Viennese whirl mince pies are a delicious way to jazz up your traditional Christmas mince pies and make them a bit more exciting!
Typically enjoyed over Christmas, mince pies are a traditional British treat that has been part of British life since the Middle Ages.
I also love puff pastry mince pies as a twist on the standard type of mince pie.
Icing sugar sifted over the top of these Viennese mince pies gives that look of fresh snow which we need over Christmas!
Even without the icing sugar the Viennese topping looks pretty striking.
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All about Viennese mince pies
Standard mince pies have a pastry case and lid made with shortcrust pastry, and a filling of sweet mincemeat which is made of dried fruit, spices, suet and sometimes brandy or other alcohol.
In these Viennese whirl mince pies, the Viennese whirl topping replaces the usual pastry lid.
Viennese whirls are piped shortbread biscuits, they are crumbly and buttery, and so delicious, so why not top your mince pies with them.
Mincemeat filling
The mincemeat I used the first time I made these was cranberry mincemeat from Waitrose.
This isn’t sold anymore so now I tend to use a jar of mincemeat from whichever supermarket I am shopping in, and add some dried cranberries into the jar if I have them.
The luxury mincemeat (with added booze) you buy in jars at Christmas time is a tasty option but normal mincemeat works just fine.
If you can find cranberry mincemeat though, it has a lovely red colour and tastes wonderful, and is ideal to give a bit of a twist to your usual mince pies.
If you’d rather make your own you could try this cranberry mincemeat from Le Coin de Mel, or just use your favourite mincemeat recipe.
I add some French almond extract to the Viennese whirl mixture for a lovely contrast in flavour to the cranberry mincemeat.
The pastry I made was a shortcrust pastry that didn’t take long at all. You can use readymade shortcrust pastry or pastry sheets as a shortcut.
Making Viennese mince pies
Piping the Viennese whirl mixture onto the pies was much more fun than topping them with a pastry lid, and didn’t take too much extra time. I’ll definitely be making them again and again!
They look almost like cupcakes with a swirly buttercream topping when you pipe out the mixture.
The mixture is quite stiff, it needs to be to keep its shape. So be prepared to be strong when piping it out!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe. You’ll find the quantities together with the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- for the pastry: plain flour, butter, caster sugar egg. Or use readymade shortcrust pastry in a block or ready-rolled sheet.
- for the Viennese whirl topping: butter, icing sugar, plain flour, baking powder, almond extract.
- for the mincemeat filling: a jar of mincemeat or homemade mincemeat.
Instructions
Make the pastry. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, stir in the caster sugar and add the egg. Use your hands to bring the dough together. If needed, add a little cold water to help it come together.
Do not over knead, this keeps the pastry short.
Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in clingfilm, and chill it in the fridge for about half an hour.
Next, make the Viennese whirl topping. Using a wooden spoon, beat together the softened butter and icing sugar until it is very soft and fluffy.
Add the flour, baking powder and almond extract and mix together thoroughly.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a star nozzle fitted onto it.
Roll out the pastry and use a cutter to cut out circles that fit your mince pie or muffin tin.
Grease each hole in your tin then press in the pastry gently.
Place a couple of teaspoons of the mincemeat in each pastry base.
Pipe the Viennese whirl topping onto the mince pies in swirls, as if you were icing cupcakes, starting on the outside and going into the centre.
Bake at 180℃ / 350℉ for approximately 25 minutes until the whirls have risen and are golden brown.
Allow to cool, then serve cold, or warm with cream. Dust with icing sugar for that snowy effect!
My children also thought they looked good and weren’t averse to eating a few either… I have frozen the rest for us to enjoy over Christmas!
Viennese whirls are one of my favourite biscuits, that meltingly soft texture is what does it I think.
Blueberry Viennese whirls with a purple tinge are also really fun to make though I wouldn’t use a colour here for topping these.
So make sure you try these Viennese whirl mince pies this Christmas for a change from traditional mince pies, and see what you think!
It is only a little bit more effort than making standard mince pies for scratch so I think it is really worth it for the extra bit of detail and taste.
Why not try
Puff pastry mince pies are another firm favourite here. I also love these cranberry cheesecake pies for a break from mincemeat!
Brioche mincemeat pudding is a nice way to use of leftover mincemeat in a different form to a mince pie, and mincemeat pudding is a good alternative to Christmas pudding.
Pin this recipe for Viennese Whirl Mince Pies for later!
