Twix Bar Lovers Need This 3-Ingredient Copycat

There's something about sinking your teeth into a sugary, chocolate-coated candy bar that instantly transports you back to childhood and the simple joy a treat like Twix could impart. In fact, "simple" is a bit of a watchword when it comes to Twix, as they're composed of three main components — crisp shortbread under a layer of buttery caramel and coated with chocolate. Not only are these three flavors delicious together, the interplay of crunchy and soft textures makes this classic candy bar fun to eat.

However, between the reality of shrinkflation and the rising cost of living in the United States, shelling out around $2 for less than 2 ounces of candy (despite there being two bars inside every package) just may not be in your budget. The good news is that you need just three ingredients to make a copycat version that's just as delicious and much cheaper — about $0.58 for two homemade Twix made from Nilla wafers, Werther's soft caramels, and melted chocolate chips.

Much like other homemade candy bars, such as four-ingredient homemade Almond Joys or easy three-ingredient 3 Musketeers bars, DIY Twix are also ridiculously easy to make. The most complex step is melting the chocolate, which can be accomplished in just minutes in your microwave. After that, you'll just need to top individual Nilla wafers with soft caramels, gently pressing down so they stick together. Last, toss each little stack into the melted chocolate and put the bites in the fridge to set.

The best part about making homemade Twix — other than eating them, of course — is tailoring them to your preferences. While chewy Werther's Originals pressed into crispy, sweet Nilla wafers is undoubtedly delicious, you might prefer to swap in your favorite scratch shortbread with a decadent recipe for dark chocolate covered salted caramels. This version may be more time consuming, but it's also more sophisticated both in flavor and presentation. Plus, it makes an impressive dessert after a classy dinner party or family celebration.

You might also take inspiration from the different flavors of Twix available in grocery stores. To make the snickerdoodle version, for instance, you can sub the Nilla wafers or shortbread recipe for store bought or homemade sugar cookies. To recreate the cookies and cream flavor, use chocolate shortbread or crisp chocolate graham crackers as the base, top with a scoop of edible cookie dough (sans the raw eggs), and coat with dark chocolate or go all out with a coating of melted Hershey's cookies and cream bars.

The simplicity of this recipe also allows you to customize it with original flavor combinations like using molasses sugar cookies as the base layered together with Werther's pumpkin spice soft caramels for a seasonal treat. The vanilla creme caramels might be delicious on strawberry shortbread during the springtime, while the limited edition maple creme and green apple versions could be perfect on cinnamon shortbread to celebrate the onset of autumn.