Viennese Whirls Recipe with Passionfruit Buttercream
This Viennese whirls recipe makes you feel fancy without requiring a ton of work. They provide you with some practice using a piping bag and allow you to experiment with various buttercream flavors. With a dusting of powdered sugar on top, I mean, what’s not to love?
I’m not gonna lie to you, I had never heard of a Viennese whirl until I went to pastry school. If you’d have asked me, it was some type of beautiful Austrian dance. That being said, now they are probably one of my top 10 favorite cookies. I mean, who doesn’t love a butter cookie sandwiched around tangy buttercream?
Give these a whirl – see what I did there? And see if they don’t land on your own top 10.
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WHAT IS A VIENNESE WHIRL?
A Viennese whirl is made of two butter cookies, piped into a swirl, and sandwiched around buttercream. Traditionally, they are also sandwiched around a layer of jam, which you’re welcome to add if you desire.
The cookie itself is “short,” aka on the crumbly side, but oh-so-buttery. Making them just melt in your mouth with each bite. You can easily adapt this Viennese whirls recipe based on your filling preferences as well! Switch up the flavor of the buttercream or omit entirely in favor of jam, curd, or your preferred filling.
How do you pipe the perfect “whirl”? Use soft dough—let it sit at room temperature for 30+ minutes if prepared ahead. Fit a fluted star tip in a piping bag, hold it perpendicular to a lined baking tray, and pipe clockwise in a tight circle, slightly overlapping as you go from the center outward.
INGREDIENTS
- Butter: provides richness, tenderness, and structure for both the cookie and buttercream.
- Sugar: sweetens the cookies and helps create a light, tender texture.
- Powdered sugar: sweetens the buttercream and gives it a smooth, creamy consistency.
- Lemon zest: adds bright, subtle flavor to the cookies.
- All-purpose flour: forms the structure of the cookies.
- Cornstarch: softens the cookie texture for a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth crumb.
- Fruit puree (passionfruit): flavors and colors the buttercream, adding a tangy contrast to the sweet cookies.
Why do I need to thicken my fruit puree? Reducing the puree is essential to the final consistency of the buttercream. If it’s too runny, your buttercream will be too loose. To test for the right thickness, run your spoon through the middle, and if the mixture holds without immediately running back together, it’s ready.
HOW TO MAKE VIENNESE WHIRLS
To make the cookies, start by beating the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together on low speed using a mixer. Once combined, increase the speed to high and beat for two minutes until the mixture turns noticeably paler. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and cornstarch. Gradually add this dry mixture to the butter mixture, folding gently from the top down with a spatula to minimize dust, then quickly finish combining with the mixer. The dough should be soft enough to pipe.
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a fluted star nozzle. On a baking tray lined with parchment paper, pipe the dough in clockwise circles about one to one and a half inches in diameter, leaving no gaps. The cookies will spread slightly as they bake, so piping slightly smaller circles is ideal. Once piped, place the tray in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 338°F for convection (or 374°F non-convection).
Bake the cookies for 13–15 minutes, until lightly golden, then immediately transfer each cookie to a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool completely before adding buttercream.
For the buttercream, beat the butter in a bowl until soft. Add half of the powdered sugar, smearing it lightly with a spatula before fully incorporating it with the mixer to avoid a sugar cloud. Add the remaining sugar and mix until smooth. In a small saucepan, reduce the fruit puree until it thickens enough to hold a line when drawn through, then stir it into the buttercream until fully combined.
To assemble, flip one cooled cookie flat side up, pipe or spoon about a teaspoon of buttercream on top, and gently press a second cookie on top, flat side down. Repeat with all cookies. If desired, lightly dust the finished sandwiches with powdered sugar for a polished look. Serve and enjoy this Viennese whirls recipe!
