Viennese Sandwich Cookies
We are obsessed with Gemma Stafford’s take on the traditional Viennese whirl. The recipe, Simplest Buttery Viennese Fingers, is featured in her cookbook, Bigger Bolder Baking: A Fearless Approach to Baking Anytime, Anywhere. Here, we reimagine the British teatime favorite as holiday-ready sandwich cookies packed with warm winter spice. We added mulling spices for a touch of warmth and filled these wintry sammies with sweet, sophisticated Cherry-Port Buttercream. Visit our From the Pantry: Mulling Spices article for the lowdown on how mulling spices can elevate your baked goods.
Viennese Sandwich Cookies
Makes about 18 sandwich cookies
Ingredients
2 cups (454 grams) unsalted butter, softened⅔ cup (80 grams) confectioners’ sugar2 tablespoons (16 grams) packed orange zest1½ teaspoons (3 grams) ground cinnamon1½ teaspoons (3 grams) ground ginger1½ teaspoons (3 grams) ground cloves1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground nutmeg1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground allspice½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground black pepper3⅓ cups (417 grams) all-purpose flour6 tablespoons (48 grams) cornstarchCherry-Port Buttercream (recipe follows)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Using a permanent marker, draw 36 (4×1-inch) rectangles, evenly spaced, on 3 sheets of parchment paper (12 per parchment). Turn parchment over, and place on 3 baking sheets.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, nutmeg, allspice, and pepper at medium speed until well combined and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour and cornstarch. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until combined.
Place about 1 cup (247 grams) dough into a piping bag fitted with a medium open star tip (Wilton 4B); pipe small dots of batter under parchment to adhere to baking sheets. Using drawn rectangles as guides, pipe batter in a zigzag pattern. (Dough will take some effort to pipe.) Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Bake until lightly golden and firm to the touch, about 14 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes. Carefully remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
Spoon Cherry-Port Buttercream into a large piping bag fitted with a medium open star tip (Wilton 4B); pipe about 2 tablespoons (30 grams) buttercream onto flat side of half of cookies. Place remaining cookies, flat side down, on top of buttercream. Serve immediately.
Cherry-Port Buttercream
Makes about 2⅔ cups
Ingredients
¾ cup (170 grams) ruby port¼ cup (80 grams) cherry preserves1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened½ teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract¼ teaspoon kosher salt4 cups (480 grams) confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
In a small saucepan, bring port and preserves to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture reduces to ¼ cup, 15 to 20 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing out as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Let cool completely.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add confectioners’ sugar until combined. Add 2 tablespoons (about 34 grams) cooled port mixture; beat at medium speed until fluffy and well combined, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Use immediately.
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