While this recipe is truly fine as-is, I sometimes like to slightly toast the Pecans before hand (7-8 minutes @350°F) and toss them with a tablespoon of butter and a generous pinch of salt. This does wonders for the texture of the pecans and infuses them with a bit of flavor before they are folding into the caramel.
Crust:
2 1/2 cups AP Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
Filling:
1 cup Butter
1 cup Light Brown Sugar
2/3 cup Honey
1/3 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup*
1/3 cup Cream
1/4 tsp. Vanilla
3 cups Pecan Halves
For Crust: Beat Butter on Medium-High speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar gradually, beating on high until light & fluffy - up to 8 minutes. Don't rush - mixture should be almost white. Add vanilla. Add about 1/3 of the flour, mixing until just blended. Add remainder of flour and salt
Pat dough in an even layer into 13x9" pan. Chill pan until crust is solid, 30 minutes to overnight. Bake 350 until just light golden brown around the edges and center is dry but not fully cooked, about 18 minutes.
For Caramel Filling: Put Butter, Sugars & Honey in medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until butter melts. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat & stir in cream, vanilla, salt & pecans.
Pour filling over partially baked crust and bake until filling has darkened some and edges have set, about 20 minutes. Center will still be slightly wet. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into 40 bars. Store 1 week at room temperature in an airtight container.
*You can substitute Light Corn syrup for Lyle's, if necessary.