3 reasons you’ll love these butter cookies
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- Instead of a fruit puree, you can sub in a squeeze of vanilla paste (or approx. ¼ tsp vanilla extract) or a teaspoon of lemon juice
- It’s imperative to the structure of the cookie to beat the first mixture for two minutes, to help aerate the butter. Set a timer and count the tiles on your backsplash or whatever you need to do to maintain that time.
- This batter is stiff, so take your time piping. You will likely need to use your finger to gently pull the tip from the tray after each circle.
- If using two trays and baking together in the oven, bake for eight minutes and then switch the positions of the trays and complete your bake.
- When assembling, handle your cookies gently. They can break easily when pressing together into sandwiches.
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
You can make the cookie dough for this Viennese whirls recipe in advance. It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or close to 6 months in the freezer. I would recommend piping your whirls onto a sheet that fits in your freezer. Place the piped dough into the freezer for 30 minutes or until hard, then pull them off and store in an airtight container. Transfer to the fridge to thaw, but stay chilled, a few hours before baking.
Additionally, if you make your passionfruit buttercream in advance, you can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just place it in the fridge overnight to thaw, and place it on the counter an hour or two before assembling to be soft enough to pipe.
Store your Viennese whirls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Additionally, these cookies freeze beautifully! You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Just remove them from the freezer an hour in advance of serving, to give the cookies time to thaw.
MORE PRETTY DESSERT RECIPES
For a crowd-pleasing showstopper, you have to try my Black Forest Tiramisu. Layers of homemade chocolate ladyfingers, whipped filling, and cherry filling. A fun twist on two classics! Because I love the look of a rustic pie, try this easy Peach Galette made with fresh peaches on top of a brown sugar-cinnamon cream cheese. Love a little tang? This Lime Olive Oil Cake is like a key lime pie in cake form. Or, for a treat just for you, this Single-Serve Lemon Tart will satisfy any craving!
EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED
Equipment
- Mixer (hand or standing)
- Zester
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Spatula
- Piping Bag
- Fluted Star Piping Tip
Ingredients
- 13.5 tbsp butter, softened
- 5 tbsp sugar
- ¼ lemon zested
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 7.5 tbsp butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup fruit puree*
Instructions
COOKIE
- With your mixer on low speed, beat together your butter, sugar, and zest. Then turn your mixer up to high speed for two minutes*- set a time. The mixture should become much paler.
- In a separate bowl, sift together your flour and cornstarch.
- Once your butter mixture is ready, add in your flour/corn starch mixture and cut through with a spatula from the top of the bowl to the bottom, to cut down on “dust.” Quickly combine with mixer to finish. The mixture should have a pipeable consistency.
- Transfer to a piping bag with a fluted (star) nozzle.
- On a parchment paper-covered baking tray, pipe* cookies in clockwise circles, about an inch to an inch and a half in diameter. Make sure to leave no gaps in your circle, These will spread a little as they bake so I prefer to be on the smaller side. You should look like you have a tray full of snails by the end of it
- Place cookie-covered baking tray into the fridge for 30 minutes to firm
- Preheat oven to 338F convection (374°F non-convection)
- Bake 13-15 minutes*, until nicely golden in color.
- Immediately remove cookies from the baking tray and place on a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
BUTTERCREAM
- In a bowl, beat butter with a mixer until soft and glossy
- Add half of your sugar and, using a spatula, smear it in lightly before completely incorporating it with your mixer. This will save you from a dust plume if you go for the mixer first.
- Add in the remaining sugar and combine.
- In a small saucepan, add your fruit puree and reduce until you can draw a line through it and it holds
- Add your fruit puree to the butter/sugar mixture and combine
- You can leave the buttercream in the bowl or place it in a piping bag.
- Flip one cooled cookie over (flat side up) and, depending on the size of your cookie, place about a teaspoon of buttercream on it. Take another cookie, flat side down, and gently press on top of the buttercream. Repeat until all the cookies have been sandwiched.
- If desired, place cookies together, and lightly dust them with powdered sugar. It adds a little pizzazz to your overall look.
- Enjoy!
