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Mary Berry’s Viennese Whirls

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Tender, buttery, melt in your mouth Viennese Whirls!

A cake plate stacked with Viennese Whirls, butter cookies piped into swirls sandwiched together with raspberry jam and buttercream

Delicious butter cookies slathered with raspberry jam and a light vanilla buttercream filling.

Are you a fan of The Great British Baking Show? If you’ve followed along on PBS or binged all available seasons on Netflix, you may remember these Viennese Whirls featured in Season 4, Episode 2 as part of a technical challenge for the bakers.

This delicious recipe comes from Mary Berry one of the celebrity judges on the show. My husband and I had never seen The Great British Baking Show before it was released on Netflix, but by the end of the first episode we were hooked. It’s easy to see why it’s so popular everywhere!

We were drawn into the variety of the challenges, the personalities, and the sheer magnitude of their creativity! The show has featured some pretty amazing bakers and equally fantastic creations.

 

A platter of Viennese Whirls, little butter cookies piped into swirls sandwiched together with jam and buttercream and dusted with powdered sugar

These tender little cookies (a/k/a biscuits) are really easy to make (if you follow the directions – haha – always a caveat!)

All measurements for the ingredients are noted in grams instead of the typical cups we use in the United States. I’ve made these cookies several times and during the first two attempts I tried converting the measurements to cups instead of grams. I hoped this would make it easier for our readers who don’t own a digital scale.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t happy with either attempt and found that the measurements don’t convert as well as hoped. Do yourself a favor and buy an inexpensive digital kitchen scale and get it right the first time. The balance of butter to flour must be exact to achieve the perfect swirl and proper texture.

In addition to a digital scale, you’ll need two piping bags and two decorator tips.

I used a Wilton 1M tip to pipe the cookie dough and the Wilton 4B tip for the buttercream. You could use the same tip (1M) for both if you want, or just spread the buttercream on with a knife. The swirl on the cookies is much more important than the buttercream filling.

Overhead view of Viennese Whirls dusted with powdered sugar

Ingredients needed to make Viennese Whirls:

For the cookies:

  • unsalted butter
  • confectioner’s or powdered sugar
  • all-purpose flour
  • cornstarch or arrowroot

For the filling:

  • unsalted butter
  • confectioner’s or powdered sugar
  • vanilla extract
  • raspberry jam

TIPS and Techniques to make Viennese Whirls:

  • As mentioned in the recipe below, the butter must be very, very soft (not melted) in order to pipe the dough into swirls.
  • Pipe the cookie dough slowly and evenly ensuring a good thick line inside the circle template. Start piping on the inside edge of the circle and end in the middle by pulling up into a point. The dough will settle down when baked and leave you with the pretty pattern on the top.
  • Use the best swirls for the cookie tops. Nobody needs to know if some are not perfect. The cookies are delicious no matter how they look.
  • Don’t get carried away and add too much jam. Spread on just enough to cover as it will ooze out a little when sandwiched together.
  • I hope all these tips help and that you enjoy making, baking and sharing these treats. They are buttery and light. So delicious and pretty easy to make too!

 

 

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A cake platter stacked with butter cookies sandwiched with raspberry jam and buttercream frosting

4.70 from 49 votes

Viennese Whirls

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 12 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 2 mins
Yield: 16 Sandwich Cookies
Course: Dessert
Author: Tricia
PRINT RECIPE
Enjoy these delicious, tender melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies slathered with raspberry jam and a light vanilla buttercream filling.

Ingredients

For the cookies:

  • 250 grams unsalted butter very soft but not melted
  • 50 grams powdered sugar
  • 225 grams all-purpose flour
  • 25 grams cornstarch

For the fillings:

  • 100 grams unsalted butter room temperature
  • 200 grams powdered sugar plus extra for dusting on top
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup seedless raspberry jam

Instructions

To prepare the cookies:

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter as a guide, trace 15-16 circles on each piece of parchment, spaced at least 1-inch apart. Turn the parchment over so the pencil marks are on the bottom. Set aside.
  • Prepare a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip. Set aside.
  • Combine the butter and powdered sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until pale and fluffy. Sift the flour and cornstarch together over the butter mixture. Beat on low until just combined, then beat on medium until well blended. Scoop the mixture into the prepared piping bag.
  • Pipe the cookie dough into swirled rounds (not rosettes) ending in the center with a little peak. Pipe each round a little smaller than the circle. The cookies will spread a little when baking and are best when not too big. Go slow and pipe a thick stream of dough for best results.
  • Refrigerate the unbaked cookies for 30 minutes before baking. This will help the cookies keep their pretty shape. Repeat with remaining dough.
  • After 30 minutes in the refrigerator, bake the sheets, one at a time, at 375°F for 10-15 minutes. The cookies should be light golden brown around the edges. If too pale, the cookies will not hold together well when eaten. They are best when just slightly brown on the bottom. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare the filling:

