Caramel Nut Bars with a Buttery Shortbread Crust

If you’ve ever been intimidated by making homemade caramel, I have a secret for you: It’s just melting sugar in a saucepan! Granted, caramelized sugar can get extremely hot and you should exercise good caution while working with it, but making it merely involves a few swirls of the wrist and a little temperature taking. Once you taste it—so salty, so luxurious—on these thick and chewy caramel nut bars, you’ll doubly applaud yourself for the courage.