Sweet And Salty Pecan Shortbread Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line two 13x9-in. baking pans with foil, letting ends extend up sides of pan., Place flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch and salt in a food processor; pulse until blended. Add butter; pulse until butter is the size of peas. Divide mixture between prepared pans; press onto bottom of pans. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Cool on a wire rack., For filling, melt butter in a large saucepan. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir until sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate chips, cream and vanilla until smooth. Stir in pecans. Spread over crusts., Bake 12-15 minutes or until filling is bubbly. Cool completely in pans on wire racks. Using foil, lift the shortbread out of pans. Gently peel off foil; cut each shortbread into 24 bars. Store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Put butter, sugar, vanilla and cardamom in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.
• Carefully add flour and pecans, and mix a few minutes more, at low speed at first, then medium, until dough comes together. Remove dough and knead for 1 minute. Press dough into a 9-inch square cake pan. (Alternatively, press into a 9-inch fluted French tart pan with a removable bottom.)
• Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool and cut into squares, bars or wedges with a serrated knife while still slightly warm. Store in a tin until needed. To serve, arrange on a plate and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Cream the butter, natural cane sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon and beat until light and fluffy (see Know-how, page 315). Mix in the maple syrup and vanilla until evenly incorporated. Slowly add the flour on medium speed or with a wooden spoon, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times, just until all the flour is incorporated; do not overmix. Add the pecans and stir to mix.
• Turn the dough onto a piece of wax paper or plastic and roll into a 2-inch round log about 12 inches long. Combine the demerara sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and stir to mix. Sprinkle the log evenly with the demerara sugar mixture and roll the log back and forth to adhere. Wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, until firm.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
• Cut the dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange on the baking sheets, spaced about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with demerara sugar and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, shifting racks and rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until lightly golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Serve warm or transfer to a baking rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve, or for up to 4 days.