  • Prepare a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Combine the softened butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a medium mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and light. Spoon the buttercream into the prepared piping bag.
  • Spoon about 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons jam onto the flat side of half the cookies. Pipe buttercream onto the flat side of the remaining cookies. Gently sandwich the two sides together using one with buttercream and one with jam. Repeat until all cookies are filled. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Recipe Notes

Tools needed for this recipe: Digital kitchen scale, 2 piping bags, a medium star piping tip and a large star piping tip
IMPORTANT TIPS for success:
  • The butter must be very soft when mixing or the dough will be impossible to pipe into rounds.
  • Take your time when piping the rounds. The piped dough should be somewhat thick to achieve pretty swirls.
  • Depending on how thick you make the rounds, you may or may not need to pipe a few additional rounds on a third piece of parchment.
  • Use the 2-inch circles as a guide and try to keep the dough inside the rounds to make them a bit smaller. The cookies are thick so they don’t need to be big too.
  • Refrigerate the unbaked cookies for 30 minutes before baking to set the butter and help the cookies keep their shape.
  • Bake until the bottom edges of the cookies are just lightly browned. If too light the cookies will not hold together well. If too brown they are not as pretty. Watch your baking time closely.
  • Don’t use too much jam as the top of the cookie may slide off.
  • Refrigerate finished cookies until ready to serve. Allow them to come to room temperature for 15-30 minutes before serving if desired.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 547IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

 

Another favorite butter cookie with raspberry jam are these always popular Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints. With a subtle almond flavor and a buttery, crisp shortbread base, these cookies are topped with sweet raspberry jam and an almond flavored drizzle.

And finally, don’t miss these Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies too. Who can resist the classic combination of raspberries and chocolate?!  This little cookie boasts plenty of chocolate flavor and a fun little heart shaped thumbprint filled with seedless raspberry jam.

Originally published November 2018, updated November 2020

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141 Comments

  3. Michelle says

    3 stars
    I was so looking forward to making these cookies, I wanted to make them for a local fair . . . BUT, as good as they were –AND THEY WERE DELICIOUS — they were way too fragile. What did I do wrong??? Cookie is light and fluffy and crumbly. So help me, please. Thank you.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Michelle. Sorry you had trouble. Sounds like they needed an extra minute or two in the oven. As noted in the tips, if the cookies are under-baked they don’t hold together as well. I hope you’ll try again. They are so worth the effort!

      reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Becky. Did you use a different brand of butter in the second batch? I don’t have very good luck with generic butters, etc. Double check that your cornstarch is fresh, too. Sorry you had trouble but I hope you’ll try again sometime.

      reply to this comment >

  7. Cathy says

    5 stars
    I made these cookies and they are delicious. Based on others comments about the fragility of the cookies, I baked them for 13 minutes and I had no issue filling and assembling them. Very pretty on a platter and delicious.

    reply to this comment >

  8. Suzanne Griffin says

    5 stars
    These cookies are so pretty!!! And fragile, lol! I am going to have to be careful filling them. But the cookie is tasty and I can’t wait to taste them filled. I’m going to fill some of them on the day before Christmas Eve so they will be ready at lunch on the Eve and fill some Christmas Eve so they will be ready for Christmas day. I know the family and friends are going to love these light little cookies.

    reply to this comment >

  13. Jenn says

    4 stars
    Delicious and they are beautiful little cookies. The oven temp. is too high and 13-15 minutes is far too long! Mine were done in 8 minutes and I lowered the temperature to 350. The dough was much too stiff to pipe out so I abandoned that and used my cookie press. FYI: European butter has a lower water content (and therefore a higher fat content) and though more expensive does give more buttery flavor (KerryGold, Plugra, Land of Lakes European style). These are very decadent- I have a major sweet tooth and one is plenty!

    reply to this comment >

  15. Lauren Searle says

    3 stars
    Way too sweet & fragile. I really wanted to love these and turn them into a new holiday tradition, but it was just pure sweetness without balance. Unfortunately they just aren’t worth the calories.

    reply to this comment >

  16. Stuart Allen says

    I made these this weekend and they came out picture perfect, everything went according to plan. When I tried the dough before piping, I could taste a decent hint of flour, thought this would bake out, no luck. The finished product looked amazing, but tasted like flour to me as opposed to a butter cookie, any thoughts on how this can be alleviated/what I could have done wrong?

