Viennese Squirrels- Or Viennese Whirls?

"Mercy on us, Anne, you've flavored that cake with anodyne liniment. I broke the liniment bottle last week and poured what was left into an old empty vanilla bottle. I suppose it's partly my fault--I should have warned you--but for pity's sake why couldn't you have smelled it?"
Anne dissolved into tears under this double disgrace.

                                                                                        -Anne of Green Gables

          *Cue dramatic music, On your mark, get set, BAKE!

       As you may have guessed from our Notable Quotable of this week (i.e, the Anne of Green Gables quote) my blog entree has to do with baking. Though unlike Anne I did not dissolve into tears, nor was I tempted too, as I thankfully didn't mix up the vanilla for anodyne liniment!

     Before I get to the recipe, I would like to give a bit of background on this dessert. Butter. That is all you need to know about this desert. It has so much butter! Thus, as you may have guessed- it tastes great! I first tried this delectable treat last summer when I was at church in England. In all honesty I ate about 5 whirls (not only cause they were good, but as I found out English church women want to make sure you have eaten before you leave).

                                                   
     A couple of notes before reading the recipe- I got the recipe from PBS, and as some baking reviews recommended- Make sure to get EUROPEAN Butter. American Butter, no matter the brand has a higher water content then European Butter. I used Unsalted Keri Gold butter. The recipe also calls for "Corn Flour", the Brits call Cornstarch, Corn Flour. So be aware of that. The recipe also includes a Jam recipe- However, if you are like me and don't want to take the time, I just bought Seedless Raspberry Jam from the store. Finally, 'Icing Sugar' is what the Brits call Powdered Sugar.
                     

Mary Berry's Viennese Whirls (Or Viennese Squirrels as my Mom calls them):

Ingredients

• For the jam
• 200g (7oz) raspberries
• 250g (9oz) jam sugar
• For the biscuits
• 250g (9oz) very soft unsalted butter
• 50g (1¾oz) icing sugar
• 225g (8oz) plain flour
• 25g (1oz) cornflour
• For the filling
• 100g (3½oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 200g (7oz) icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. For the jam, put the raspberries in a small, deep-sided saucepan and crush them using a potato masher. Add the sugar and bring to boil over a low heat. When the sugar is melted, increase the heat and boil further for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully pour into a shallow container (pass it through a sieve if you'd rather not have seeds in your jam). Leave to cool and set.
2. For the biscuits, preheat the oven to 375F. Line 3 baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment. Using a 2in round cutter as a guide, draw 8 circles on each sheet of paper, spaced well apart. Turn the paper over so the pencil marks are underneath.
3. Measure the butter and icing sugar into a bowl and beat until pale and fluffy. Sift in the flour and cornflour and beat well, until thoroughly mixed. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a medium star nozzle. Pipe 24 swirled rounds (not rosettes), inside the circles on the baking sheets.
4. Bake in the center of the oven for 13—15 minutes, until a pale golden-brown. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and harden.
5. For the filling, measure the butter into a bowl and sift the icing sugar on top. Add the vanilla extract and beat with a wooden spoon or an electric whisk until very light and smooth. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
6. Spoon a little jam onto the flat side of 12 of the biscuits and place jam-side up on a cooling rack. Pipe the buttercream over the jam and sandwich with the remaining biscuits. Dust with icing sugar to finish.

Tips/Techniques

For this recipe you will need a piping bag, a medium star nozzle, a large star nozzle, 3 baking sheets. I recommend placing the whirls in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking. This will help them hold their shape while cooking, especially if piping said whirls took a little time.

     So there you go! On your Mark, Get set, BAKE!