Recipe: Pecan Shortbread Bars

I recently needed to make a dessert for my scrapbooking group and didn't want to go to the market for any ingredients. I dug this recipe out from my To Be Cooked File and it was fabulous. (The recipe originally came from Everyday Food Magazine.)

Pecan Shortbread Bars

1 cup chopped pecans (I ALWAYS *toast nuts before using them in baking. They taste 1000% better.)
1 cup (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour, plus more for preparation
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cold (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides.

In processor, blend flour, sugar, butter, and salt until moist clumps form. Add pecans; pulse 2 or 3 times, just to incorporate.

Press dough evenly into the bottom of prepared pan (if dough is sticky, dip fingers in flour). With a floured fork, prick dough every 1/2 inch. Bake until lightly golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool 5 minutes in pan. Use foil overhang to lift shortbread from pan onto cutting board. With a serrated knife, carefully cut warm shortbread into 18 bars (6 rows by 3 rows). Remove from foil; cool bars completely on a rack before serving.

*To toast nuts, bake 'em at 450 for a few minutes, but watch them because they burn easily.