Mary Berry’s Viennese whirls
Mary Berry’s viennese whirls are a simple 4 ingredient biscuit that are deliciously soft and crumbly yet easy enough for kids to help bake.
Viennese whirls may look elegant and fancy, but with only 4 ingredients they are surprisingly easy to make.
We first made Mary Berry’s viennese whirls after watching her set them as a technical challenge on the Great British Bake Off. They take two buttery shortbread biscuits and sandwich them together with jam and cream.
How can kids help make viennese whirls?
The biscuits themselves are really easy to make, so kids can help by measuring everything out and mixing it all together.
It’s important to mix everything really well to make a soft dough, otherwise we find it is too hard to pipe (especially for little chefs).
Piping the whirls was quite a fun job for my kids to do, although it is quite tricky for very young children to do. If you’re new to piping, you might find viennese fingers easier to do. We certainly find piping straight lines easier than these swirls.
Time: 20 minutes plus 15 minutes baking and 15 minutes assembling
Difficulty: Medium
Serves: 12 biscuits
Ingredients
For the biscuits
250g soft, unsalted butter
50g icing sugar
225g plain flour
25g cornflour
For the filling
100g unsalted butter
Icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
Strawberry or raspberry jam
How to make Mary Berry’s Viennese Whirls
Preheat the oven to 190C / 170C Fan & Prepare your baking sheets
Line 3 baking sheets with non-stick baking paper. Using a 5cm/2in round cutter as a guide, get your child to help draw 8 circles on each sheet of paper, spaced well apart. Turn the paper over so the pencil/pen marks are underneath.
Mix the butter and sugar together
Get your child to weigh the butter (250g) then add to a mixing bowl or freestanding mixer. The butter should be soft before you add it to your mixing bowl. If it’s not soft (we always forget to take it out the fridge in advance), you can chop it in to pieces then pop in in the microwave for 10 seconds or so.
Measure the icing sugar (50g) then add it to your bowl. Beat them together with a wooden spoon (or the k paddle of your mixer) until they are light and fluffy.
Add the flour and cornflour
Measure the flour (225g) and cornflour (25g) into a bowl then sieve into your butter/sugar mixture. Beat everything together again until it’s well mixed. Make sure the mixture is quite soft at this point otherwise it will be hard to pipe – give your kids a hand if you need to.
Pipe the biscuits
Fit a piping bag with a medium star nozzle then spoon the mixture in. If you don’t have a piping bag you can spoon the mixture directly onto your baking sheets – you just wont get the same whirl affect.
Pipe 24 swirls (or blobs) inside the circles on your baking sheets. My kids like to do this themselves, but we do find it easier if I help hold the piping bag and squeeze the biscuit dough out, while they guide it into the swirls.
Bake the viennese whirls
* If you’ve got a warm kitchen and the time, chill the biscuits in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before you bake them so that hold their shape better.
Bake the biscuits in the oven for 13-15 minutes. They’re ready when they’re a pale golden brown colour.
Cool them on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the filling
Get your child to weight the butter (100g) then add to a bowl. Measure the icing sugar (200g) out then sift it on top.
Add the vanilla extract (1/2 tsp) and beat with a wooden spoon (or electric whisk) until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Fit a large star nozzle onto your piping bag then spoon in the filling.
Assemble the viennese whirls
We laid the biscuits out on a board with the bases facing up then spooned the jam on one side. Spoon the butter cream icing onto another biscuit then sandwich together.
Serve and enjoy!
Mary Berry's viennese whirls
Ingredients
For the biscuits
- 250 g soft unsalted butter
- 50 g icing sugar
- 225 g plain flour
- 25 g cornflour
For the filling
- 100 g unsalted butter
- Icing sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 190C / 170C Fan and line 2 or 3 baking sheets with baking paper
Prepare your baking sheets
- Using a 5cm/2in round cutter as a guide, draw 8 circles on each sheet of paper, spaced well apart. Turn the paper over so the pencil marks are underneath.
Mix the butter and sugar together
- Weigh the butter then add to a mixing bowl. Measure the icing sugar then add them to your bowl. Beat them together with a wodden spoon until they are light and fluffy.
Add the flour and cornflour
- Measure the flour and cornflour into a bowl then sieve into your butter/sugar mixture. Beat everything together again until it’s well mixed.
Pipe the biscuits
- Fit a piping bag with a medium star nozzle then spoon the mixture in. If you don’t have a piping bag you can spoon the mixture directly onto your baking sheets – you just wont get the same whirl affect.
- Pipe 24 swirls (or blobs) inside the circles on your baking sheets.
Bake the biscuits
- * If you’ve got a warm kitchen and the time, chill the biscuits in the fridge for 15 minutes before you bake them so that hold their shape better.
- Bake the biscuits in the oven for 13-15 minutes. They’re ready when they’re a pale golden brown colour.
- Cool them on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the filling
- Weigh the butter then add to a bowl. Measure the icing sugar out then sift it on top.
- Add the vanilla extract and beat with a wooden spoon (or electric whisk) until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Fit a large star nozzle onto your piping bag then spoon in the filling.
Assemble the biscuits
- We laid the biscuits out on a board with the bases facing up then spooned the jam on one side. Spoon the butter cream icing onto another biscuit then sandwich together.
- Lay the biscuits out then spoon a little jam onto the flat side of the biscuit.
Similar recipes
If you liked these viennese whirls, you’ll love our danish butter biscuits, and our easy cookie and biscuit recipes. Or try our favourite easy bakes for kids.
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