Clean-Eating Twix Bars (Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Refined Sugar Free)

Hey Freshies!

I'd like to give you a little treat- the power to eat a ton of Twix bars while staying healthy. Before you rush to CVS to buy every chocolate bar wrapped in metallic, these completely clean Twix bars you can actually make yourself- oh, and have abolsutely no sugar. Let me introduce you to our guest contributor, Mariah of Murr’s Menu, who has created a vegan, soy free, gluten free, refined-sugar free version of America's favorite chocolate bar. And all ingredients can be bought at your supermarket.


My passion for a new and healthy way of cooking came from being diagnosed with chronic Lyme Disease in March 2011. Through the study of nutrition, food and its healing powers, I took on the diet that I felt was most beneficial not only for my circumstance, but for everyone. My goal now is to make everyone aware that this style of eating is not only possible, but can actually be delicious, too (despite the ‘eating nothing but grass and leaves’ stereotype).

When Eat Feel Fresh contacted me, I was incredibly stoked and honored have the opportunity to reach out to a new crowd who has an interest in eating and living healthy. Not to mention I love what Eat Feel Fresh offers to its followers and I have a ton of respect for Sara behind the brand, so I’m more than happy to add to it!

I have always had an uncontrollable sweet tooth, and over the past few months have been dedicating most of my cooking to experimentation with desserts. Chocolate is a daily craving of mine that I now accept with open arms (and you should, too!), and I’m now on the move to re-create some of my old favourite chocolate bars that I used to buy before I made my dietary changes. I love re-creating things like this to show myself, but mostly my followers, that you don’t have to miss out on anything by following a plant-based way of eating.

Last week I took on the challenge of re-creating a Twix style chocolate bar. The first attempt was fairly unsuccessful in my opinion, despite having my friends gobble them all up in one sitting. The unsatisfying feeling of not completing this chocolate bar challenge as I’d hoped only made me more determined to perfect it. After another attempt, I created a chocolate bar that instead of last time around, I was devouring before anyone else had a chance to get to them (chocolate has the powers to make me greedy sometimes).

So if you’re a chocolate lover like me, and miss having those brand name chocolate bars in your life, or just want a healthier route to satisfying that sweet tooth – Make a batch of these!

Clean-Eating Twix Bars (Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Refined Sugar Free)

Ingredients:

(Makes 14-16 bars)

Cookie:

2 C almond flour

3/4 C sweet sorghum flour

1/4 t baking soda

1/2 C Soy-Free Earth Balance (softened)

5 tbsp agave nectar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Caramel:

1 T vanilla extract

2 T softened Earth Balance

1 ½ C large medjool dates (approx 15-18)

1 T nut butter (peanut or almond)

3 T brown rice syrup

1 T agave nectar

¼ t salt

Chocolate:

2 C coconut oil

2/3 C cocoa powder

½ C carob powder (optional, if you don't have just use coacoa powder)

Up to ½ C agave nectar

Dash of salt

1 T vanilla extract

Coconut oil for lining baking pan

Directions in pictures:

Directions in Words:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚
2. Mix all dry cookie ingredients together. Continue by mixing all wet ingredients into the bowl.
3. Grease large baking pan with a very little amount of coconut oil. Place your cookie batter on to the tray and flatten out into a square/rectangle shape, about 1/2 inch thick. Place in oven for approx. 10 mins (until it's starting to turn golden brown). Remove and place in fridge or freezer (freezer is best)
4. Blend all of your caramel ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Once blended, place in freezer.
5. Melt your coconut oil for the chocolate, and then mix all of the chocolate ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
6. Remove cookie from fridge/freezer, and cut into the size of chocolate bar you'd like (mine were about 1/2 inch wide by 2 1/2 inches long).
7. Remove the caramel mixture from the freezer and form the caramel into tube shapes with your hands to place over top of the cookie.. The cleaner (less bumpy/messy) you make the caramel, the nicer your chocolate bar will look. The chocolate will take form around the caramel. Once all of your cookies have caramel on top, place back in the freezer to cool. Leave them in the freezer for at least 10-15 mins.
8. Remove the cookies from the freezer, and cover them in chocolate. To make things easier for you, have your chocolate bars sit on parchment paper. If you don’t have any (like me at the time I made these), make sure they’re sitting on something that they won’t stick to. Once the chocolate bars have been covered, place them back in the freezer for at least 30mins.
9. After the chocolate has hardened, they can be kept either in the freezer or fridge. Since the chocolate is coconut oil based, as long as it’s cold it will stay in tact.
10. Enjoy!