Mexican-Style Pecan Chocolate Squares

Cookie base:
6 oz (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 oz (1/2 cup) finely grated bittersweet chocolate

Pecan topping:
10 oz (3 cups) chopped pecans
1/4 lb (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt

Cookie base: Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Put butter in a food processor, along with the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. (**I also used a pastry cutter and just worked my muscles in a bowl -- takes a bit longer and is quite a workout, but if you don't have a food processor, it's the only way to go.**) Pulse until mixture is well-combined, about 20 pulses. Scatter the dough into a 9" x 9" baking pan and press it evenly over the bottom. Wipe out the processor bowl but don't bother washing it.

Bake the base until firm and lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Don't turn off the oven, but take the cookie base out of the oven and sprinkle the grated chocolate evenly over the top. Set the pan aside.

Pecan topping: As the cookie base bakes, pulse the pecans in the food processor (**unless you've bought already-chopped pecans, like I do**). In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the dark brown sugar, honey, cream and salt. Simmer for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in the pecans. Pour the mixture over the chocolate-sprinkled cookie base, spreading evenly. Bake until much of the filling bubbling (not just the edges), about 16-18 minutes.

Let cool completely in the pan. When ready to serve, cut into squares (**a bench scraper works really well**). Tightly covered, these bars will keep for about five days.