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Stuart. The only thing I can think of is that you might be tasting the cornstarch. You can try using arrowroot in place of the cornstarch. Also use unbleached flour. Hope this helps! So glad they turned out pretty and appreciate your feedback.

      reply to this comment >

  18. Rebecca English says

    5 stars
    I made these a few times while in my quarantine baking phase. I’d like to make them again soon for a friend who is gluten free. Any experimenting with an alternative flour like almond or coconut flour to make these GF?

    reply to this comment >

  19. Linda Leone says

    5 stars
    The cornstarch in the shortbread thumbprint cookies is for making a more tender cookie … nothing to do with making a more stable or keep from spreading . My grandmother would remove a Tbs of flour and replace with cornstarch. Also baked at 325°

    reply to this comment >

  20. Elizabeth M says

    I’ve made these 3 times in the space of just a few weeks. A crown pleaser this cookie is tender with a sandy texture. Perfectly balanced with just the right amount of sweetness. Out of all three batches, I only got 1 cookie. That’s how good they are. Crumb snatchers!

    reply to this comment >

  22. Mayanka Khetarpal says

    3 stars
    Hi,
    Made these biscuits , turned out well, baked them till they were brown properly as I went through all the previous comments.
    After a while they became soggy as soon as you pick them up they fall apart.
    Any idea why this would’ve happened.

    Thanks,
    Mayanka

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Mayanka. I’m wondering how long “after a while” is? Since these are slathered with jam, they won’t last a long time. Did you store them in the refrigerator? If not, humidity could be the problem. Sorry you had troubles but glad they turned out well.

      reply to this comment >

  23. Noelle says

    Made them today. They taste great! But they’re very fragile I broke a bunch while assembling them. What did I do wrong? I’ve never even tasted one before so I’m not sure the texture I should aim for either.

    reply to this comment >

  24. Debbie Cook says

    5 stars
    Delicious I made these a few days ago and were not quite right I tweaked the recipe a bit more “ converting grams to cups and remade today and they turned out absolutely delicious I wanted to post my picture of mine but I don’t know how

    reply to this comment >

  25. Sue says

    5 stars
    These turned out beautifully, thanks to your detailed instructions. I did use salted butter, because that’s all I had, and I think they would have been a little better had I used unsalted butter. Thanks for posting this recipe!

    reply to this comment >

  27. Alice K. says

    5 stars
    Tricia, you were right. I made a second batch with powdered sugar, and they were better. They were sturdier and with a smoother texture. The granulated sugar ones were more delicate, with a sandy texture. I shouldn’t have doubted you! This is an excellent recipe, easy, delicious, and beautiful!

    reply to this comment >

  29. Caroline says

    2 stars
    I tried to make these this past Christmas. And even though the dough was beautifully pillowy soft I struggled terribly with piping it. I felt like I was squeezing so hard and to no avail 🙁
    Unfortunately I ended up giving up and throwing it away. Are there any tips for making the piping easier? Or is the dough just difficult to work with
    Any help is appreciated

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Caroline. After making these many times, I’ve found the only way it works is if your butter is very, very soft. The dough will be too difficult to pipe with cold butter. Don’t refrigerate the dough and use right away after mixing. This is a 5 star recipe – both in flavor and presentation. It’s worth trying again!

      reply to this comment >

      • Cindy says

        3 stars
        Made the first time and they were m perfect! Made the second time making sure butter was very soft because they were impossible to pipe because it was too stiff the first time I had to microwave the pastry bag. They were a disaster!! Melted into one blob on the cookie sheet and I even froze the second tray and the same thing happened! So disappointed. What went wrong?

        reply to this comment >

        • Tricia Buice says

          Hi Cindy. I’m not sure what happened but it must have been the butter. Did you change brands? Maybe there was an error in the amounts you added? Not enough flour? It’s hard to say but I’m sorry you had trouble. I find that holding the pastry bag in my warm hands is usually enough to soften hard to pipe dough. Hope you’ll try again.

          reply to this comment >

          • Beth says

            You might have hit here on one reason some people have been having such difficulty piping the dough even if the butter was very soft. The difference in natural temperature of peoples’ hands! I have hot hands and must be very careful when piping buttercream or when working with anything sensitive to temperature. Maybe if those with colder hands are having difficulty, they might try having something hot nearby on which to warm their hands at the beginning? For example, a hot bottle of water or mug of coffee, or a warmed rice bag (the kind meant for pain relief, not just a plastic bag of rice, lol).

