Chocolate Viennese Whirls Buttercream And Jam
Despite their name, Viennese whirls are a classic British biscuit. These chocolate Viennese whirls are light, short and buttery. They’re filled with vanilla buttercream and blackcurrant jam and they’re not as difficult to make as you might think. They’re just the thing for posh tea parties but also make a lovely Christmas gift.
Just in case you hadn’t noticed, Great British Bake Off is back. The whole country is watching, it seems. Last week, the bakers were given Viennese whirls as their technical challenge.
Piping is the name of the game for these bakes and I hate piping. It was time for me to move outside of my comfort zone, however. Of course I had to do something a bit different, so I give you my Chocolate Viennese Whirls.
Great British Bake Off and Viennese Whirls
Every week of the Bake Off, I tell myself I’m going to try my hand at one of the bakes, but time doesn’t seem to work in my favour. I didn’t manage a single one last year. The first week’s technical challenge was Jaffa cakes. These are one of CTs favourites, so I really will try and give them a go at some point.
Meanwhile, I’m rather impressed with myself for trying chocolate Viennese whirls.
Chocolate Viennese Whirls
I hunted through my various cookbooks and found several recipes for Viennese whirls. But they were all completely different. The only common denominator I noted, was that they all contained cornflour.
I ended up devising my own recipe, but managed to forget the cornflour. Despite this, my chocolate Vienese whirls were light, short, chocolatey and delicious. They not only melted in the mouth and tasted just as they should, but they retained definition too. Whirly wonderful.
Once the trauma of piping was over, the rest was a simple case of making some buttercream and sandwiching the biscuits with it, together with some of my blackcurrent chilli jam. I suspect Mary would have dubbed them “informal” on the presentation front, but I was thrilled.
Top Tip
Once you’ve piped the dough into whirls, place in the fridge for at least twenty minutes to firm up. The longer you leave them, the more likely they are to retain definition.
Other Filled Biscuit Recipes You Might Like
- Bourbon biscuits
- Chestnut biscuits with a chocolate cream filling
- Coffee biscuits sandwiched with whipped coffee chocolate ganache
- Rhubarb & custard yo-yo biscuits
- Jammy dodgers
- Vanilla biscuits sandwiched with chocolate ganache
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these chocolate Viennese whirls, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Chocolate Viennese Whirls. PIN IT.
Chocolate Viennese Whirls
Ingredients
Viennese Whirls
- 200 g unsalted butter softened
- 75 g icing sugar
- 25 g cocoa powder
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 180 g plain flour (all purpose flour)
- pinch salt
- 1 tbsp milk
Vanilla Buttercream
- 50 g unsalted butter softened
- 100 g icing sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 12 tsp jam of your choice (I used homemade blackcurrant chilli jam)
Instructions
Viennese Whirls
- Beat the butter and the icing sugar together until really soft and creamy.200 g unsalted butter, 75 g icing sugar
- Beat in the cocoa, salt and vanilla extract until well combined.25 g cocoa powder, ½ tsp vanilla extract, pinch salt
- Sieve in the flour and beat until smooth.180 g plain flour (all purpose flour)
- Add the milk, if needed and beat again until smooth. The dough needs to be fairly stiff, but pipeable.1 tbsp milk
- Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle and pipe 24 x 5cm diameter whirls spaced well apart on a lined baking sheet.
- Place in the fridge to set for 20 minutes or so.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the centre of the oven at 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4). The biscuits should be just firm to the touch.
- Leave for a couple of minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
Vanilla Buttercream
- Beat the butter and icing sugar until very pale and creamy, then beat in the vanilla paste or extract.50 g unsalted butter, 100 g icing sugar, ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- Spread the buttercream onto 12 of the biscuits and the jam on the other 12, then sandwich together.12 tsp jam of your choice
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
These chocolate Vienesse whirls are my entry to this month’s We Should Cocoa.
I’m also joining in with this week’s Great Bloggers Bake Off 2016 hosted by Mummy Mishaps.
Tried this recipe for the first time two years ago. They have become my family’s all time holiday cookie that is expected every year! Appreciate the tips for making a better cookie and it just melts in your mouth! Thank you!
Such a lovely thing to read on a grey old day. It’s great to hear these chocolate Viennese whirls have become a family tradition. Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know.
Hi,
I am trying to make more than 12 swirls and the tool to double and triple the quantity is not working. can you help me with that?
Thank you.
Hi Marcie. It seems to be working as far as I can tell. It may depend on what browser you’re using. Try Chrome. But the tool is only there to make it slightly easier for you, you can double or triple the quantities in your head or on a sheet of paper.
