Viennese Whirls - U.S. version

I am a Great British Baking Show fanatic and I am finally getting around to watching season 4.

There was a technical challenge in the second show for Viennese Whirls.  Two delicate, buttery shortbread like cookies with buttercream and jam in the middle.  Since this was the rare technical challenge that did not require elaborate ingredients or construction techniques, I thought I would make a go of it, as they say.

When I went to look up the recipe, I could not find any with American oven temperatures or measuring techniques.  There was one on the PBS website but even that one said that it had not been tested.  Converting measurements is about as much fun to me as watching paint dry but I really wanted to try this bake.

I found out that grams do not translate perfectly into our cups and spoons.  So, my conversions are below but I would highly recommend measuring the ingredients with a scale.  It's also a lot easier just to dump the ingredients into a bowl until you hit the number you need rather than juggling multiple measuring cups.

Also, if you make this, do not do what I did and put the dough in the fridge overnight before piping.  HUGE mistake.  The dough must be mixed well and extremely soft in order to fit through the piping back tip.  Once you pipe, then the whirls should go into the fridge to harden a bit before going into the oven in order to hold that whirl shape.

Recipe adapted from Mary Berry's recipe posted on PBS website.

Some recipe notes:

• Make sure the butter is at room temperature for both the biscuits and the filling.  It must be almost warm in order to properly mix and pipe.
• You need a piping bag and star shape tip for piping.  Do not use a zip lock or any other kind of regular bag.  The piping bags are stronger and can stand the amount of pressure you need to put on it in order to get the dough out.

Ingredients:

For the jam

The show version calls for jam sugar which is not easily accessible in the states.  So, save yourself a headache and buy the jam.  I used raspberry but you can use any flavor your heart desires.  Or, you can make the jam using your own recipe, if you are so inclined.

For the biscuits
250g or approximately 1 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
50g or 1/2 cup powdered (icing) sugar
225g or 1 1/2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
25 g or 2 1/2 tablespoons corn flour (if you only have cornmeal, pulse it in a food processor or mash it down more with a mortar and pestle)
Pinch of Kosher salt
2 tablespoons heavy cream and more if the dough won't pipe well

For the filling
1/2 cup or 1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons whipping cream
Pinch of salt

Method:

Make the biscuits first.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Using a 2-inch round cutter as a guide, trace 6 circles on the parchment paper to use as a guide for piping the whirls.  Turn the parchment over so you don't have pencil lead in your whirls.

Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until the butter is pale and whipped, about 8-10 minutes on medium to high speed.

Add the flours and mix until combined.  Do the last few turns with a rubber spatula to make sure it is all completely mixed through and bits on the bottom are incorporated.

Pipe whirls on to the parchment paper using the circles as a guide.  The biscuits spread a lot during baking, hence having only 6 circles on each sheet.  Once whirls are piped, put them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so they hold their shape for baking.

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Once the oven is hot, move the whirls from the fridge straight on to the bottom rack of the oven.  Bake for 10 mins or until the bottom is a caramel or very light brown color.  Let the whirls cool on the baking sheet for about 20 minutes and then move to a rack to cool completely.

For the filling, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in vanilla, whipping cream and salt and mix thoroughly.

To assemble
Make sure the biscuits are completely cool before doing the filling.

Pipe the buttercream to the edges of one of the biscuits and then spread the jam on top of the buttercream.  Top with another biscuit and press down very lightly.

These are best kept in the fridge to keep the shape and to prevent the filling from running.  They can be kept in an air-tight container for about a week.