Homemade Twix Bars

Ingredients:

SHORTBREAD LAYER:

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

CARAMEL LAYER:

2 cups caramel candies (I used caramel bits)

3 tablespoons half and half

CHOCOLATE LAYER:

2 (16 oz.) packages Chocolate CandiQuik Coating

Prep time 1 hour 30 mins

Cook time 40 mins

Total time 2 hours 10 mins

Instructions:

FOR THE CRUST: Preheat your oven to 300°F. Spray a 9″ x 13″ pan lightly with cooking spray (or line with parchment) and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the flour. Mix until well combined.

Take the dough (it will be thick) and press evenly into the bottom of the pan.

Prick the crust all over with a fork. The holes allow the steam to escape and the crust will bake evenly with fewer bubbles.

Bake the crust until the edges are golden brown, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately run a knife around the edges to loosen the crust. Set aside to cool completely.

FOR THE CARAMEL LAYER: Melt the caramel and cream over low heat in a small saucepan – this takes about 10 minutes. Spread the caramel evenly over the cooled crust and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill and firm up.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE LAYER: After the caramel layer has chilled, cut down the length of the pan, splitting the bars into two long, narrow bars (see notes below). Then cut the bar horizontally, creating 24 bars. Melt chocolate CandiQuik according to package directions; using two utensils, dip the chilled bars into melted chocolate and place on wax paper to set.