Sourdough Twix Bars

Rich and indulgent with a gooey homemade caramel, these sourdough discard Twix bars are irresistibly delicious! Made with my sourdough shortbread topped with buttery salted caramel and dipped in milk chocolate, these bars get snatched up immediately. With the depth of flavor from the sourdough discard and the restaurant-quality caramel sauce, these candy bars are better than store-bought all the way! 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

A Homemade Twist on a Classic – If you love the idea of recreating a favorite chocolate bar at home, these sourdough Twix bars are such a fun project. With buttery sourdough discard shortbread, soft caramel and a smooth chocolate topping, they deliver all the layers you expect, just made from simple pantry ingredients.

Easier Than You Think – While they look impressive, each layer is simple to make. The shortbread comes together quickly, and the caramel is just a matter of patience and attention. Once layered and chilled, they slice beautifully into neat bars that look every bit as good as they taste.

Perfect for Sharing (or Freezing) – This recipe makes a generous batch, which means they’re ideal for special occasions, bake sales or gifting. They keep well in the fridge and freeze great too, so you can always have a little homemade treat tucked away for when you need it.   

Ingredients

• All-purpose Flour
• Butter – I’ve used salted butter, but you can use unsalted too. You’ll want cold butter for the shortbread layer and softened butter for the caramel sauce, so leave some butter out for later.
• Sourdough Starter – You can use starter or sourdough discard for this recipe. It helps to use cold starter or discard when making the shortbread, so pop it into the fridge for 30 minutes or so.
• Powdered Sugar – This is also known as icing sugar or confectioners sugar. It helps create that melt-in-your-mouth shortbread texture.
• Salt – You’ll need this for both the shortbread and the caramel sauce. Not only will it make the flavors pop, but the salt is important for making sure the bars aren’t overwhelmingly sweet.
• Granulated sugar
• Heavy Cream – Be sure to take the cream out of the fridge before making the caramel sauce. You don’t want to add cold cream to the caramel mixture. 
• Chocolate Chips – A good high-quality chocolate will make your bars taste the best. Chips or chopped chocolate will both work.
• Coconut Oil – A tablespoon or so of coconut oil (or even vegetable oil) will make your chocolate a bit smoother and runnier for dipping, if you’d like. 
• Flaky Salt – There’s salt layered throughout these bars, so flaky salt for topping isn’t essential, but it looks and tastes great.

How to Make Sourdough Twix Cookies

These bars are built in simple layers, starting with a buttery sourdough shortbread base, followed by a rich homemade caramel sauce and finished with smooth melted chocolate. Though it seems like a lot of steps, each piece is quite simple, and when combined, they create that classic Twix-style bite with a homemade twist.

Make the shortbread base

Preheat the oven to 320ºF/160ºC and grease two 8×8-inch/20×20-cm pans. Cut 2 pieces of parchment that fit your pans with enough overhang on opposite sides for a sling (this makes it easy to remove the shortbread after it’s baked).

Add the flour, butter, powdered sugar, sourdough discard, and salt to a food processor or Thermomix. Pulse until the butter is cut in and it forms a rough dough. Divide the dough in two.

Place one piece of parchment into a prepared pan and place a dough ball on top. Use your fingers to roughly press the dough into the base so you have a layer about 1 cm/½-inch thick. If you want the shortbread dough to be very smooth, you can use the parchment sling to take the dough out and place another piece of parchment on top.

Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough as best as you can, then place it back into the pan. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

Bake the shortbread for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden on the top. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan.

Make the caramel sauce and top the bars

Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce. Start by measuring out the butter, cream and salt and placing them near your stovetop so you have them to hand.

Place the sugar into a medium sized saucepan and place over a medium heat. Allow the sugar to liquefy (this takes around 10 to 15 minutes depending on your stove top). During this process, you’ll need to stir the sugar consistently to ensure it doesn’t catch and burn. I use a whisk or spatula to do this. Be patient at this stage of the process!

Once the sugar has fully dissolved and is an amber color, remove from the heat and add the butter cubes. The sugar will froth up and seem like it’s going to overflow – this is very normal. Whisk the butter continuously and vigorously until the mixture has completely emulsified together. It will look fairly thick and glossy at this stage. Add the salt and continue to whisk.

Slowly add the cream while continuing to whisk. You can stop whisking once all the cream has been added and the sauce looks rich and glossy. Let the caramel sauce cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Carefully pour half the hot caramel sauce over one cooled shortbread and repeat with the other half. Tilt the pans to make sure the layers are even.

Chill the caramel-covered bars in the fridge for about two hours, or even overnight, covered in foil, until the caramel is set to the touch.

Cut and coat the bars

Once the bars are set, use the parchment paper sling to transfer the caramel-topped shortbread to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut the shortbread in half, then into 8 to 10 pieces per half.

To coat the bars, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl (with the coconut oil, if using). Microwave in 30-second bursts until the chocolate is smooth. If you prefer, you can also do this over a double boiler.

Use tongs or clean hands to dip the caramel-covered top into the chocolate and use a spatula to smooth chocolate over all the sides. Transfer the Twix bar to a parchment-lined cookie sheet and repeat until all the bars are covered in chocolate. Place in the fridge for about 15 minutes, or until the chocolate is set.

Don’t worry if your bars aren’t perfectly shaped, they’ll taste better than store-bought, no matter what they look like!

How To Store + Freeze

Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

They can also be frozen. Wrap tightly in foil, then place in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. Thaw in the fridge a bit before serving. 

Frequently Asked Questions

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