Viennese Sandwich Cookies

Melt in mouth butter cookies sandwiched together with white chocolate buttercream and jam. A delicate and delicious treat to the afternoon tea.

After a long period of heavy skies and rainy days, finally the sun has been lighting up the days. The mild winds with the shining sun gives a great feeling of spring and even more ideas of delicious goodies that I want to bake.

Viennese cookies or whirls have british origin with a history of inspiration from Austrian bakers. These soft butter cookies are piped into cigars or whirls and are then either dipped into chocolate to coat the ends or sandwiched together with some buttercream and jam. These cookies are easily prepared as they only consist of butter, icing sugar and flour. The secret to the soft and melt in youtr mouth texture is the creaming of butter and icing sugar until very pale and fluffy.

This recipe is adapted from the british baking book Cakes and Cake Decorating by Rosemary Wadey were the original recipe called for sugar, but I replaced it with icing sugar (the same amount or a little more if you want them sweeter) as I have seen other recipes of viennese cookies using icing sugar. I believe the use of icing sugar gives these cookies a more smooth and soft melt in mouth texture.

I loved the idea of sandwiched viennese whirls as they look so pretty and delicate with the filling of jam and the swirl of buttercream in between. Instead of using regular buttercream, I did use a white chocolate butter cream which is less buttery in taste and have a great and mild flavor added by the white chocolate. And it is amazing with these type of cookies. Some of the cookies were sandwiched with strawberry jam while I tried using apricot jam in the rest. Personally, I just loved the combination of tart apricot jam along with the buttercream and butter cookies. They were packed full of flavor and oh so delicious.. I could eat them all!

If you want even more softer cookies, try storing the cookies in an air-tight container in the lowest part of your refrigerator and they will become nicely soft after a day and the flavors have also set well, which I really enjoyed.

Note: Put the cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking. This way they will hold their shape better when being baked.

Viennese Cookies (Biscuits)

Recipe adapted from Cakes and Cake Decorating
by Rosemary Wadey

Makes about 15 medium sandwiched cookies

...........................................................  INGREDIENTS  ...........................................................

200 g / 2 cups allpurpose flour
pinch of salt
200 g / 1 cup butter

50-80 g / 1/4-1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or sugar

100 g  / 1/3 cup jam (strawberry, raspberry or apricot)

White Chocolate Buttercream filling

60 g / 1/2 cup icing sugar
55 g / 1/5 cup butter
50 g / 1/5 cup white chocolate
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

...........................................................  PREPARATION  ...........................................................

1 Grease two baking sheets or prepare with parchment paper

2 Sift the flour and salt together and set aside

3 Cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy

4 Work in the flour and the vanilla extract or sugar

5 Put into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe medium sized whirls onto the prepared baking trays

Put the trays in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking

Bake in the middle of the oven at 180 C / 350 F for about 15 - 20 minutes or until pale golden brown and firm

Cool on a wire rack

6 Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a double broiler and set aside to cool
7 Make the buttercream by sifting the icing sugar into a small long sided bowl
8 Add small cubes of butter and mix on high speed with an electric mixer until very light and fluffy
9 Stir in the melted chocolate and mix on medium to high speed until very pale, light and fluffy (the more you mix, the whiter and fluffier it will become)
10 Put into a piping bag with a small star nozzle and pipe an "o" shaped swirl ring on half of the cookies
11 Add a teaspoon of jam into the middle of the buttercream ring and sandwich together with the plain cookies

Sift lightly with icing sugar and serve with good tea


STORAGE: In an air tight container in a cool place for about 3-4 days

Have a lovely afternoon tea!