  30. Shelly Aranda says

    4 stars
    The cookies turned out pretty and tasting very good, however, they were a little bit too crumbly. Perhaps they need to bake a little bit longer, or have thicker piping for the swirls? I will try again!

    reply to this comment >

  33. Marie says

    In spite of using soft butter, measuring ingredients with scale, and whipping dough til pale & fluffy, this was a fail. Also, dough was so difficult to pipe such that it popped the star tip out the end of the bag and dough extruded in short pieces. Avoid carpal tunnel. Won’t bother to attempt this again. Sorry

    reply to this comment >

      • Kelly says

        Dumb question but I am new to baking and after seeing this on GBB I naively want to try these! You say the butter must be very soft – what’s best way to accomplish this? Leave out of refrigerator so it’s room temperature? Or whip it more? Thank you!

        reply to this comment >

        • Tricia Buice says

          Hi Kelly. The butter needs to be soft but not melted. You can do this by leaving it out at room temperature if your house is warm. Another way is to heat two cups of water in the microwave until boiling. Remove the water and put the butter inside on a plate. Allow it to soften for 15 minutes or so. Easy peasy. You can try whipping it more, too. Great question! Good luck and don’t give up!!! Happy baking 🙂

          reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Cathy. I tried multiple times to make this recipe work by converting to volume measurements. None of the batches came out correctly. Scales are pretty inexpensive and I highly recommend you use one for this recipe. It’s a unique recipe and there’s not much room for error. They’re easy to make, but the measurements must be exact. Sorry!

      reply to this comment >

  37. Ama says

    Hi there! The cookies taste AMAZING they’re so soft and melt-in-your-mouth buttery I’m in love. My only issue is that I can’t get the cookies to keep much of the swirl shape. I’ve tried doing thicker cookies, smaller and larger whirls, refrigerating for longer, and putting them in the freezer for a while. My next thought is to try a different size piping tip?

    reply to this comment >

  39. Stacy Genereux says

    I made these last night and the biscuits were so fragile that they crumbled as soon as I picked them up. I measured all the ingredients with my food scale, so I did not make a mistake. I refrigerated them for 15 minutes before baking also. Any idea why this happened and what I can try to clear up this problem? My husband loved them and I would like to make them again.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Stacy – sorry you had this problem. You need to bake them just a few minutes more. It makes all the difference. Make sure they are lightly browned on the bottom and they’ll be fine. I’m sure this will fix it! Hope you’ll try again – they’re so good and really hold together once baked long enough. Oven temperatures vary so use your best judgment. You want to bake them long enough to hold together but don’t want them too brown so they’re not as pretty. Good luck and thanks for trying the recipe.

      reply to this comment >

    • Andrea says

      Hi there,
      I’ve tried this recipe twice, the consistency looks right and the biscuits look how they should, but both times they have tasted very claggy and completely dissolved/crumbled when eating.

      Do you have any ideas what may be going wrong?

      Thanks

      reply to this comment >

      • Tricia Buice says

        Hi Andrea. Sorry you’re having trouble with this recipe. Make sure your cornstarch is aluminum free for better flavor. Also bake the cookies just one or two minutes more. Light brown on the bottom is good. These cookies will be too crumbly if under baked. I hope you’ll try again and good luck.

        reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      These cookies will last a week if refrigerated, with the filling and jam. I don’t think they’ll last much longer than that filled or not. The cookie is very tender. I also don’t think these would be good for shipping. I keep them in an airtight container and bring them out 30 minutes before I want to serve. Enjoy!

      reply to this comment >

  50. Elena says

    Tricia, so often I think how I wish we were closer so we could be baking buddies! These are amazing looking and I’m sure just as delicious to eat! I love seeing all your recipes and beautiful photographs. Merry Christmas to you, Ed and the kids!❤️

    reply to this comment >

  57. sue | the view from great island says

    5 stars
    What a stunning cookie, the texture looks just perfect! I’ll be making these for sure this season. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Tricia, thanks for all your amazing recipes!

    reply to this comment >

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