Pine Nut, Caramel & Sea Salt Shortbread Bars Recipe

There is something about the combination of butter and brown sugar that makes me swoon. The smell of cookies baking, the taste of golden caramel, the popping of the buttons on my jeans. When Barbara of Barbara Bakes brought her Pecan Squares to our recent blogger brunch, I was immediately drawn to the rich caramel and shortbread crust.

At that point, I went through a scene straight out of the Tom and Jerry cartoons. The angel on one shoulder was gently reminding me that I certainly didn't need to be making and consuming anymore rich treats, while the devil on the other shoulder was grinning wickedly as he whispered "What could one little batch hurt?" The devil was decidedly more convincing. How I love that little red-clad, pitchfork-wielding fellow.

After having great success with my Brown Butter, Pine Nut & Rosemary Cookies and Pine Nut & Brown Sugar Ice Cream, I decided to replace the pecans with pine nuts. One of my favorite parts of Barbara's bars was the caramel, so I felt that the only logical thing to do was to increase the amount of caramel by one half. Following along with the recent and brilliant trend of topping caramels and chocolates with sea salt, I sprinkled some coarse sea salt on the top of the bars for good measure. The results made my little devil very happy. I even think the little angel might approve.

The Crust:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, placing the rack in the center of the oven.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl, using a hand mixer), combine 18 tablespoons unsalted butter (yes, you read that correctly) and ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar.

Beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add ½ teaspoons salt and mix again.

Add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Continue to mix until the dough begins to adhere together in large clumps, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl along the way.

Lightly spray a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Press the dough into the pan. Prick the dough with a fork in about a dozen places. Chill the until firm, about 20 minutes. Bake until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack until the dough cools completely.

The filling:
Reduce the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large skillet set over medium heat, toast 2 cups pine nuts until they are light golden brown. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine 12 tablespoons (1 ½ stick) unsalted butter, ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar, 9 tablespoons honey, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons heavy cream, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Continue to stir while cooking until the caramel coats the back of a spoon, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, and add toasted pine nuts and ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Pour the filling over the cooled crust.

Bake the mixture until the filling is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack. When the bars are lukewarm, prinkle ¾ teaspoon coarse sea salt over the top of the pine nuts, gently pressing to adhere.

Once the bars cool completely, run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan (I had to do this a couple of times). Invert the pan onto the cooling rack, giving the bottom of the pan a sharp rap to loosen the bars. Remove the pan and lay a cutting board over the bars and flip over. Now the bars will be on the cutting board, filling side facing up. Using a sharp knife, cut into 2- by 1-inch bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Pine Nut, Caramel & Sea Salt Shortbread Bars

The crust:
18 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour

The filling:
12 tablespoon (1 ½ stick) unsalted butter
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
9 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoon heavy cream
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cup pine nuts
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon coarse sea salt

The crust:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, placing the rack in the center of the oven.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl, using a hand mixer), combine butter and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add salt and mix again. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Continue to mix until the dough begins to adhere together in large clumps, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl along the way.

Lightly spray a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Press the dough into the pan. Prick the dough with a fork in about a dozen places. Chill the until firm, about 20 minutes. Bake until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack until the dough cools completely.

The filling:
Reduce the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large skillet set over medium heat, toast pine nuts until they are light golden brown. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, honey, granulated sugar, heavy cream, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Continue to stir while cooking until the caramel coats the back of a spoon, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, and add toasted pine nuts and vanilla extract. Pour the filling over the cooled crust.

Bake the mixture until the filling is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack. When the bars are lukewarm, prinkle ¾ teaspoon coarse sea salt over the top of the pine nuts, gently pressing to adhere.

Once the bars cool completely, run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan (I had to do this a couple of times). Invert the pan onto the cooling rack, giving the bottom of the pan a sharp rap to loosen the bars. Remove the pan and lay a cutting board over the bars and flip over. Now the bars will be on the cutting board, filling side facing up. Using a sharp knife, cut into 2- by 1-inch bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Makes 48 bars.

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