October is my jam.
The leaves are red and yellow and crunchy. The mountains are glowing. I can see my breath in the morning. There is a quilt on every couch in case of an impromptu snuggle session with the puppy. And… fall baking is in full swing.
Pumpkin Spice Viennese Whirls
I was first introduced to viennese whirls when watching the Great British Baking Show. (um, best show ever?!) Mom and I loved the adorable little whirls and are always up for a cookie challenge, so we spent a whole afternoon test driving the recipe. Traditionally, viennese whirls are cookies sandwiched with fruit jam and vanilla frosting. But I worked some October magic, spiced the cookies, whipped up some homemade pumpkin butter, and smushed it all together with vanilla buttercream. #winning
These viennese whirls taste the very best the day you make them. If you need to make them ahead of time, or have leftovers to save (wait, wut?), then store the cookies in the refrigerator. The cookies will become more shortbread-y than melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookie-y, but this will save the pumpkin butter and vanilla buttercream from falling.
Some of the tools Mom and I found helpful when we tackled these for the first time… (*But you can make them just as well without!)
- silicone macaron mat: you can flip this mat over and use it as a guide for piping your viennese whirls
- disposable piping bag
- medium-sized star piping tip
Save some viennese whirls for me. 🙂
mikaela | wyldflour
24-32 Viennese Whirl sandwiches
45 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
1 hr, 15 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter (14 Tablespoons)
- 3/4 cup powdered or confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk of choice
- 1 Tablespoon granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups powdered or confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Make the Spiced Cookies. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix in 1 cup flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Mix in remaining 1/2 cup flour. Mix in 1-2 Tablespoons milk in order to make the mixture soft enough to pipe.
- Fit a piping bag with a medium-sized star piping tip. (If you don't own one, you can just pipe out of the piping bag, but you won't get the traditional whirled edges.) Pipe out 1 1/2-inch cookies, starting with the outside and moving inward. (If you happen to have a silicone macaron mat, place this on the baking sheet upside down and use the circles as a guide--but you can just eyeball it, too.)
- Mix the white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a small bowl. Pinch out some of the sugar/spice mixture and sprinkle liberally over the piped whirls. Refrigerate whirls for 20 minutes to help the cookies keep their whirled edges. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- After refrigerating, bake whirls for 12-14 minutes if using a silicone mat OR 8-10 minutes without a mat. You should start to see the outer edges of the cookies just start to turn brown. Cool the whirls on the pan for 5 minutes, then gently move to a cooling rack to cool completely. (These cookies are very fragile while they are still warm.)
- Make the Buttercream. Cream butter and vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until well blended.
- Once cookies are cooled, spread a small dollop of buttercream. Top it with a small dollop of pumpkin butter. Sandwich with another whirl cookie and enjoy!
Notes
If you're in a hurry, just use store-bought pumpkin or apple butter! Both are great!
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