s frustrating to have to read these paragraphs of information and you can’t SEE what you’re doing also.
Consider maybe someone hasn’t used a rectangular tart pan. It helps to SEE it.
Maybe people want to SEE the kind of chocolate you used.
As I said, love the blog and the several pics of the completed product, but without pictures of your ingredients or any of the steps of the recipe being made (if you actually made this stuff), this blog isn’t very informative.
I’m a big twix lover and this looks heavenly delicious! Can’t wait to try!
that looks way better than the candy!
Is therea other pan I could use?
Hi Elisa, You could 9″ round tart pan or springform/cheesecake pan.
Awesome! I just picked up a tart pan and I’ve been dying to use it. This will be perfect, and I have most the ingredients on hand. But – is there a good substitute for the sweetened condensed milk? I’m not a fan of that flavor… Thank you!
Hi Sarah, You can’t taste the sweetened condensed milk, it tastes just like caramel, but this really helps with the texture. I wouldn’t substitute.
I love this Recipe! Always in search for some homemade yumminess…
Thanks for the great recipe! I don’t have a tart pan. Any suggestions for an alternative?
Hi Debbie, You could use a 9″ springform pan with removable sides/bottom.
Love this recipe AND I love Delicious magazine. I look forward to it showing up in my post box every month.
In love!! So awesome!
I LOVE Twix! And I have got to make this scrumptious recipe!
Twix is soooooo good!! I also love Milky Ways–chocolate + caramel is the best combination to me, and while I like things like Snickers, my preference is not to have anything as significant as peanuts messing it up. This looks like something I will need to make in the near future!
Our moms are cut from the same cloth. Mine kept treats to a minimum, including pop. It’s liberating when you get old enough that you can have it whenever you want, but nice when you’re not addicted because your mom didn’t let it be a free-for-all!
We didn’t have pop either! Sometimes my parents would pick up a 2-liter if it was a pizza night (which was also a treat). Also, never any chips, only pretzels for snacking in the evening.
Yep, same here! Pizza was a rare treat and we’d get the pop pretty much only with pizza. And for some reason eating pizza on a night other than Friday night was unheard of! Maybe it’s a midwest Mom thing.
I’m not really a candy bar person either, more of an M & M’s person, but I love Twix bars! The chocolate and caramel with a cookie crust is perfect!