These buttery, lightly sweet cookies are a classic based on Mary Berry’s recipe. Sandwich them with buttercream and any jam of your choice.
I have a very important question. You know that hit bit of Brit telly, with a grandmotherly female judge and a strangely likable yet somehow not so lovable dude judge? Yeah, that one.
Do you call it The Great British Bake Off, or The Great British Baking Show?
Me, I personally go with the first. It may have something to do with the fact that I watch it on the British schedule (YouTube is life, baby), and it could have something with the fact that I think Baking Show just sounds kinda… lame. The only reason it’s not called Bake Off in the US of A is because Pillsbury actually holds a copyright on that phrase. And I’m like “Really, Pillsbury? REALLY?!” Then I rebel and call it Bake Off anyway.
Oh, and the other thing? Mary Berry is really the only judge for me– she makes you feel like she puts such love and care into every little thing she bakes. Not to mention that NAME! I might try petitioning my husband to change our last name to Berry, because can you think of anything better than that? I can’t.
Anyway, fangirling aside, these are Mary Berry’s Viennese Whirls, but I converted the recipe to volume measurements. Because letsbereal, Americans like their cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons. They may not be as exact as a scale (or as expensive), but they sure are easy to work with.
If you aren’t GBBO obsessed, 1) these are featured on Netflix season 4, episode 2 (go watch it), 2)What is WRONG with you?, and 3) here are a few pointers:
Tips for successful Viennese Whirls
- get that butter SOFT. You have to pipe the dough, and your hands don’t need any of that stiff dough nonsense to deal with.
- After you’ve piped it, if the dough is very soft, then you may wish to pop them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so that they can stiffen a bit and hold their shape during baking.
- You’re going to need a real piping bag with a coupler and star tip for these. Sorry, a Ziploc bag just isn’t strong enough. They’re all pretty cheap (WalMart usually has a decent selection, and so do Michaels and Hobby Lobby.), and the dough won’t be popping holes in that bag.
- The cookies and buttercream freeze incredibly well separately. So all you have to do is pull them out, fill them, and eat. This is a VERY GOOD IDEA.
Light, buttery, and only slightly sweet, the cookies perfectly balance with the sweetness of the buttercream and the tartness of the jam. Raspberry jam is traditional, but I used Bonne Maman’s Four Fruits Preserves. I love love LOVE all of their flavors, but that one is pretty much the best of all worlds. Really though, you could pick any flavor you wanted so long as it’s bright and colorful and pretty. Because pretty food tastes even better, right?
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Mary Berry’s Viennese Whirls
- Total Time: 35-40 minutes
Description
These buttery, lightly sweet cookies are a classic based on Mary Berry’s recipe. Sandwich them with buttercream and any jam of your choice.
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup (227 g) very soft butter
- 1/2 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 (210 g) cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. (16 g) cornstarch
For the Filling:
- 2 cups powder sugar
- 7 Tbsp. of very soft butter
- 1/2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam, or any other flavor that you prefer
Instructions
Cookies: Preheat your oven to 375° and line three baking sheets with parchment paper. You can use a round cutter to trace 2 inch circles onto the bottom side of the parchment, or you can freehand the circles when you pipe them on. In a mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the cup of butter with the 1/2 cup of powder sugar until light and fluffy. Sift in the flour and cornstarch, then beat until fully incorporated. Fit a piping bag with the coupler and a large star tip (like this) and fill with the dough. Pipe 2″ rounds onto the parchment paper. If the dough is extremely soft, refrigerate it for 15 minutes to help the dough maintain it’s shape in the oven, then bake for 12-15 minutes or until they are golden and very lightly browned around the edges. Filling: Beat together the 2 cups of powdered sugar, 7 Tbsp. butter, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Spoon into another piping bag fitted with coupler and star tip. Pipe the buttercream onto the flat side of half of the cookies, and spread about 1/2 tsp. of jam onto the other half. Sandwich them together and refrigerate until the buttercream is firm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Notes
- get that butter SOFT. This dough is going to be piped, and your hands don’t need any of that stiff dough nonsense to deal with.
- After you’ve piped it, if the dough is very soft, then you may wish to pop them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so that they can stiffen a bit and hold their shape during baking.
- You can’t do the whole Ziploc bag for piping thing– you need a real piping bag with a coupler and star tip. They’re all pretty cheap (WalMart usually has a decent selection, and so do Michaels and Hobby Lobby.), and the dough won’t be popping holes in that bag.
- The cookies and buttercream freeze incredibly well separately, so all you have to do is pull them out, fill them, and eat.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
Rose
Friday 9th of December 2022
I had tried making these a few years ago and they turned out well. Thought I’d bake them again but found a recipe from PBS that calls for corn flour and they go out of their way to specify that is is distinctly different from corn starch. I had used corn starch the first time I made them so I used corn flour (which I found weird) this time. I believe PBS got it wrong!! They’re easy enough to make so I’ll bake another batch.
Rebecca Neidhart
Tuesday 13th of December 2022
True story: the first time I made them I thought corn flour was corn meal. They... didn't turn out. ;) But they really are such a simple, delicious cookie!
Holli
Wednesday 24th of February 2021
Re-watched this episode of The Great British Baking Show while i made these and they turned out ok. The buttercream was in desperate need of a tablespoon or so of milk.
Rebecca Neidhart
Wednesday 3rd of March 2021
Thanks for the feedback Holli! That episode is one of my favorites.
Jordynn Grossman
Friday 1st of January 2021
Loved this recipe, I did find though that I needed to add at least 2 tbsp of milk to the frosting to make it pipe able.
Lilee
Wednesday 18th of November 2020
I found my dough to be quite stiff. What can I do to fix that?
Rebecca Neidhart
Thursday 19th of November 2020
Hi Lilee! The dough is supposed to be pretty stiff, but sometimes it can be too hard to get out of the piping bag. Usually, in that case, it's due to the butter being too hard. Holding it in your hands will help the dough be more pliable, or setting it in a warm place for a bit. I hope that helps!
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