Are there any Twix lovers out there? If caramel makes you weak at the knees (like me) you are going to go head over heels for these Twix Caramel Chocolate Cups. One bite and you will be introduced to a lava of homemade caramel atop a sweet and buttery shortbread cookie.
Add in a thick coating of dark chocolate and you have one downright sweet treat. I’m going out on a limb here to say with homemade shortbread and homemade caramel, these chocolate cups might even better than the real thing! Seriously, isn’t chocolate, caramel and shortbread just THE best combo?
I love Twix bars, I really do. And I know you do too because you love my Twix-themed treats. Like my Twix Caramel Ice Cream (I could really go a scoop) or my Loaded Twix Chocolate Brownie Bars or, the most popular, my Twix Cookie Cups. But THESE, these cups are continuing my new chocolate cup trend.
First there was the Cookie Dough Chocolate Cups, then the Peanut Butter and Jelly Chocolate Cups and now, Twix Caramel Chocolate Cups. Your favourite chocolate bar made into a lavish, yet still portable, sweet treat. I seriously CANNOT get enough!
Photographing these Twix Caramel Chocolate Cups was HARD. Firstly, we’ve been having really hot weather here. And because I currently photograph outside, they started to melt as soon as I took them out of the fridge. Also melty chocolate means sticky fingers, which means I was getting chocolate EVERYWHERE.
Then I was cutting a few in half for the caramel shot, so I started to get caramel everywhere too. In the end, the photos weren’t exactly what I imagined but I think they capture the deliciousness despite making a real mess.
It was really really fun making these. First of all, there’s homemade caramel which is such a treat to make. And homemade caramel sauce is seriously good. Like pass me the spoon kind of good. Then you get to make shortbread cookies which are one of my favourite cookies.
Just be careful not to over bake them so they just melt-in-your-mouth, ah perfection. Put those two elements together with a healthy coating of chocolate and you have, well, one way to make your Monday just a little bit sweeter. You are welcoooome!
Let’s Bake
Twix Caramel Chocolate Cups
Twix Caramel Chocolate Cups made with homemade shortbread cookies and golden caramel sauce covered in delicious dark chocolate.
Ingredients
Salted caramel sauce
- 200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) water
- 55 grams (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) thickened or heavy cream, room temperature
- Pinch of sea salt
Shortbread cookies
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 60 grams (1/2 cup) icing or powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornflour or corn starch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 140 grams (1 cup) plain flour
- 600 grams (4 cups) good quality dark or milk chocolate
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add the caster sugar and the water and pop onto the stove on a medium heat. Let the sugar melt, swirling the pan gently occasionally. As the sugar melts, it will start to turn golden in colour. Continue to watch it, swirling the pan every now and then, until it turns dark golden in colour.
- Add all your butter and whisk rigourously. It will bubble up but just keep going until the butter has completely melted and mixed with the sugar syrup. Then remove your saucepan from the heat and gradually pour in your cream and whisk it through. Again, it will bubble up but just keep going until it is fully incorporated. Then whisk in the salt. Pop back on the heat for 30 seconds or so until nice and smooth. Then leave your caramel to cool down for 15 minutes before transferring to a glass bowl or jar and popping it into the fridge until you are ready to use it. You can keep the caramel in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your butter and sift the sugar and cornflour and beat with an electric mixer until creamy and combined. Add your vanilla and continue to beat, then sift in the plain flour. Beat on low for 30 seconds or until a soft dough forms. Bring the dough together into a ball using your hands and then wrap in plastic. Pop into the fridge for around 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking or parchment paper.
- Lightly flour your bench, take out your shortbread dough and roll it out using a rolling pin until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Use a small round cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough (approximately 1.5 inches wide) and carefully transfer them to your prepared tray. Bake the shortbread for approximately 10-12 minutes or until just lightly golden – it’s better to under bake, then over bake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Place 12 cupcake liners into a 12-hole muffin tray. Place a small saucepan on medium heat with about 5cm or 2 inches of water in the bottom. Pop the chocolate into a small heatproof bowl and place the bowl on top of the saucepan, ensuring the bottom of the bowl will not touch the water below. Gently stir as the steam slowly melts the chocolate and it becomes silky and smooth.
- Once the chocolate has completely melted, remove the saucepan from the heat but keep the bowl on top. Grab the caramel from the fridge. Add approximately 1-2 teaspoons of chocolate into the bottom of your cupcake liners, ensuring it covers the entire base. Then grab a small round shortbread cookie and place a teaspoon of caramel on top. Then pop it on top of the chocolate in your cupcake liner. Try to make sure the cookie won’t touch the side of the liner so there is room for the chocolate to completely cover it.
