Blue Ribbon Group Homemade Twix Shortbread Cookies
We admittedly got a bit addicted to these Homemade Twix Shortbread Cookies. I personally grew up a fan of Twix, the caramel and milk chocolate cookie bars…and the peanut butter version. A variation on this recipe won “best new entrant” at the 2014 L.A. County Fair. We used the recipe Nellie won with as our inspiration for our own version.
We ended up making these cookies a second way also, as creative thumbprint cookies.
They turned out tasty both ways, but the thumbprint version did a bit better holding the caramel center.
Baking Tips/Tricks:
The top tip for making these homemade Twix shortbread cookies is to make the indents deep in the cookie dough, as they spread out and puff up quite a bit when you bake them. We didn’t do this in the first version but wished we had.
For the caramel, be sure to use a low shallow pan inside a larger one when you are turning the sweetened condensed milk to caramel. While you can buy premade caramel or dulce de leche, this simple version is oh so yum and easy if you have the right pans. Another option for the caramel filling, is to boil the whole can of sweetened condensed milk, unopened for two hours. This has become my go-to way since it requires less attention to detail.
Once you taste the richness and perfect texture of these cookies, you will go crazy for them too. The recipe makes a pretty large batch…about 40 cookies. The quantity is enough, so plenty to share with others, if they last that long.
If you’re looking for more candy-bar inspired sweet treats, check out our Butterfinger blue ribbon winning cookies.
Enjoy!
-Cyndi
Homemade Twix Shortbread Cookies
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk chocolate chip, melted
For the Caramel: Set your oven to 425 degrees F. Place a low-sided shallow baking dish inside a larger one with rims. An 8×11-inch glass pan in a 10×13-inch (2 inches tall) flat baking pan worked great. Fill the larger one with water, until level reaches about halfway up the smaller baking dish. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into the smaller baking dish (be sure it is a low-sided flat one) and cover with aluminum foil. Bake until it turns to caramel (thick and golden in color), about 1 1/2 hours. Set aside to cool. Alternately, you can boil the sweetened condensed milk right in the can, (unopened, with the label removed, and immersed in water), for two hours. It turns into caramel on it’s own. Just be sure to cool the can before opening it.
For the Cookies: Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add salt and flour until soft dough forms. Cover and chill for 1/2 hour or more. Shape tablespoon-size pieces of dough into logs 5/8 inches x 2 inches (about 40 cookies). Place on ungreased baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Press a bar-shaped deep groove into each cookie, straightening the edges (a table knife works well). Make the openings significant as the cookies fill in a lot once baked. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes. Remove cookies to a baking rack to cool. Fill the indentations with caramel, spreading it also across the top of the cookies. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Makes 40 cookies.
Chocolate Melting and Drizzling Tips: Melt for 30 seconds in microwave and stir. Repeat in 10-second increments until smooth. Place in a sealable plastic bag, snipping the very end for a 1/8-inch opening. Practice the drizzle to check that the hole in the corner of the plastic bag is the right size. Also, the chocolate doesn’t need to be hot. Once it’s melted, it should flow while warm.
