Sticky Shortbread Nut Bars

These sticky shortbread nut bars are dangerously delicious. They have quickly become one of our family’s favorite desserts. Each bite has a thick layer of golden shortbread topped with a generous coating of nuts that are covered in a soft, brown sugar caramel like topping. The bars then get drizzled with dark chocolate and topped with a sprinkle of sea salt. These sticky shortbread nut bars have everything we are looking for in a dessert. They are buttery, chocolatey, and topped with a soft caramel-like filling – it is hard to get better than that! 

The story of how the bars were created is through chance and a few leftover ingredients. It was right after Thanksgiving, and we had a container of the filling that gets poured over the pecans in a pecan pie. We had baked a smaller pie and about half of the liquid would not fit. We did not have the heart to throw away the delicious filling, so we stored it in a container in the fridge.

Determined to find a use for the leftover filling, we thought through what we could create with the leftover caramel base. We considered baking another pecan pie or pecan pie bars, but we thought why not create something similar to a pecan pie bar but with a thick shortbread base. As the shortbread base baked, we soon realized we had no pecans left in the cabinet. 

After rummaging around the nuts stored in the cabinet, we only found pistachios and cashews. Pistachios and cashews are our favorite nuts, so after much contemplation, we determined that adding these in could only create something delicious. We scattered lightly chopped pistachios and cashews over the base of golden shortbread and poured over the leftover filling. When the filling was just baked, we removed the bars from the oven and after they cooled, drizzled them with a thick ribbon of dark chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt. 

We cut the bars into pieces and each tried one… we could not eat them fast enough! They were better than pecan pie, pecan pie bars, and most anything we have ever created. Anytime we whip up a batch of these bars they quickly vanish from the tray, never lasting more than a few minutes in our house. They are dangerously delicious and seriously addicting. 

How to make the sticky shortbread nut bars:

Step 1 – Shortbread layer

To make the shortbread base, simply add softened butter and sugar to the base of a stand mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can also use a hand mixer or even a spoon. Add the butter, sugar and whip them together until they’re soft and creamy.  The butter is ready when it becomes bright white. Once the mixture is pale and fluffy, add in the flour, cornstarch, and salt.  Pulse together the ingredients until they are just combined. 

Add the dough to a 9×13” pan and press into an even layer. We like using a piece of plastic wrap between our hand and the dough to evenly spread the mixture. Bake the layer at 350 until golden brown. 

Step 2 – Make the filling

To make the filling, start by beating together the butter and brown sugar until combined. Once they are combined, add in the eggs one at a time. Whip everything together until the mixture is well combined. Next, add in the vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, dark corn syrup, salt, bourbon, and orange zest. 

Step 3 – Assembly

Place the chopped pistachios and cashews over the golden shortbread layer. Pour the filling over the chopped nuts and bake until no longer jiggling in the middle (30 minutes). Cool the bars and drizzle with dark chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt. 

Shortbread nut bar notes:

1. Orange Zest: This is the secret ingredient that makes the caramel filling so great. You can leave it off if you don’t like the taste but we strongly recommend it! 
2. Bourbon: The bourbon adds a depth of flavor that pairs so well with the sweet, buttery filling. You barely notice it, but we strongly recommend this step for the best taste. We recommend using Maker’s Mark as it has notes of butterscotch which pair well with the brown sugar and citrus in the filling.
3. Pre-baking the shortbread: These bars have a thick shortbread layer. To ensure it is cooked through, baking this before the filling is a necessary step! 
4. Nuts: Our favorite nuts are cashews and pistachios, which is why we love these so much! To make these the most delicious, add in your favorite nuts. Although if you like pistachios and cashews, it is our favorite combination.

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Sticky Shortbread Nut Bars

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Shortbread Layer:

• 320 g AP flour
• 150 g cornstarch
• 140 g sugar
• 2 cup + 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt

Filling:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar dark
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon bourbon Maker’s Mark
• Zest of half an orange

Assembly:

• 1 cup roasted salted pistachios kernels, lightly chopped
• 1 cup roasted salted cashews, lightly chopped
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips melted
• Sea salt optional

Instructions

Shortbread layer:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F
• In the base of a stand mixer, add softened butter and sugar. Cream sugar and butter together until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Then add in the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Pulse together the ingredients until they are just combined
• Pat the shortbread into a parchment lined 9×13 pan until it forms an even layer
• Bake for 45-55 minutes until the crust is golden brown

Filling:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat together butter and brown sugar
• After butter and sugar are well combined, add in the egg. Mix the egg and butter together until fully incorporated
• Add vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste, corn syrup, salt, bourbon, orange zest and mix. Set aside

Assembly:

• Add chopped nuts onto the golden shortbread base. Pour filling over top
• Cook at 350 for 30 minutes (filling shouldn’t jiggle when shaken)
• Allow the bars to cool and drizzle with dark chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt

Entertainer’s Note:

We love making these around the holidays as a twist on classic holiday ‘cookies’. They are a cookie, pie, and bar all in one! To make them into gifts, we wrap each bar in parchment and tie them with baker’s twine.