Hello – Just wondering about the amount of icing sugar in the cookie. I see it listed as 175 on Pinterest, but your recipe above says just 75. Is it 175 g or 75 g? Thank you!
Hi Marti. Thanks for the question. Pinterest has lumped the two quantities of icing sugar together to make 175g. But it’s 75g for the biscuits and 100g for the buttercream. Hope that helps.
Wow, when I’m feeling brave I’ll give these a go. These look so tasty and so visually impressive as well!
Julia
Thank you Julia. They’re a lot easier to make than they look.
Love the chocolate twist Choclette. AND the jam kick! They look amazing!
There seems to be loads of Viennese Whirls on social media this week…… it’s certainly got everyone baking. I even managed GF ones!
Thank you Kate 🙂 Every week, I’ve wanted to join in, but I rarely have the time. I’ve really enjoyed seeing how different all the Viennese whirls are. Heading over to check yours out too.
Well I love that you made them “informal”. They look rather perfect to me! Melt-in-the-mouth delicious and with homemade blackcurrant and chili jam? Fabulous. I wish I could see the Bake Off. Then again, I’m scared I’d become hooked too. Not that hooked on French TV!
Thanks Jill. I’m always very happy to hear “perfect” when it relates to one of my bakes 😉 Can’t you get iPlayer in France? Luckily it’s only 1 hr a week for a few weeks, so even if you get hooked, it’s not going to have too detrimental an effect.
They have really held their shape well. Chocolate and blackcurrant great flavour combo!
Thanks very much Jacqui. The only real issue I had with them, is that they all vanished with remarkable rapidity 😉
these look great & have a great shape. I think I will try chocolate ones next time 🙂
Thanks, the chocolate ones tasted gorgeous Helen, but I’m thinking if ever I can cope with picking up the piping bag again, I might try something different.
I love the combination of chocolate and the blackcurrant jam. They look and sound lovely x #GBBOBloggers2016
Thanks Kirsty, it’s a great combination especially when the blackcurrant jam has chilli in it 😉
Well if they’re informal I’d hate to think how my baking would be described 😉 They look delicious- and the blackcurrant and chilli jam sounds like the perfect accompaniment.
Hahaha, thank you Debbie. I’m going to have to come over and cast an eye over your bakes now 😉
What a beautiful swirls! I love the combination on sweet chocolate and sour blackcurrants, just perfect!
Thank you Sylvia, it’s a good combination and really surprised myself with those swirls 🙂
I think they look brilliant… Not at all informal! I tried chocolate ones last night but think my favourites are still vanilla.
Thank you Gina 🙂 You mean you made two lots? I am super impressed.
Chocolate and berries work so well together. I really like the sound of these!
Thanks Jemma. Luckily for me, chocolate seems to go with lots of things 😉
wow blackcurrant chilli jam sounds intriguing. Your whirls look fab – i can see how they were melt in the mouth by their shape, they look as a while should for sure. thank you for linking up #GBBOBloggers2016 x
Thanks Jenny and thanks for hosting. It’s been fun reading everyone else’s whirl posts 🙂
I think they look beautiful and inviting and not ‘informal’. Lovely flavour combination too 🙂
Thank you very much Laura. I did get some admiring comments yesterday before they were demolished 🙂
They look so good, chocolate ones seem to be popular this week! I made some without cornflour too before the batch I posted and the texture is still good isn’t it. Love the structure in your whirls, Mary would be pleased.
Yes, I was surprised just how melty and good the texture was despite the lack of cornflour Lucy. And I was super impressed they kept their shape 😉
Really pretty and impressive.
Thanks you Manda, they were very tasty too – all gone now!
Oh my! They look fabulous! I’m not good at piping either but I must say you did a great job! I love that you added cocoa – chocolate makes everything better 😉
Thanks Nadia. I know you and I are one when it comes to chocolate 😉
i’ll say they look bloody epic! I missed GBBO this week but i’m glad you’ve recreated my fave biscuits!
Oh so much drama with the biscuits Dom. You’ll have to catch up if you can. There was plenty of drama in my kitchen when I was piping, but thank you for your kind words.
They look nice ! Would love to taste them too. I love the combination with the butter cream and jam. I’m surprised that there is no egg in the recipe. Piping isn’t my favourite technique either, but you’ve made a really good job.
Ah, thanks Henk. No egg in the recipe. The texture is meant to be a melt in the mouth type of thing, which I’m guessing it wouldn’t be with egg.
These chocolate cookies are so beautifully piped! I am saving this for the X’mas baking!
Thanks Angie. You don’t know how much your comment means to me – can’t stop smiling now 🙂