Milk Chocolate Spiced Caramel Shortbread Bars

Aka fancy homemade Twix Bars, aka Twixmas Bars

Hello, Happy Friday!

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This week we are back with another recipe in my festive cookie (or is it a biscuit?) series. If the definition of cookie and biscuit wasn’t already murky enough, I feel like this week's recipe really muddies the water even more. This is mainly because the inspiration for this week's recipe comes from a chocolate bar, but that chocolate bar includes something that is undeniably a biscuit (okay, cookie). I am, of course, talking about the Twix chocolate bar. Broken down into its constituent parts, that means a shortbread base and a layer of caramel, all coated in chocolate.

In this version the fingers are shorter but chunkier with added festive flavour in the form of candied peel and orange zest in the shortbread base and ginger infused into the caramel. To finish, they are of course fully coated in milk chocolate. If tempering the chocolate feels like too much work, don't worry; I have another, much simpler idea to make this feel a little less daunting. I know tempering chocolate can fill some people with a little bit of dread, and that's totally valid. An easier option is always handy, especially when you're pushed for time like we all are in this busy period.

I love making something like this to use for edible gifts, so if you’re in need of some last-minute inspiration, these would be a fantastic idea. I like making something like this for the purpose of gifting because they feel extra special, and people won't believe you’ve made these yourself!

If you want to play around with flavours, you have plenty of options. You can simply remove the peel and zest and leave out the ginger to make something more directly inspired by a Twix bar. You can add a small amount of rum or whisky to make a boozy caramel, add nuts to the caramel, or add coffee to the shortbread. You get the idea; there are so many ways you can make these your own.

Book Signing This Weekend

If you happen to see this before Sunday and are in London that day, come and see me at Harrods. I’ll be in the demonstration kitchen, in the kitchenware department on the third floor, from 12-3pm this Sunday, the 15th Dec. I’ll be signing copies of Small Batch Cookies and baking cookies from the book. It would be great to see some of you there!