Lots of people have Thanksgiving traditions and many of them are the same. Travel. Family. Cooking. Baking. Turkey. Pie. Football. Leftovers. Shopping. More leftovers. More shopping. More travel. Lots of crowds.
And I think all those traditions and whatever others you may have are great.
But I bet you aren’t surprised to know those aren’t my traditions for the most part. My Thanksgivings are quiet days, just Mom and Dad and me. We actually have started this new tradition where we go shopping the day before Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite!
There aren’t any crowds and a lot of the sales have already begun. This year I picked up an awesome dress at Saks I can’t wait to show all of you!! It’s fun, low key, and this year was a great way to get out on a rainy, yucky day.
On Thanksgiving, the only traditional food we have is cranberry sauce (not out of the can). Otherwise we have steaks or tacos and it’s just the three of us. No pressure. Not too much work. No drama. There aren’t many leftovers and save for a little shopping by Dad on Black Friday, we leave the crowds to everyone else.
That’s my Thanksgiving and I wouldn’t have it any other way. For me it is perfect. For you something else may be and I hope that is exactly what you had over the holidays 🙂
For dessert, we skipped pies and pumpkin and all that and had homemade Twix Bars. These are everything I remember a Twix to before my allergy and oh so much more.
The shortbread base is the star here. It is thick and crumbly and practically melts in your mouth. Then there is the gooey caramel that stretches when you bite into the bar. It all finishes with the slightly bitter carob (in my case) or chocolate coating, snapping as you take a bite. Make sure these are a part of your holiday season!
Homemade Twix Bars #SundaySupper
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: About 24 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons finely ground cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 batch homemade caramel or store bought
- 18 ounces carob or dark or milk chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Instructions
- Make the shortbread. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal later.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla bean paste until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add the flour, cornmeal, and salt and mix until a stiff dough is formed. Spread into the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer.
- Bake shortbread 20-25 minutes, until golden brown around the edges and mostly set.
- While the shortbread bakes, make the caramel or warm the store-bought caramel. Pour the hot caramel over the slightly cooled shortbread. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight until completely chilled.
- Once the caramel and shortbread are chilled, cut into long, thin bars. Melt the carob or chocolate with the shortening in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until fully melted. I recommend doing this in two batches.
- Carefully dip each of the bars in the chocolate and use a spoon or your fingers to coat completely. Set on a parchment lined baking sheet to set. Once all bars are set, serve or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
Shortbread base adapted from Ashley Rodriguez via Craftsy
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
Don’t forget to check out the other Sunday Supper dishes! Thanks to Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures for hosting!
Baked Goods
- Cinnamon and Spice Granola by Simple and Savory
- Coconut Macaroon Tarts by Asian In America
- Cranberry Coffee Cake by Food Done Light
- Mini Pumpkin Breads by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Snowman Poop by Palatable Pastime
Candy
- A Trio of Brittle by The Freshman Cook
- Grandma’s Peanut Butter Balls by Cricket’s Confections
- Homemade Peanut Brittle by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Homemade Twix Bars by Pies and Plots
- Peanut Butter Fudge by Family Around The Table
- Superfoods Fruit & Nut Bites by My Life Cookbook
- Toffee Candied Peanuts by New South Charm
- Turron de Jijona (Spanish Soft Nougat) by Caroline’s Cooking
Chocolate
- Espresso Fudge by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix by My Imperfect Kitchen
- Peppermint Bark Candy by Life Tastes Good
- Peppermint Bark Popcorn by A Mind “Full” Mom
- Red Wine Hot Fudge Sauce by The Crumby Cupcake
Jams, Syrups, Drinks
- Blood and Sand Jam by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Creamy Lemoncello by Monica’s Table
- Warm Gingerbread Syrup by Food Lust People Love
Mixes and Spices
- Cherry Almond Scone Mix by Baking Sense
- Cranberry Almond Quick Bread Mix by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Lavender-infused Sugar and Lazy Shortbread by Sunday Supper Movement
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.
Our Thanksgiving is very low key, too. We have the traditional foods, but just the 5 of us. No shopping, either! I love any and all Twix desserts—your bars look scrumptious!!
I love Twix! I can’t wait to make these myself!
What a great treat for anytime!
Who wouldn’t want a homemade Twix bar! I have to make these for my son over the holidays. He loves them!
Your Thanksgiving sounds very cozy and these “Twix” bars looks really delicious.
Mmmm … these Twix bars sound amazing, allergies or not!
Glad that you had a great one! For us, it is a lot of work but we just love the food we make. Your dessert would be a hit at our Thanksgiving for sure. I love a Twix bar but your’s look and sound so much better. Now on to the Christmas holidays!!
Family traditions are always great-traditional or not! My family always had homemade pasta and meatballs for Thanksgiving (my dad’s side, that is–the Italian side) and people always look at me funny when I tell them lol. And these homemade twix bars look fantastic-I love the textures!
Thanks for sharing these on FB, Kayle xo