Viennese whirls are a classic British biscuit (aka cookie) of vanilla buttercream and raspberry jam sandwiched between two melt-in-the-mouth shortbread biscuits. With a texture similar to melting moments, these filled, buttery cookies not only look elegant but they’re also incredibly delicious.

While they originated in England, it’s thought these cookies are named after Vienna for the buttery cookies found there – possibly from cookies like the linzer kipferl.

However they came about, they’re delicious and perfect for an elegant morning tea.

Closeup of a Viennese whirl lying on it's side.

Table of contents

Ingredients

Ingredients for Viennese whirls are very simple. Just like Danish butter cookies, the dough is a mixture of butter, sugar, flour and cornflour (US cornstarch). The filling is a simple raspberry jam, and classic buttercream of just a few ingredients.

Ingredients for Viennese whirls.

Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.

  • Butter: There is quite a lot of butter in this recipe so stick to unsalted and make sure it’s very soft, but not melted, to allow for easier piping
  • Flour: Just regular plain flour / all-purpose flour.
  • Cornflour: Cornflour, aka US cornstarch, is used to create the super tender, melty texture to these English biscuits.
  • Sugar (for the cookie dough): I use caster sugar here (aka superfine sugar) not powdered sugar. If you can’t get hold of it, just whiz some granulated white sugar in your food processor for a few seconds until it’s a bit finer.
  • Milk: Since this is a very stiff dough and needs to be piped to get that classic Viennese whirl shape, a little milk just helps to loosen the dough slightly.
  • Sugar (for the buttercream): The buttercream uses regular icing sugar (powdered sugar).
  • Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract in both the cookies and the buttercream gives these cookies a lovely flavour. Try to steer clear of vanilla essence as it’s a synthetic flavouring.

How to make Viennese whirls

This Viennese whirl recipe is very simple to make, though the dough is very stiff (required so they can keep their pretty swirl shape) and you’ll need a little strength in your hands when piping them. Other than that, there’s really nothing to it. If you can’t pipe them, you could always just roll little mounds of dough and press them down with a fork instead, just like these raspberry melting moments.

Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.

1. Make the Viennese whirl dough

Beat the milk, sugar and softened butter together until pale and creamy – this will take a good 4-5 minutes – then mix in the vanilla. Now, add in the combined dry ingredients and mix on low until it just comes together.

Butter and sugar beaten in a mixing bowl.
The cookie dough in the mixing bowl.

2. Pipe the cookies

To get that swirl shape to hold through baking, the dough must be stiff so you’ll have to press firmly when you pipe them. If you find it too tricky, just roll balls of dough and press down lightly with the tines of a fork.

Transfer the cookie dough to a large piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Pipe small rosettes or swirls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. They will spread a little as they bake so make sure to leave a 2 inch gap between them.

The cookie dough piped onto a baking sheet.

3. Chill then bake

I know, I know – you want to bake them now but with the high proportion of butter in these cookies, they’ll just spread too much if you bake them immediately. So, chill them first for at least 30 minutes and you’ll be able to keep their shape and the definition in that piping better. Once they’ve chilled, they only take 12-14 minutes to bake in the centre of the oven, until they’re just beginning to turn golden brown on the edges.

Let the biscuits cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

4. Make the buttercream

Mix together the butter and icing sugar in a large bowl, first with a spatula, then switch to a handheld beater – this just stops the sugar from puffing up when you turn on the mixer. Beat it for a few minutes until lightened and fluffy. Forgot a photo here, but it’s very simple. Make sure to get it nice and light and fluffy.

5. Assemble the biscuits

You’ll want a fresh piping bag and clean piping tip for this. I tend to use a slightly smaller, medium star nozzle for the filling. Transfer your buttercream to it, then pipe little swirls of buttercream onto the flat side of half of the biscuits/cookies.

On the other half of the biscuits, spread a little jam. Now, simply sandwich them together and they’re ready.

The baked cookies topped with buttercream and jam.

Seasonal Notes

These biscuits are affected by the seasons. In summer, I find these don’t need too much milk in the dough and they spread more. This is due to warmth keeping the butter softer and also humidity in the air being attracted by the sugar in the dough (sugar is hygroscopic so it absorbs moisture from the air).

In winter, however, I find they need more milk in the dough to loosen it and make it pipeable but also, they don’t spread quite as much. I still chill them in the refrigerator prior to baking though.

Tips and Tricks

  • Make sure to press your dough into your piping bag in such a way that you don’t get air pockets – they’re very frustrating when trying to pipe a stiff dough.
  • For best results you really need to weigh your ingredients here. A kitchen scale is cheap and will last forever. Cups, while I’ve included the approximate measurements in the recipe, just won’t give you such a good result.
  • This is a very stiff dough and it’s meant to be. That stiffness means that it will keep it’s swirl shape upon baking. If you’re finding it too tough to pipe, you can start by emptying the dough back into your mixer and add just a little more milk – 1-2 teaspoons more. Beat that through, then try piping again. The more milk you add, the less defined swirl you’ll have after baking.
  • In cool weather you’ll find you need to add more milk to the dough than in warm or humid weather to get it to a pipeable consistency.
Top down view of a batch of Viennese whirl biscuits.

