Remove eggs from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.

PREPARE BROWN BUTTER: Slice the butter up into pieces and place in a light-colored small heavy pan. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring frequently. After 5-8 minutes, the butter will begin browning – you’ll notice lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan and it will start to have a nutty aroma. Once browned, remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes before using.

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides; set prepared pan aside.

PREPARE BROWN SUGAR SHORTBREAD CRUST: In a medium bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir in the flour until evenly combined. Press the crust mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan, using your hands or the back of a spoon to evenly flatten into the pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

While crust is baking, prepare your pecan topping.

PREPARE PECAN PIE TOPPING: In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and heavy cream. Whisk to combine the ingredients and cook over medium heat until the brown sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat slightly and allow to boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

TEMPER EGGS: Whisk the egg in a small heat-safe bowl until frothy, and then slowly drizzle ½ cup of syrup into the egg as you continue to whisk constantly. Once the egg and syrup mixture are fully combined and smooth, then slowly pour this mixture back into the hot syrup mixture, whisking constantly until combined. Whisk in the bourbon, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Stir in the chopped pecans and date pieces.

Once crust has finished baking, evenly pour pecan pie filling over warm crust. Return pan to oven and continue baking at 350F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.

Remove pan from oven, set on a wire rack, and allow to cool completely. Sprinkle sea salt flakes on top of cooled bars if desired. Once cool, use the parchment paper sling to pull the pecan cookies out of the pan and then slice into bars. Cover and store leftover bars at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.