Salted Caramel Pecan Shortbread Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Scatter the pecan halves onto a cookie sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes, or until they just begin to smell toasty. Keep a close watch, as they can burn quickly once fragrant.

In a food processor, pulse the 2 1/4 cups flour with the 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the 1 1/2 sticks cubed butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Sprinkle on the 1/4 cup ice water and 1 tablespoon distilled vinegar, then process until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Turn the crumbs out onto a sheet of wax paper and knead just until the dough comes together. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until slightly chilled, about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper.

Cut the remaining dough into 3/4-inch-wide strips and press them up the side of the pan to form a rim all around. Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 30 minutes. (If you prefer a thicker bottom crust, you can use all the dough for the base instead of creating a rim.)

Line the dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans for blind baking.