Homemade Paleo Vegan Twix Bars

Prepared and photographed by NutraMilk nutritionist, Florencia Tagliavini.

Recipe inspired by The Big Man´s World.

INGREDIENTS

For almond butter

• 2 cups (300g) almonds
• 1/8 teaspoon Pink Himalayan salt (optional)

For the cookie base

• 1 cup almond flour made with the NutraMilk
• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sweetener of choice (used monk fruit sweetener if paleo or keto)
• 1/4 cup sticky sweetener of choice (use monk fruit syrup if keto)
• 1/2-1 cup almond milk made with the NutraMIlk (you need 1 cup of almonds)

For the caramel nut butter layer

• 1/2 cup almond butter made with the NutraMilk (can sub for any nut or seed butter)
• 1/2 cup sticky sweetener of choice (used monk fruit maple syrup if keto)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (optional)
• *Optional (use Dulce de Leche instead of nut butter layer, recipe here. Not paleo or keto-approved)

For the chocolate coating

• 1 cup dark chocolate bar, chopped or chocolate chips
• 2 tsp of coconut oil
• *(you can also make a chocolate coating with ½ cup virgin coconut oil mixed with ½ cup cocoa powder and vanilla stevia drops or liquid sweetener to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Making almond butter
  • Place almond and salt in the NutraMilk container.
  • Press Butter cycle, set for 12-13 minutes.
  • Press Start.
  • Open the container lid.
  • If necessary, set for an additional 1-2 minutes for a creamier butter.
  • Set aside 3 tbsp. for candy bars and store the rest for later use.
• Making fresh almond milk with the NutraMilk.

• Place almonds in the NutraMilk container.
• Press Butter cycle, set for 7 minutes.
• Press Start.
• Add water (4-6 cups depending on how creamy & nutrient-dense you want it) and replace lid.
• Press Mix (do not change the default Mix time).
• Press Start.
• Press Dispense, open spigot and fill your container with almond milk.
• Line an 8 x 8 inch or 8 x 10-inch baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients and mix well. Add your sticky sweetener of choice and mix until a crumbly texture remains. Add almond milk - a thick dough should remain. If too crumbly, slowly add more milk until achieved. Transfer cookie base to the lined pan and refrigerate.
• In a microwave-safe bowl or stovetop, combine all your caramel ingredients and heat until combined. For an ultra drippy nut butter caramel continue to heat under almost boiling. For a thick and chewy nut butter caramel, remove from heat when ingredients are just melted.

• You can also choose to use Dulce de Leche instead of nut butter caramel filling. In this case, you would heat 1 cup of Dulce de Leche with 1/3 coconut oil in a medium saucepan until coconut oil is melted and all is well-combined. I did half and half.

• Once the caramel is done, pour over the cookie base and place in the freezer until firm.

• When the bars are thick and firm, cut into bars and place back in the freezer.
• For chocolate coating: Melt the dark chocolate with the coconut oil over a double boiler. You can also melt in a microwave, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Using a dipping tool or 2 forks, dip each bar into the melted chocolate. Place the dipped bars on a piece of parchment paper and refrigerate 10 minutes, or let cool at room temperature to set the chocolate.
• Bars can be kept at room temperature, but only if entirely coated in the chocolate. They are best kept refrigerated and are freezer friendly.