Classic Viennese Whirls are delicate, buttery biscuits that melt in your mouth. They are perfect for afternoon tea or gifting. Their swirled appearance makes them look complicated, but with the assistance of a piping tip, it’s very achievable. Top them with a glace cherry, dip them in chocolate or fill them with jam for an elegant and delicious treat!
Is there a more elegant looking biscuit than a Viennese Whirl? Their instantly recognisable swirled appearance sets them apart from other biscuits, taking them into a league of their own.
They aren’t all about looks though – they have a light, buttery, crumbly texture that melts in the mouth – just like shortbread.
where are viennese whirls from?
One would (rightly) assume that Viennese Whirls come from Austria, but they are actually British. Their swirled shape was inspired by Austrian pastries.
You’ll find Mr Kipling Viennese Whirl biscuits in every Supermarket in the UK. They are pretty good, but you can’t beat homemade.
One could argue that Viennese Whirls aren’t particularly Christmassy, but I’ve always associated them with this time of year. I think it’s because they look similar to the Danish butter biscuits that we always had at Christmas many years ago.
I think they look quite festive topped with a glacé cherry – I’ve used red and green cherries because you know, we’re officially in December now!
If you love a Viennese whirl, you might like my Viennese whirl mince pies. – they are exactly what you need at this time of year with a mulled wine!
INGREDIENTS
Please scroll to the bottom of the post to find a printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions. Please have a read through the tips below before attemping to make this recipe.
You don’t need many ingredients to make these meltingly light biscuits. Here’s a quick list of what you’ll need to buy –
Butter. You can use either salted or unsalted softened butter. It must be at room temperature, but not too soft or oily or the biscuits will not pipe.
Even though I add a small amount of salt to the biscuit dough, I prefer using salted butter because I find it gives more flavour to the biscuit. If you use unsalted, I would recommend adding a little more salt to the dough. Just one plea – don’t use margarine or the recipe will not work!
Plain (all purpose) flour is best for these biscuits. Using self raising would make them puff up and spread in the oven.
Icing sugar gives the biscuits a meltingly light texture, but you could use caster sugar instead if you like.
Cornflour also gives biscuits a feather-light texture. It’s a key ingredient in my Scottish shortbread recipe.
Vanilla extract adds a delicious flavour to an otherwise rather plain biscuit. I love using Neilson-Massey vanilla.
EQUIPMENT LIST
You will need:
- a couple of large baking trays
- Baking parchment
- A piping bag fitted with a medium open star nozzle. I use the Lakeland “get a grip” disposable piping bags.
TIPS FOR RECIPE SUCCESS
- It’s crucial to beat the sugar and butter together until very soft and white. This will result in a beautifully, light biscuit with a melt in your mouth texture.
- The mixture needs to be quite firm but pliable for piping – which is why it’s important the butter is soft but not too soft – you don’t want it collapsing into an oily puddle.
- I recommend chilling the biscuits before baking so they hold their shape in the oven. I pipe the biscuits onto the tray, then pop the tray in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
- Keep a close eye on the biscuits while they are baking. They colour very fast! Mine took 10 minutes at 170C. They should still look pale, but starting to turn a very pale golden around the edges.
- Leave the biscuits on the trays for at least five minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack. They are quite delicate while hot and tend to break if you try to remove them from the tray too quickly.
what piping tip is best for viennese whirls?
a medium open star nozzle is for piping Viennese cookies. It’s a great multi purpose nozzle – you can use it to ice cupcakes, whipped cream or even mashed potato.
variations
I think Viennese Whirls look so pretty adorned with a Glace cherry. It’s so simple but effective.
I also love to dip them in melted chocolate!
You could also make a batch of vanilla buttercream and sandwich the biscuits together with some raspberry or strawberry jam – a homemade version of Mr Kipling. This also works well with the chocolate dipped Viennese fingers.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS
The biscuits will keep for up to five days in an airtight container or tin. They will soften a little after day three, but will still taste delicious.
more classic biscuits and cookies to try
Viennese Whirl Biscuits
Viennese Whirl biscuits are pretty enough to make a lovely Christmas gift! Soft, buttery biscuits with a meltingly light texture. Top with glace cherries or dip in chocolate for a festive touch.
Ingredients
- 200g (7oz) unsalted or salted butter, softened
- 50g (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) caster sugar or icing sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 200g (1 cup + 1/4 cup) plain (all purpose) flour
- 2 teaspoons cornflour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (if using unsalted butter)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 100g (1/2 cup) dark or milk chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Line a couple of baking trays with baking parchment.
- Place the butter and sugar into a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat until very soft, pale and light, at least 5 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract and briefly mix, then sift in the flour, cornflour and baking powder, along with ½ teaspoon fine salt if using unsalted butter. Mix until smooth and well combined, The dough should be quite light in texture but hold its shape.
- Place the dough into a large piping bag fitted with a medium open star piping tip, Pipe little rosettes and/or fingers onto the lined baking trays, making sure to leave a little space between each one.
- Place the trays (if you have enough room for both of them) in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. This will ensure the biscuits keep their shape when baked.
- Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3.
- Bake the biscuits, one tray at a time, for 10-12 minutes or until very pale golden around the edges,
- Leave on the baking trays for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooking rack. Allow the biscuits to cool completely before decorating with a glacé cherry or dipping in melted chocolate.
- Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Allow to melt, stirring occasionally until smooth.
- Dip one or both ends of the cold biscuits in the chocolate. Place on a piece of baking parchment and allow the chocolate to set.
Notes
If you like you could add some Christmas sprinkles or edible gold glitter before the chocolate sets!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 282Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 223mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 3g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.