Recipe
Viennese Whirl Mince Pies
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 200 g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 100 g butter
- 1 tbsp caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp cold water if needed
For the Viennese whirl topping
- 150 g butter softened
- 40 g icing sugar
- 150 g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp almond extract
For the filling
- 400 g mincemeat
Equipment
Instructions
- Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs.200 g plain flour (all-purpose flour), 100 g butter
- Stir in the caster sugar, and then pour in the egg. Use your hands to bring the dough together. If needed, add a little cold water to help it come together. Do not over knead, this keeps the pastry short.1 tbsp caster sugar (superfine sugar), 1 egg, 1 tbsp cold water
- Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in clingfilm, and chill it in the fridge for about half an hour.
- Next, make the Viennese whirl topping. Using a wooden spoon, beat together the butter and icing sugar until it is very soft and fluffy.150 g butter, 40 g icing sugar
- Add the flour, baking powder and almond extract and mix together thoroughly. Spoon into a piping bag with a star nozzle fitted onto it.150 g plain flour (all-purpose flour), 0.5 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp almond extract
- Roll out the pastry and use a cutter to cut out circles that fit your mince pie or muffin tin.
- Grease each hole in the tin then press in the pastry gently.
- Place a couple of teaspoons of the mincemeat in each pastry base.400 g mincemeat
- Pipe the Viennese whirl topping onto the mince pies in swirls, as if you were icing cupcakes.
- Bake at 180℃ / 350℉ for approximately 25 minutes until the whirls have risen and are golden brown.
- Allow to cool, then serve cold, or warm with cream. Dust with icing sugar for that snowy effect!
These cranberry and almond viennese whirl mince pies were mainly baked so I could take part in the Sunday Baking Club’s Technical Challenge Week last Sunday, which had the theme of Mince Pies.
Julie W says
Hi,I’m not disrespecting your recipe and actually they have turned out nice.I don’t know if I’m missing something but I couldn’t get the topping mixture out of my piping bag as it was so thick.Tried some milk in the mixture which did help a little.Any ideal please?
bakingqueen74 says
This can happen, what helps is to only put half the dough in the piping bag so there is less to squeeze. If the mixture is still too thick, add a tablespoon of milk in a bowl and beat well, as you did. If it is too soft then the biscuits will lose shape in the oven during baking so you do need to keep quite a stiff consistency for best results.
Jan Blundell says
Can you please advise whether these are suitable for freezing, and if not how long will they last ?
bakingqueen74 says
Hi Jan sorry I’ve never frozen these so couldn’t say. They’ll keep in a tin for approx a week.
bakingqueen74 says
I’ve had a look online and the WI suggests they can be frozen uncooked.
Emma says
Amazing made last night – made 12 there are 3 left! Will definitely be making them again
bakingqueen74 says
Fab to hear!
Midge @ Peachicks Bakery says
What a fab idea using Viennese Whirls on top! Saving for later!!
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Midge! Hope you do try them, let me know how they turn out in a free from way
AussieChefGeoff says
G’day Lucy! Fantastic idea. My darling wife loves fruit mince pies. With the addition of my famous shortbread cookies. Wouldn’t have thought to combine the two, however you have given me great inspiration thankyou.
Hope you have a blessed Christmas.
AussieChef.Geoff
Pete says
Perfect, viennese whirl mince pies. It’s a year of new combinations for me, already tried curd tart mince pies which were brilliant and had a bit of a lucky accident! I dropped a tray of ordinary mince pies out of the oven, breaking them to a million pieces….. so I turned them into trifles with a little custard and jelly
bakingqueen74 says
Sounds tasty!
Sarah (@tamingtwins) says
These are absolutely gorgeous. I love the texture of a Viennese whirls and the taste of a mince pie. This has got to be the best of both! Thanks so much for sharing with #festivefoodfriday.
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Sarah! so many lovely ideas on festivefoodfriday, can you keep it open all year?
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says
I have never made Viennese whirl biscuits before either. Love the Christmas theme of these one.
bakingqueen74 says
thanks Bintu, they are definitely a must-make!
Steph @MisplacedBrit says
Wow wow wow! Bring on the delicious!
I love this idea 🙂
& they certainly look extra cute with the icing sugar snow.
bakingqueen74 says
thanks Steph – we have now eaten them all, must make more before Christmas!
Janice (@FarmersgirlCook) says
What a great idea, much nicer than a pastry lid.
bakingqueen74 says
thanks Janice, they were a little bit different
Lucy Parissi says
I like the Viennese biscuit topping! Very inventive. So these are hybrid baking creations, right? We need to give them a new name mincevien perhaps? They look delish Lucy, thanks for linking to #CookBlogShare
bakingqueen74 says
could be the new dossant or waffant! Thanks for hosting Lucy