I am adamant about wanting to limit the amount of former "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" cast members I follow on Instagram — mostly for my sanity, but also because they all tend to mold into a white blur of diet tea- and FabFitFun-selling bikini-clad clones.
Don't get me wrong — through sickness (ahem, Juan Pablo) and health, I am a die-hard member of Bachelor Nation. It's not always something I'm proud of, but I can't help but love the show for all of the drama, love, anger, and comedy it brings to my life. There's something about seeing beautiful people have their hearts broken onscreen that gives America a sort of sick pleasure, but once the cast members are off my screen, I drop them like a bad habit.
My Monday-night watching buddy and sister, however, is my source of news for all things Bachelor Nation after they actually get off the show. She follows nearly every member of the show on Instagram and is the first to tell me when one of the couples break up or says something embarrassing on social media.
A couple of weeks ago, she came to me practically drooling over a Twix bar recipe Hannah Ann had made. I'm vegan, and my sister is gluten-free, so we're always looking for things to bake together. I had to admit, they looked delicious and with the promise of being able to eat something Twix bar-esque and have Hannah Ann's body, it didn't hurt to give it a try.
The recipe comes from food blogger Rachel DeVaux — the registered dietician and certified personal trainer is super passionate about holistic wellness, so I knew the recipe was going to be healthy. Whether or not it was going to taste good was up in the air, but it was surprisingly way better than I expected for how healthy it is.
The best part of the recipe was that it actually had the three layers of shortbread, caramel, and chocolate. It's of course, not exactly the same as the golden-wrapped candies I used to eat as a kid, but it satisfies my craving for sweets whenever I have the post-meal hankering.
The only real negative to this is that to make each layer, I had to wait for each one to cool before being able to make the next one. So, it took me about five days to actually make the whole thing (I did a layer after work every day, and forgot about it for a couple of days in between).
That said, if I added up the amount of time it actually took to make a full pan, I would say it wouldn't have even amounted to an hour. The bottom shortbread layer needed to be baked, but other than that, I just had to heat some things over a pan for a couple of minutes for the caramel and chocolate layers. To stay solid, these do need to stay refrigerated.
Ingredients:
Shortbread Layer
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/3 coconut oil, melted
- 3 tbsp honey, warmed (you can sub maple syrup)
Caramel Layer
- 1/2 cup almond butter (you can swap for peanut butter, but it'll have a stronger flavor)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- pinch sea salt
Chocolate Layer
- 1 2.5 oz. bar of chocolate of your choice (or 1/2 cup chocolate chips)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp flakey sea salt (optional)
Other equipment that'll make things easier but isn't required:
- A 6x6 baking pan
- Parchment paper
Recipe:
Shortbread Layer
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Combine and mix all the ingredients in one bowl.
- Line a 6x6 baking dish with parchment paper and really pack the mixture down in to the pan. I used a spoon to smooth it down.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. You'd rather under-brown this than over so it doesn't crumble.
- Let this cool before working on the next layer. (I put mine in the fridge and forgot about it for two days — oops.)
Caramel Layer
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan (I used a wok because I didn't have anything else) over medium-low heat until everything is liquified. It shouldn't take more than two to three minutes.
- Turn off heat and pour this over your shortbread layer. Let it cool before moving on to the last step. (I, once again, forgot and left this in the fridge for about three days.)
Chocolate Layer
- Break up the chocolate bar in a saucepan and add coconut oil, melting on medium-low heat till it's liquified. Or, heat everything up in a microwave for 30-second increments.
- Layer this over the caramel layer, and sprinkle flakey sea salt on top, if desired.
- Let cool in the fridge overnight or freezer for several hours till everything has set in place.
- Cut the pieces about half an inch wide and two inches long, et voila!
