Nancy Reagan’s Vienna Bars
Ingredients
Dough
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1 cup (225g) butter, softened
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½ cup powdered sugar
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1 tsp vanilla extract
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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¼ tsp salt
Filling
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1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
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½ cup packed brown sugar
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2 tbsp butter, melted
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1 tsp cinnamon (optional but very traditional)
Topping
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Powdered sugar, for dusting
Method
1. Prep
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Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F.
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Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment or grease lightly.
2. Make the dough
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Cream butter and powdered sugar until light.
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Mix in vanilla.
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Add flour and salt; mix just until dough comes together.
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Press ⅔ of the dough evenly into the pan.
3. Add the filling
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Mix nuts, brown sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon.
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Sprinkle evenly over the dough base.
4. Top it
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Crumble remaining dough over the filling (don’t press it down).
5. Bake
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Bake 25–30 minutes, until lightly golden.
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Cool completely in the pan.
6. Finish
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Dust generously with powdered sugar.
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Cut into bars.
What they’re like
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Soft, crumbly shortbread layers
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Sweet nut filling
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Not overly sweet — very tea tray at 4pm
Tiny upgrades (still classy)
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Add a pinch of salt to the nut layer
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Swap walnuts for pecans
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Drizzle with a light vanilla glaze instead of powdered sugar
If you want, I can also give you the original White House–style wording, or a modern tweak that makes them extra buttery without losing the vintage vibe.