Wallflower Kitchen

Vegan Recipes

Vegan Viennese Whirls

Vegan Viennese WhirlsMy favourite show, The Great British Bake Off is back and I’m beyond excited! Have you started watching the new series?

Last year, I half attempted to do a vegan bake along and it was my intention to do the same this year. But committing to a blog-worthy bake once a week is a little unrealistic for me so I’m just going to play it by ear this time… 

When I saw a clip of this week’s episode (biscuit week) I caught a glimpse of some Viennese Whirls. I’ve been wanting to make a vegan version of these for so long so it was the perfect opportunity!

What are Viennese Whirls?

Vienesse Whirls are a delicious but preposterous creation, originating from Britain. They’re said to be inspired by Austrian Pastries but are completely unrelated. They consist of two butter biscuits, sandwiched together with jam and buttercream.

For the biscuit, I used my Vegan Danish Butter Cookie recipe because I wanted that same buttery, light texture and it worked wonderfully!

The really important thing with this recipe is to use a good-tasting vegan butter. Unfortunately, some don’t taste nice at all and since it’s a big part of the recipe, it can strongly effect the overall outcome. My favourite vegan butters to bake with (in the UK) are Vitalite and Flora’s new dairy-free butter. I’ve heard Earth Balance Buttery is a great option for those in the US.

Vegan Viennese WhirlsSo how do these compare to classic Viennese Whirls? You’d be hard pushed to tell the difference. They’re DELICIOUS!

The only issue is that the buttercream doesn’t stay firm for long, so if you’re leaving it at room temperature for more than a couple of hours, the two halves don’t stay together very well. However, you can just get around this by keeping them refrigerated.

Another tip: Keep the whirls smaller than you think they should be as they will expand ever so slightly in the oven. Plus, they’re much easier to eat when they’re small. I like to make a circle, starting from the outside, swirling inwards to create the “whirl” shape.

These Viennese Whirls are:

  • Dairy-free
    •
  • Eggless
    •
  • Vegan
    •
  • Nut-free (make sure to use a nut-free milk)
    •

Vegan Viennese Whirls

Vegan Viennese Whirls

Vegan Viennese Whirls

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Delicious shortbread biscuits, sandwiched together with vegan buttercream and raspberry jam.

Ingredients

  • 200 g / 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp dairy-free butter, choose a good-tasting one!
  • 125 g / 1 cup icing sugar
  • 310 g / 2 3/4 cup plain flour
  • 1 tbsp corn flour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
  • 2 tsp vanilla paste, or extract
  • 1 tbsp dairy-free milk, if needed

For the filling

  • 75 g / 1/3 cup dairy-free butter
  • 125 g / 1 cup icing sugar
  • Seedless raspberry jam

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F and line two baking trays with baking paper.
  2. Mix the dairy-free butter and icing sugar together in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the dairy-free milk.
  3. If the mixture is too stiff/thick, add the dairy-free milk to help thin it out until you have a soft but firm mixture.
  4. Transfer to a piping bag with a large star nozzle. Pipe the mixture into small circular spirals. Starting from the outside, working your way in. Try and keep them all the same size!
  5. Bake for approx 12-15 minutes until lightly golden.
  6. Leave to cool completely.
  7. Meanwhile, make the buttercream by simply whisking the dairy-free butter and icing sugar together until sweet and thick.
  8. Spread about a tablespoon of the buttercream onto half of the cookies. Dollop a teaspoon of rapsberry jam onto the other half and sandwich together.
  9. Serve or keep refrigerated for up to 2 days!
© Aimee

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If you’ve tried one of my recipes, I would love to see and hear about it! Leave a comment below and tag your social media posts with #WallflowerKitchen :-)

Vegan Viennese Whirls

 

Vegan Viennese Whirls

Reader Interactions

Comments

All commentsReviewsQuestions

  2. Rain W says

    Hello! I'm so excited to make these for Christmas this year. How big should you pipe the cookies? Do you have any general measurements you use to get the complete 16 halves? Thank you! :)
    Reply

  4. Sabina says

    Hi, i tried to make the cookies , all went good except the mixture was not easy going thought the piping bag so i took it out and mixed whit more milk . Still that was not a easy job to use the piping bag . After baking them 14 min and cool them down the cookie inside war a bit moist , is it how it should be or it should be all crunchy texture of the cookie after baking ? The taste was nice , no one would believe its vegan
    Reply

  5. El says

    I see that the serving size is 8, does this recipe really only make 8 cookies? Just want to confirm as I plan to make A LOT! Thanks so much!
    Reply

  8. Simona Eastlake says

    Hi there, Just wanted to ask about storing these lovely swirls. I know it says you can keep them for up to 2 days in the refrigerator....silly question but what do you recommend storing them in? Would a plastic or airtight container make them sweat? Should they be left on a plate open or covered? Anyway I'm sure you'll put me right!!! Many thanks x
    Reply

    • Aimee says

      Hi Simona, not a silly question! I just use ordinary plastic containers but even a plate and some cling film will be fine. They'll be alright uncovered for a few hours too though :-)
      Reply

  9. Tatyana Hanley says

    Hello, these cookies look amazing!What brand of vegan butter do you recommend for these cookies? Thank you, Tatyana
    Reply

    • Aimee says

      Thanks Tatyana! I live in the UK and use a brand called Vitalite, which is available in most supermarkets. Flora dairy-free is also quite good. If you're in the US, I heard Earth Balance Buttery spread is a good choice. Let me know if you try them :-)
      Reply

  10. Tatyana Hanley says

    Hello, these cookies look amazing!What brand of vegan butter do you recommend for these cookies? Thank you, Tatyana
    Reply

  11. Hazel says

    Hi Aimee, Loved these! Made them today for a group and I have passed on your link, as others loved them too! I adapted them slightly by adding fresh strawberries!
    Reply

  12. cate says

    I made these last week and my family absolutely loved them. It was fun to be able to give my children something I'd enjoyed so much as a child, but know that it won't irritate their food intolerances. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
    Reply

    • Aimee says

      Thank you Cate, I saw your instagram photos and absolutely loved the one with your son - SO adorable. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed them, I love hearing that :-)
      Reply

  13. Jane says

    How pleased was I to type 'vegan viennese whirls recipe' into google the day after last week's Bake Off and find your recipe?! Made them this evening as part of the little Great Vegan Bake Along challenge I've set myself this year https://www.facebook.com/janesgreatveganbakealong/photos/a.284075845318288.1073741828.283985931993946/288646511527888/?type=3&theater and am very impressed with how they look and taste - perfect =) Thanks so much for the recipe!
    Reply

  16. Julie says

    I just made these yesterday and they are truly amazing ! I just added a little less sugar to the buttercream so that it wasn't too sweet. Thank you for this amazing recipe. :)
    Reply

  17. Monica says

    These are just gorgeous! I love Viennese cookies and have some success baking them so I'm eager to do it again around Christmastime. It's wonderful you manage to make them vegan. They're almost too pretty to eat but I'm sure delicious.
    Reply

    • Aimee says

      It's the best I've found so far. I tried the biscuit recipe with Pure sunflower and it was not as good. The brand of "butter" really does make a big difference!
      Reply

  22. Anna says

    I'm soooooo making them Aimee!!! When I saw them on tonight I thought to myself: 'hmmm I wonder how easy it would be to make them vegan?' and then- booooooom! Here you are with this awesome recipe! Awesome!!! Xxx
    Reply

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