I Tried Making The Viral Date Caramel “Twix” Bars

I cannot escape dates. My entire social media feed consists of date recipes both sweet and savory, and I must admit, I have become obsessed. Apart from using date syrup in my coffee nearly every day, I probably consume 2-3 dates on a daily basis because of their rich, unique sweetness, which can't be compared to any other fruit or sweet treat. In response to both the internet’s and my own obsession with dates, I finally recreated the date caramel “Twix” bars that had been infiltrating my feed.

These chocolate covered date bars happen to be gluten free and vegan, and delicious all the same. Plus, you can cut the three-layered dessert into long bars shaped like actual Twix, and they’re perfect for sharing with your family or for the week's dessert meal prep. For my version of these widely circulated date bars, I combined a few different recipes.

The first of the three layers is the almond flour base. I mixed 1 1/4 cup of almond flour, 3 teaspoons of maple syrup, and 3 teaspoons of melted coconut oil (any neutral oil is fine). I mixed that with a spatula until fully combined and then spread it out in a 9x9 pan until flat and smooth. This crust baked for 12 minutes in a 350 Fahrenheit degree oven. It’s imperative that you give this base ample time to cool before assembling the other layers, or else it wont set.

The second layer is the date caramel mixture. I chose to soak my dates in hot water before blending them to make sure the caramel came out a bit smoother, but it’s optional. I added 12 soaked dates, about ⅓ cup of peanut butter (any nut butter works), 1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to a food processor and pulsed until smooth. Honestly, I could eat this date caramel straight up, but I had to trust the process for the sake of these heavenly dessert bars.

Once the almond flour base completely cooled, I layered the date caramel mixture on top and spread it until evenly distributed. Then, I melted some dark chocolate chips, around ¾ cup with a dash of olive oil, and poured that over the two layers. I spread the melty chocolate so it covered the top completely and topped with flaky sea salt. After that, I put this three layer masterpiece in the freezer to rest for about two hours.

Finally, the wait was over. This Twix bar dupe exceeded all my expectations, all while happening to be both gluten free and vegan. I love finding different ways to use dates in making both savory and sweet dishes, but this recipe might take the cake.

What other trending recipes do you want to know more about? Let me know below!