Amazing Salted Nut Bars with Brown Sugar Shortbread Crust
If you make one cookie recipe this holiday season, make it this one. They are over the top, decadent deliciousness; combining classic flavors of shortbread, mixed nuts, two kinds of chocolate, and plenty of butter. I guarantee you will fall head-over-heels for them this holiday season, as will all the lucky recipients with whom you share them. My preferred brand of nuts for this recipe is Planter’s Deluxe Mixed Nuts (a blend cashews, macadamia nuts, pecans, almonds, and Brazil nuts, seasoned with sea salt), but you can use whichever brand you prefer.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups deluxe salted mixed nuts, very coarsely chopped
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, leaving at least 2 inches of foil extending over the ends of pan; set aside.
2. In a medium mixing combine the flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and the 1/2 cup softened butter with your fingers until mixture resembles moist crumbs (you can, alternatively, use an electric mixer on medium speed). Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the nuts and white & semisweet chocolate chips.
3. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
4. While the bars bake, cook and stir the remaining 3/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more (don’t skip this step of cooking a minute longer—it’s important!)
5. Pour sugar mixture evenly over bars. Bake 15 minutes longer Cool in pan on a wire rack. Remove bars from pan, using the overlapping foil to lift bars. Place on cutting board; cut into bars. Makes 36 bars.
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