Hazelnut Shortbread Bars

With their buttery cookie base and caramelized pecan pie filling, these bars are nothing short of addictive. (In fact, in search of additional reasons to enjoy them, we created the options below.) Chop some of the nuts and leave the rest intact to create a beautiful mosaic effect.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Saute the hazelnuts on a pan with sides until light golden brown, about 18 minutes. Rub the warm nuts on a kitchen towel to remove half the skin. Chop 1/2 cup nuts in a food processor. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.In a large bowl, combine the chopped nuts, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, flour, 1 cup butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt. Beat with a mixer on low speed until smooth.Grease a 9-inch baking dish. cover a square baking dish with foil (let it hang from the edges), then brush the foil. Spread the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, very coarsely chop half of the remaining nuts to make 1 cup.Add the remaining 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 3 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, maple syrup and brown sugar and bring to a boil in a small saucepan, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of whole hazelnuts and chopped nuts (2 cups total; you may still have nuts). Pour over the cake and spread evenly. Bake until the pan is tilted, about 18 minutes.Allow to cool on a wire rack. Transfer the foil and cookies to a board. Cut the cookies into 16 squares, then cut each square in half diagonally.Very toasted Hazelnut Shortbread Bars: Follow the instructions when making hazelnut shortbread bars. Keep the temperature at 350 ° C throughout cooking. In step 3, bake the cake until very deep golden brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour. In step 4, reduce the baking time to about 15 minutes.Chocolate Shortbread bars with Hazelnuts: Follow the instructions when making shortbread bars with hazelnuts. After applying a nutty dusting to the cake, in step 4, sprinkle 1 cup (5½ oz) of coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate on top, then bake.Fruit Shortbread bars with Hazelnuts: Follow the instructions when making shortbread bars with hazelnuts. In step 4, mix 1 cup of tart or sweet dried cherries or cranberries with a nutty filling.* Hazelnuts from Oregon, where most of the U.S. crop grows, taste much sweeter and fresher than imported ones. They can be found in bulk packages in grocery stores (please specify the country of origin) and on freddyguys.com , hazelnuthill.com or yournw.com ?Note: A nutritional analysis is provided for each bar.