Ingredients
Scale
For the crust:
- 1/2c butter, softened
- 1/4c + 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/tsp salt
- 1 1/2c flour
For the filling:
- 5 Tbsp butter
- 1/4c honey
- 1/4c + 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp half-and-half, cream, or milk
- 1/4tsp salt
- 1/2tsp vanilla
- 1c pecans, lightly toasted
- additional 1/4tsp salt, to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Cream butter and brown sugar about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add in salt. Stir in flour 1/2c at a time. The mixture will seem very crumbly. (Don’t panic. This is just how shortbread works.)
- Spray an 8″ x 8″ baking dish with nonstick spray and press shortbread mixture into the dish, using your fingertips or a small glass. Try to make the surface as even as you can, but don’t worry about small grooves from your fingers. Prick surface with a fork in about a dozen places.
- Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.
- While shortbread is baking, make caramel sauce by combining butter, honey, half-and-half, brown sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir and cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil about 3 minutes (surface will look frothy and have large bubbles). Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and pecans
- When shortbread is finished cooking, remove from oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees.
- Allow shortbread to cool about 5 minutes before pouring caramel filling over top. Spread as evenly as possible over shortbread. Bake about 10-12 minutes at 325 or until edges are bubbly and center is no longer very wobbly. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp salt.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting into 12 bars.