Viennese Whirls
There’s something special about a homemade Viennese Whirl – buttery, crumbly, and filled with jam and buttercream. A proper old-fashioned biscuit that’s every bit as good as (if not better than!) Mr Kipling’s.
I’ll be honest… Viennese biscuits are one bake I’ve always struggled with.
In fact, I even shared a bit of a cheat’s version a while back with my Viennese Fingers recipe. But after plenty of practice (and a few lessons learned while making my Viennese Mince Pies!), I’ve finally perfected the real deal.
It’s funny because this was always a bake that my Mum made with ease and guaranteed success. She could pipe a batch of Viennese Whirls without a second thought, and they’d come out perfectly every single time. But it took me a little longer to master.
Once I sussed out the butter, everything started to click. It really does need to be very soft – beyond room temperature, not quite melting, but not far off. Get that part right and these biscuits are next level – melt-in-the-mouth, perfectly piped, and every bit as good as Mr Kipling’s (if not better!).
The piping itself does take a bit of practice, so don’t be disheartened if your first few batches aren’t picture-perfect – they’ll still be every bit as delicious, even if they’re a wee bit rustic!
Top Tips for homemade Viennese Whirls:
• Use VERY Soft Butter or Margarine: The key to perfect piping is soft butter/margarine. If it’s too firm, the dough will be impossible to work with. Make sure your butter is soft before starting – think room temperature on a warm day.
• Neat, Uniform Swirls: To keep your whirls even in size, you can lightly mark out circles on the underside of your greaseproof paper (using a round cutter or small lid) as a guide before piping. Great if you are aiming for perfection!
• Keep a Close Eye When Baking: These biscuits should stay pale golden, not browned. Every oven is a bit different, so start checking from about 9 minutes, and remove as soon as the biscuits are a pale golden colour and appear dry on top.
• Let Them Cool: Let the biscuits cool completely before filling. They’re very delicate when warm and can crumble easily. Not to mention your jam and buttercream will melt if your biscuits are still warm!
• Seedless Jam Works Best: A smooth jam (like seedless raspberry or strawberry) gives a neater finish and keeps the sandwiches from sliding apart.
• Neat Buttercream: For a professional finish, you can use a piping bag and nozzle to pipe the buttercream onto the biscuits. Otherwise, you can just spread with a palette knife or a teaspoon.
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Viennese Whirls
EQUIPMENT
- Piping Bag
- Large Star Piping Nozzle
INGREDIENTS
- 200 g Butter or Block Margarine (softened)
- 50 g Icing Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
- 200 g Plain Flour
- 2 tbsp Corn Flour (Corn Starch)
For the Filling:
- 75 g Butter or Block Margarine (softened)
- 150 g Icing Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 10 tsp Seedless Jam (Seedless Jelly) (strawberry or raspberry)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 180°c (160°c for fan-assisted oven, Gas Mark 4 or 350°F). Line a couple of baking sheets with greaseproof paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter/margarine and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Sift in the plain flour and corn flour and fold into the mixture until fully combined and you have a soft, paste-like dough.
- Prepare your piping bag with a large star piping nozzle. Spoon the dough into the piping bag – you may need to do this in two batches, depending on the capacity of your piping bag.
- Pipe the dough into swirly circles on your pre-lined baking sheets, about 3-4cm in diameter. Be sure to leave plenty of space between each biscuit swirl.
- Once you have piped all of the dough, bake in the pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes or until they are a pale golden colour and look dry on top. Keep a close eye as they bake and remove from the oven sooner if required. Leave to cool on the baking sheets until cool enough to touch, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, while you prepare the fillings.
For the Filling:
- To make the buttercream, cream together the butter/margarine and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and mix through until combined.
- Once your biscuits are completely cool, pipe or spread half of the biscuits with the butter cream. And add a teaspoon of jam to each of the other half of biscuits, before gently sandwiching the buttercream and jam biscuits together.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
- Storage: Store your filled Viennese Whirls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. The biscuits will soften slightly over time, which makes them even more melt-in-the-mouth.
- Substitutions:
- Butter vs Margarine: Either works well for this recipe. Block margarine gives a slightly lighter texture and is often easier to pipe, while butter adds a richer flavour and more traditional taste. Just make sure whatever you use is softened before starting.
- Jam: Seedless raspberry jam is the classic choice, but you can use strawberry, blackcurrant, cherry, or even lemon curd for a twist. Smooth, seedless jams give the neatest finish and help the biscuits stay together neatly once sandwiched.
Viennese Whirls are delicate, buttery biscuits made from a light shortbread-style dough, piped into swirls and sandwiched together with buttercream and jam. They’re known for their melt-in-the-mouth texture and elegant, fancy appearance.
Despite the name, Viennese Whirls are actually a British creation. The name comes from their light, buttery texture and piped swirl shape, similar to traditional Viennese pastries
Viennese Whirl cookies are made by creaming together soft butter and icing sugar, then folding in plain flour and cornflour to create a soft, pipeable paste/dough. The dough is piped into swirls, baked until pale golden, and once cooled, sandwiched with buttercream and jam.
This usually means your butter or margarine wasn’t soft enough. Viennese dough should be soft and pipeable but still hold its shape. When I say soft butter/margarine, I mean warmer than room temperature – not quite melting, but not far off it.
A little spreading to normal, but you still want them to keep a bit of height and definition to the swirl. Over-spreading can happen if your butter is too soft or if the dough has been overmixed. Make sure your butter is soft but not melted, and fold the flour in gently. Chilling the piped biscuits for 10-15 minutes before baking can help them keep their shape, too.
Free-from & Vegan:
Gluten-Free Viennese Whirls: Swap the plain flour for a gluten-free self-raising flour, and replace the cornflour with gluten-free cornflour or rice flour. Gluten-free biscuits can be a little more delicate, so handle them gently and make sure they’re fully cool before filling. You may also need to add a splash of milk if the dough feels too stiff to pipe.
Dairy-Free / Vegan Viennese Whirls: Use a dairy-free block margarine in both the biscuit dough and the buttercream – brands like Stork Baking Block or Flora Plant work well.
Egg-Free Viennese Whirls:
Traditional Viennese Whirls are naturally egg-free, making them a great choice for those avoiding eggs – no substitutions needed here!
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
