preheat the oven to 300°

butter and 8x8 baking pan OR line it with parchment

cream the butter, and both sugars until fluffy

add the pecans, flour, and salt

stir just to combine and then add the vanilla

mix until well combined, the mixture will look crumbly

sprinkle it in the prepared pan in an even layer

press firmly into the pan

score into 16 bars, or however many you like

bake at 300° for 60-65 minutes until well set

cool in the pan for 20 minutes

if you didn't use parchment cut through all the way and remove from the pan

if you did use parchment remove the block of baked shortbread

on a cutting board cut cleaning through the shortbread

cool completely on a cooling rack

store in an airtight container for up to two weeks