![](https://i0.wp.com/farm6.staticflickr.com/5323/9612502138_f089f37da6.jpg)
yes this is real life… i did it. this is a twix cookie/candy bar turned into a cupcake. twix has to be one of my absolute favorite chocolate candy bars. it would either be twix of reese’s. but today we are going to focus on my love for twix.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm3.staticflickr.com/2845/9612497120_d6732ebc0a.jpg)
as you all know, i make birthday treats for my coworkers every month. typically whosever birthday it is picks what kind of cupcakes they want to have for birthday treats. my birthday was this month and our other august birthday said that i could pick what kind of cupcake i made. how nice!
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/9612493998_2d1104ec46.jpg)
i had been wanting to try to make a twix cupcake for a long time so this was the perfect opportunity. i love twix, it’s my birthday, i do what i want. 🙂 i also had some leftover vanilla bean caramel sauce from the caramel apple cheesecake bars i made recently, so it all worked out wonderfully! this twix cupcake has all of the flavors of a twix bar – it’s a chocolate cupcake with a shortbread cookie crust, topped with vanilla bean caramel swiss meringue frosting, decorated with a piece of twix and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm3.staticflickr.com/2873/9612500520_d39d6ed9ca.jpg)
this cupcake is totally decadent and quite sweet but it is still soooo good. plus very slight saltiness in the crust and buttercream help balance the sweetness a little bit. still enjoy this cupcake with a big glass of milk and you are good to go.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm6.staticflickr.com/5443/9609265861_96f3b98aff.jpg)
yay! happy birthday to me
and my fellow august birthday!
these twix cupcakes start with the shortbread cookie crust. i just adapted the shortbread crust i used for the lilikoi (passion fruit) bars i made a couple months ago. first cream together the butter and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm6.staticflickr.com/5477/9609234639_523cf91a0c.jpg)
then add the flour and salt. mix until they are just combined. the mixture will be a little crumbly.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/9609235945_c0e068373a.jpg)
perfect.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm4.staticflickr.com/3719/9609237183_927e485957.jpg)
divide the crust among 30 lined cupcake cups. i ended up using just about 1 tablespoon of dough per a cupcake.
then use a pastry tamper or your fingers to press the mixture into an even layer.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm3.staticflickr.com/2857/9612473598_cc975d4867.jpg)
repeat until all of the crusts are formed.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm4.staticflickr.com/3769/9609242019_559ca3d72c.jpg)
then bake the shortbread cookie crusts for 8-10 minutes. i freaked out when i took the crusts out at this point because they puffed up in the oven and then deflated when i took them out. eeeeek! but then i realized it just created a nice little well for the cake batter so i crossed my fingers, carried on, and hoped for the best.
now make the chocolate cake batter. i used my all time favorite chocolate cupcake. it’s the hershey’s perfect chocolatey cake recipe and it is divine. fill each cupcake cup until it is 3/4 full.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/9612478286_4b83c91876.jpg)
bake the cupcakes for 22-25 minutes and then allow them to cool completely on a wire rack. oh and i ended up having some extra cake batter so i made 6 crustless cupcakes. chris was happy because he loves these chocolate cupcakes, no extras (frosting, crust, etc.) needed.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm8.staticflickr.com/7365/9612480130_28eba2658f.jpg)
now for the vanilla bean caramel swiss meringue buttercream. i made caramel swiss meringue buttercream before for the toffee crunch cupcakes. this version has just a bit more caramel to bump up the caramel flavor. i also love the little black specks of the vanilla bean. either one would do. also, you could just buy some caramel sauce – no judgement here 🙂
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm4.staticflickr.com/3739/9612483808_065987e40f.jpg)
start with the swiss meringue buttercream base.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/9612481936_242b452f6f.jpg)
then add the caramel sauce.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm3.staticflickr.com/2810/9612485306_7a04db12b4.jpg)
mix well and the vanilla bean caramel swiss meringue buttercream is ready.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm6.staticflickr.com/5486/9609253683_1268e60d8a.jpg)
pipe some buttercream on each cupcake. i used a large round tip to do this. then cut up some fun size twix bars…
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm3.staticflickr.com/2843/9609278493_ecc3f1263d.jpg)
and top each cupcake with a piece of twix.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm3.staticflickr.com/2864/9612489056_63d6c395bd.jpg)
but wait! they look like of plain don’t they? i think they do. what will spruce them up a little bit? i think a nice drizzle of caramel sauce will do the trick.
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/9609257781_68817d7da4.jpg)
yup! much better!
![](https://i0.wp.com/farm8.staticflickr.com/7373/9612466420_b3438cc37e.jpg)
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