Caramel Nut Shortbread Cookies

Servings 24 cookies

⅓ cup + 1½ tsp (104g) whole milk, room temperature
1-2 Tbsp (15-30g) water
¾ cup + 1 Tbsp (158g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (84g) light corn syrup
¼ cup (84g) honey
1½ sticks + 2 Tbsp (210g) unsalted butter, cut into ½" pieces, at room temperature
¼ tsp (0.75g) of kosher salt
3 cups (252g) sliced blanched almonds
½ cup + 2 Tbsp (84g) shelled pistachios, roasted
3 Tbsp (42g) diced candied orange peel
4 oz (113.5g) semi-sweet chocolate

Put the butter in a stand mixer and cream the butter on medium-low speed using the paddle attachment. Add the sugar and salt and mix on medium-low speed until light and fluffy (approximately 2 minutes). Next, add the vanilla paste and mix on low to incorporate.
Add the flour in 2 additions and mix after each addition until just combined. This will help to not overmix the dough and to make sure flour doesn’t fly all over your kitchen. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
Pour the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and use it to knead the dough into a rectangular block. Wrap the block in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C and place the rack in the middle of the oven.

Cut a sheet of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a half sheet pan (i.e., baking sheet). Place the parchment paper on the counter and roll out the block of refrigerated dough to cover the entire sheet of parchment paper. Start by rolling the dough out on the counter and when it covers most of the parchment paper, transfer it to the baking sheet and finish rolling. Run your hands over the dough to feel that it is level. Gently press out any large air bubbles. Trim the edges of the dough when in the pan so there is only dough on the bottom (i.e., no dough on the sides of the pan).
If the dough has softened a lot (i.e., is not cool to the touch), put the pan in the fridge for a few minutes so the dough can harden again.
Cover the dough and pan with a larger sheet of parchment paper, and fill with raw rice.
Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes. The dough should no longer look raw, but it should also not have much color yet (i.e., it should not be golden brown). The dough will be cooked a second time after the caramel topping is added and it will finish baking at that time. Remove shortbread cookie from the oven, place on a cooling rack until the caramel nut topping is finished, and remove the parchment paper and rice. Try to avoid spilling any rice as you are removing it. If rice falls onto the cookie, VERY CAREFULLY remove the rice. The pan will be hot so don’t get burned. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F/177°C.

Begin making the caramel nut topping while the cookie is baking. If you start too early, you run the risk of the caramel topping being ready before the cookie. This could result in the caramel hardening too much to be able to spread.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, honey, and just enough water to moisten the sugar. Heat the mixture over medium heat while stirring to dissolve the sugar. As soon as the sugar has dissolved, put the candy thermometer in the pan and cook until the temperature reaches 248°F/120°C.
Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, salt, and whole milk. Put back on the heat for a couple minutes until the caramel is a light caramel color (approximately 300°F/150°C).
Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds and pistachios first. Then add the orange peel and mix it in. I add the orange peel last so it doesn’t impart such a strong orange flavor. If you really like orange, you can add it at the same time as the nuts.

Immediately pour the mixture onto the cooked shortbread cookie and spread the caramel mixture evenly with an offset spatula. Try to cover the whole shortbread base. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
To check if it’s done cooking, remove the pan from the oven and let the bubbles die down. The caramel nut topping should be a rich golden brown with no undercooked areas. When fully cooked, remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely in the pan. Turn the cookie bar out onto a parchment lined cutting board. You might need to use a paring knife to loosen the cookie edges from the pan.

Temper the chocolate using your favorite method. After the chocolate is tempered, you can add the chocolate to the cookie using one of the following options:
Option 1: Pour the tempered chocolate onto the back (i.e., flat side) of the cookie bar and spread it into a thin layer using an offset spatula. Then, use a decorating comb (not one for your hair) to make waves in the chocolate.
Option 2: Pour the tempered chocolate into a piping bag/Ziploc bag and cut a very small hole in the tip of the bag. Use the bag to drizzle chocolate over the cookie bar. This method uses less chocolate so you can cut the chocolate amount in the ingredients by approximately half.

Cut the caramel nut shortbread cookies into squares or use a circle cookie cutter to make this look more “cookie-shaped.”