Vanilla Bean Plum Butter Crumble Bars

For crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together unsalted butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
3. Add in flour and kosher salt and mix just until the dough comes together. This may take a few minutes. The mixture will look crumbly at first but should come together and become moist. The mixture should easily press together.
4. Press into the bottom of your prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

For filling:

1. Make your vanilla bean plum butter ahead of time and use it either room temperature or cold from the refrigerator.

For topping:

1. Add flour, brown sugar, and diced cold butter to a small mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender (or fork), blend the butter into the mixture until the butter is in tiny pieces and the mixture resembles wet sand.
2. Stir in the pecans and keep cold until ready to use.

For assembly:

1. After your crust has baked and cooled slightly, spread the vanilla bean plum butter over the top and sprinkle the top with cold topping.
2. Bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is browned.
3. Let the bars cool completely before trying to cut the bars. If you cut the bars while they are hot they will not hold up and will crumble.