Gluten Free Viennese Whirls - #GBBOGlutenFree

These crumbly, buttery gluten free biscuits are sandwiched with strawberry jam and vanilla buttercream!

Yield: 2 dozen individual biscuits or 1 dozen sandwich biscuits
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 9 to 12 minutes

Gluten Free Viennese Whirls

Viennese Whirls -- crunchy, buttery cookies sandwiched between creamy vanilla buttercream and fruity jam. They're bliss and last week's Technical Challenge from the Great British Bake Off. I love watching Bake Off, but it always makes me frustrated that there's rarely any mention of gluten free alternatives or even gluten free baking, so I've decided to challenge myself to trying every technical challenge but making them suitable for coeliacs. It'd be great if you joined in! Just use the #GBBOGlutenFree hashtag to share your bakes and spread the word about gluten free baking!

These biscuits are easy to make, guys. So simple. In fact, I got a little bit too cocky whilst making them and allowed my first batch to burn. Don't do what I did. Keep an eye on your oven, because they'll turn fast!

Thin as air, these gluten free cookies bake fast, so watch out!

I filled my whirls with vanilla buttercream (you can find my favourite recipe in this post) and strawberry jam (make your own jam in the freezer with this recipe) or take a shortcut and use your favourite shop-bought jam and buttecream. It'll taste just as yummy!

A few more notes before we get to the recipe:

• I used a gluten free all purpose blend that is mostly white and brown rice flour. Personally, I hate the texture rice flour gives bakes, so I added an equal portion of ground almonds. 
• Traditionally, Viennese biscuits call for vanilla, but I use so much vanilla in my buttercream, that I didn't want it to overpower the subtle almond flavour and the jam, so I skipped it. I don't think the biscuits miss it all! If you'd like to use it, just add in a tablespoon with the butter. 

Ingredients:

For the Viennese Whirls
50 grams or 1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons gluten free cornflour
50 grams or 1/2 cup icing sugar/confectioner's sugar + more for dusting
60 grams or 1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour
60 grams or 1/2 cup ground almonds
125 grams or 1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons butter, softened
 
For the strawberry jam
1 portion of the best freezer jam, any flavour
 
For the vanilla buttercream
1 portion of vanilla buttercream

Coeliac Friendly Viennese Whirl Biscuits

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 190c or 375f.
2. Combine the butter, gluten free flour, corn flour, ground almonds and icing sugar in a food processor until mostly smooth. (If you are using a tablespoon of vanilla, add it now.) To get the classic Viennese ridges, make sure you don't overmix! 
3. Spoon the batter into a piping bag with a star nozzle.
4. Pipe the biscuits into circles any size you'd like, just try to make them uniform.
5. Bake in the oven for 9 minutes or until golden brown. My first batch (the burnt ones) baked for 12 minutes. 
6. While the biscuits bake and cool, whip up your buttercream and make your jam. To take the pressure off, I'd recommend making the jam a day or two before or just using shop bought. 
7. Once cool,  gently spread some jam on the bottom biscuits. Be careful - the thin cookies will be fragile!
8. Spoon some buttercream into a piping bag, again fitted with a star nozzle and pipe on top of the jam. Be generous with the cream, there's not much sugar in the cookies, so the sweetness really comes from the buttercream. Top each cookie off with another to make a sandwich, then sprinkle with a bit of icing sugar.

 

Keep baking gluten free with these easy recipes: 

Gluten Free Meringue Kisses with Nutella & Tequila Cream 

Gluten Free Pistachio & Rose Baklava 

Gluten Free Mille Feuille with Blueberry Cream