Variations

  • Jam: You can use other flavours of jam too or even homemade jam. The thicker, the better so that it doesn’t just ooze out of your biscuits.
  • Lemon: Try a lemon twist. Use a little lemon curd in place of the jam and add some lemon zest to the buttercream for a gorgeous lemon Vienna whirl.
  • Don’t fill: You don’t need to fill these Viennese biscuits – unfilled, they’re a lovely melty and buttery shortbread.
  • Chocolate: Whether you do or don’t fill them, dipping one side in melted chocolate makes a delicious cookie.

Storage

These cookies keep well, in an airtight container, in a cool place like the pantry for 7-10 days. You can freeze them as well. So, if you’re making lots for gifts, you can make them in advance, then freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

FAQs

Where are Vienna whirls from?

England. Despite their name, Viennese whirls are not from Vienna.

Why are they called Viennese whirls?

While they originated in England, it’s likely they were named after similar-looking cookies in Austria or, more specifically, Vienna.

Why do my Vienna whirls go flat?

Too much moisture can cause your Viennese whirls to spread out and flatten. As they flatten, they lose the definition in the swirl pattern. The dough should be very stiff when piping; you should need to squeeze the piping bag quite firmly. Also, chilling the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes, allows the butter to start setting again which will also help them keep their shape in the oven.

Should you chill biscuit dough?

Not all biscuits and cookies require chilling but where you want to keep their shape or where a biscuit has a high proportion of butter, it’s very helpful to chill it first.

Two Viennese whirls stacked.

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Two Viennese whirls stacked, surrounded by more biscuits.

Viennese Whirls

Yield: 10 biscuits
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Chilling time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 7 minutes
4.8 from 4 ratings
Viennese whirls are tender and buttery shortbread-like biscuits (cookies) that melt in your mouth, filled with vanilla buttercream and raspberry jam.
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Ingredients

FOR THE BISCUITS

  • 225 g unsalted butter very soft (8oz / 1 cup / 2 sticks)
  • 100 g caster sugar (superfine sugar) (½ cup / 3 ½ oz)
  • 3-5 teaspoons milk (notes 1& 2)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 225 g plain flour (all-purp flour) (1 ¾ cups / 8oz)
  • 70 g cornflour (US cornstarch) (½ cup / 2 ½oz)

FOR THE FILLING

  • ¼ cup raspberry jam (60ml)
  • 100 g unsalted butter (3 ½oz)
  • 170 g icing sugar (powdered sugar) (6oz / 1 ⅓ cup)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan forced) / 350F. Line 2 large baking sheets with baking paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and cornflour so they’re evenly dispersed. Set aside.
  • Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand held electric beater, beat together the butter, sugar and milk until very pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl a couple of times throughout with a silicone spatula.
  • Beat in the vanilla.
  • Add the flour beating on low until it’s incorporated. Just pulse to start so that it doesn’t fly up out of the bowl.
  • Transfer the biscuit dough to a large piping bag with a large open star tip.
  • Pipe the dough into rosettes about 4cm/ 1 ½ inches wide or so, about 2 inches apart on the prepared pan. You will need to apply firm pressure to the piping as it’s a stiff dough but if you just can’t get it to pipe, return it to the mixer and add another 2 teaspoons of milk (see notes 1 & 2).
  • Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes until just starting to brown on the edges. Let them cool on the baking tray for a few minutes, then use a spatula to help move the delicate biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • While the biscuits cool, make the buttercream filling. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and bring it together with a spatula or wooden spoon, then swap to a handheld mixer and beat for a few minutes until lightened and fluffy. Add the vanilla and salt and beat again.
  • Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a large star tip and pipe swirls of buttercream onto the flat side of half of the cooled biscuits.
  • Spread just a little jam on the flat side of the remaining biscuits, then sandwich them together – place jam-side biscuits on top of the buttercream on the buttercream-side biscuits.
  • Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.

Notes

  1. This is a very stiff dough and it’s meant to be. That stiffness means that it will keep it’s swirl shape upon baking. If you’re finding it too tough to pipe, you can start by emptying the dough back into your mixer and add just a little more milk – 1-2 teaspoons more. Beat that through, then try piping again. The more milk you add, the less defined swirl you’ll have after baking.
  2. In very cold weather, you’ll need to use more milk to loosen the dough. Make sure your butter is very soft to begin with, and in warm weather, use just the 3 teaspoons of milk. In cold weather, use the full 4-5 teaspoons.
  3. How pipeable the dough is will also depend on how soft you get the butter to start with. You don’t want it melted at all but you do need it very soft.
  4. If you don’t want to pipe your dough, just roll balls of cookie dough, then use the tines of a fork to press a pattern into the top. They won’t be swirls but they’ll still be pretty.
  5. For best results you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales like these are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
  6. All ovens vary – check for doneness 3-4 minutes before the recipe suggests.
  7. Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
MORE COOKIE RECIPES!
Calories: 493kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British, English
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Nutrition information is approximate only and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use and any changes you make may cause variations.

Nutrition Facts
Viennese Whirls
Amount Per Serving
Calories 493 Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 17g106%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 7g
Cholesterol 73mg24%
Sodium 9mg0%
Potassium 43mg1%
Carbohydrates 59g20%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 33g37%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 847IU17%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 16mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.