Viennese whirls recipe

Viennese whirl biscuits are perfectly crumbly with plenty of creamy filling and fruity raspberry jam. Test your baking skills with these fab little biscuits that are sure to impress family, friends, kids and grown-ups! Viennese whirl biscuits are really easy to come by in the shops, but they're so much better homemade. Your family will really appreciate the extra effort you've gone to, to make these at home, and although they have quite a long prep time, the steps are really simple to follow and you won't have any trouble making them. They are the perfect afternoon tea treat, and it's a good thing this recipe makes 16 biscuits because this way there will definitely be enough to go round for everyone! Make these Viennese whirl biscuits at home today for a really fun bake that's well worth the effort!

Ingredients

• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 60g icing sugar, sifted
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 250g plain flour
• 60g cornflour
• Red food colouring (the gel type works best)
• Icing sugar, for dusting

For the filling

• 125ml full-fat or semi skimmed milk
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 125g caster sugar
• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, or less to taste
• about 2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam

You will also need

:

• 2 baking sheets, lined with baking paper; a piping bag fitted with a star tube

Method

1. Using a wooden spoon or electric mixer, beat the butter with the icing sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for a few seconds. Sift the flour and cornflour together into the bowl and mix until smooth.
2. Paint a straight line of red food colouring on the inside of the piping bag, from the tube to the opening of the bag. Spoon the biscuit mixture into the piping bag.
3. Pipe into 32 swirls on the baking sheet. Each swirl should be about 5cm across and 2.5cm high. Chill in the fridge or freezer for 15 minutes to firm.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Bake the biscuits for about 12 minutes or until they are pale golden. Leave for a few minutes on the baking sheet to set slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
5. To make the filling, heat the milk with the flour in a small pan, whisking constantly until the mixture boils and thickens. Whisk over very low heat for a minute to cook out the taste of the flour, then pour the mixture onto a plate. Cover closely with clingfilm to prevent a skin from forming and leave until completely cold.
6. Beat together the sugar and butter until very pale and fluffy – about 10 minutes by hand or 4 minutes with an electric mixer. Add the thickened milk mixture and beat until light, creamy and almost white. Add the vanilla.
7. To assemble, spread a little jam on the bases of half the biscuits. Pipe small swirls of the filling onto the bases of the remaining biscuits and sandwich pairs together. Lightly dust with icing sugar.