These shortbread bars are toasty from the brown butter and lightly sweet.

Ingredients

1 c. salted butter
3/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. All-Purpose flour
1/3 c. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 c. Mizithra cheese, shredded
1 tbs. turbinado sugar
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

Yields Approximately 16 bars.

To Make Brown Butter

In a light-colored pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Give the butter an occasional stir. The butter will start to bubble and foam. Once this happens, start stirring more frequently.

The butter will start to darken and begin to smell nutty. Once the butter reaches the desired color, remove from heat and pour butter into a heat-safe container and allow to cool to room temperature. I poured my butter into the mixing bowl I planned to make the shortbread with.

To Make the Shortbread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until combined and the mixture is slightly lighter in color. Add vanilla extract and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl. In another small bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, and the ground nutmeg. Add flour mixture to the bowl in two additions, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add the Mizithra cheese and mix until just combined.

Press the dough into a greased 9×13 pan. Dock the dough with a fork. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar and the 1/4 tsp. kosher salt over the dough. Bake for 24-27 minutes until golden brown. If the shortbread starts to get dark, cover it with some aluminum foil. Let shortbread cool before cutting and removing from the pan as the bars are soft and crumbly when warm.