- Then spoon more chocolate over the caramel shortbread so it is completely covered. Continue with remaining chocolate, shortbread and caramel. Pop your chocolate cups into the fridge for at least one hour or until set.
Notes
- For the caramel, make sure your cream and butter are at room temperature, otherwise your mixture will seize and burn.
- No matter how many times I make caramel, I still always end up with a few little lumps of sugar. So I just run my caramel through a sieve at the end to get rid of any lumps and I am always left with silky smooth salted caramel sauce.
Abed says
hello
thank for you
I have one question
Where molds which everything is put ?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, I used a muffin tray with paper cupcake liners so the chocolate didn’t stick. Hope that helps!
Lynn @ Fresh April Flours says
Oh, I’m totally cracking up. I know ALL TOO WELL the struggle that is photographing chocolate in not-so-ideal weather conditions. Sweaty/melty/gooey chocolate is always such a pain in the rear, but I think your pictures turned out gorgeous! That drippy caramel is ON POINT. Nice work, Jess. I would have never known you were in a melty mess during this shoot! Hahaha. In other news, kudos on this recipe. You can definitely never go wrong with chocolate + caramel. Ever!!
Jessica Holmes says
Yaaaas! Right? So hard! Weeks later, my husband is always like, what’s that mark on the wall/floor/door and I’m like, that would be ME and my chocolate fingers! Hahaha
Beeta says
I am definitely a Twix lover! So much so that I think these cups would be dangeroussss in my house! I’d eat them all, for sure. Because who doesn’t love homemade caramel and shortbread cookies?? Your photographs look gorgeous, so I couldn’t tell if you were having trouble. They make me want to reach out and pluck one of those cups right out of your hand!
Lisa @ Chocolate Meets Strawberry says
I really must remember to NOT look at your blog before breakfast, Jess!! The photos turned out so well – I think the meltiness makes them look even more appetising! You really are on a serious chocolate cup roll – I hope it continues!! 😉
Jessica Holmes says
Hahaha I know what you mean, I follow so many food bloggers that I crave food at all hours of the day!
Meghan says
OK, these photos are to die for, they make me want to reach into the screen and grab these twix cups! I agree, caramel/shortbread/chocolate has to be one of the best combos on earth. So amazing, pinning!
Jessica Holmes says
Aw that means alot, thanks Meghan! And thanks for the pin!
Amanda says
These are absolute perfection! I love Twix, and caramel definitely makes me weak at the knees. Really, really stunning!
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks so much Amanda! 🙂
Anu says
Oh my gosh! I am so in love with the last photo. I so want these beauties in my life, Jess. Awesome share!
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks Anu!
Amy says
I haven’t had a Twix bar in F-O-R-E-V-E-R and now I can make them gluten free!
Also, your photos are amazing as always and capture the ooey-gooey awesomeness of these caramel cups! I can’t wait to sink my teeth into one 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks so much Amy! A GF version would be awesome!
Denise says
I definitely have a soft spot for Twix bars, so I am ALL OVER these! They look ah-mazing! And I bet they taste even better than the original 😉
Jessica Holmes says
Aw thanks Denise! 🙂
Kathy says
That photo shoot probably was hard…but finger licking good! 🙂 These look really good!
Jessica Holmes says
Lol, you are not wrong Kathy! 🙂
Leah says
Twix are my ABSOLUTE favorite! I’m so excited that I now have a recipe to make these at home for myself (should be pretty easy to make them gluten-free!). It may have been messy, but these photos are gorgeous!!! I want to dive head first into the screen haha.
Jessica Holmes says
That’s what Amy said! There is hardly any flour so a sub wouldn’t be too hard I don’t think! You should totally try them! 😉
Lucy says
This is SO clever!!! I love that you made your own shortbread too!
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks Lucy!
Demeter says
Jess, I’m going to have to raise both of my hands up to the question of who’s a Twix Lover here. 😉 These Twix cups are pretty much my dream come true. YUM!!! I can also appreciate how hard it was to shoot these in hot weather! I once shot a recipe of raw cashew ice cream sandwiches in ridiculously hot 100 degree San Diego weather. It was not pretty, let me tell you. Haha. But your Twix cups photos came out beautifully. I especially love how the caramel drips so indulgently out of the cups. These are just beautiful, Jess. 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Aw thanks Demeter! Yes, ice cream is so hard to shoot! Especially with one hand trying to hold the ice cream cone and the other trying to operate a camera! 😉
Mary Ann says
Wow Jess, Twix are one of my favorite candies! These look amazing! That dripping caramel is killing me! YUM!
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks Mary Ann! I love Twix too.
Lauren says
Twix Bars are my FAVOURITE chocolate, I can’t wait to try these!
Jessica Holmes says
Mine too Lauren! 🙂