• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with a parchment paper sling or foil sprayed with baking spray.

Crust

• Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or an electric mixer until creamy and light, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then add flour and salt, mixing on medium-low speed just until combined. The dough will be crumbly.
  ¾ cup (170g) salted butter, ½ cup (106g) light brown sugar, 2 cups (282g) all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt
• Press the dough into an even layer in the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes until barely golden to set the crust. Remove the par-baked crust from the oven while you finish the filling.

Filling

• Whisk butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, heavy cream, vanilla, salt, and eggs in a large bowl until combined. Add chopped pecans and stir until everything is mixed together.
  ¾ cup (170g) salted butter, 1 ½ cups (300g) light or dark brown sugar, ½ cup (120ml) pure maple syrup, 3 tablespoons (30ml) heavy cream, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, 3 large eggs, 3 cups (300g) pecans
• Pour pecan filling over the shortbread crust, using a spatula to make sure the filling it in an even layer and the pecans are evenly distributed.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are set but the middle is still slightly jiggly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired. The bars will continue to set up as they cool.
  Flaky sea salt
• Cool completely before cutting into squares.