Chocolate-Dipped Viennese Fingers made with only a few ingredients, a delicious sweet treat recipe that is very popular in the UK. The biscuits are so soft, almost melting in the mouth, with a delicate crumbly texture and a hint of vanilla. They make the perfect addition to any afternoon tea or garden party menu, and they go down well with the whole family.
With the Coronation of King Charles III fast approaching and the nicer weather hopefully on its way, afternoon tea parties are becoming more and more popular after all the comfort food that soothed our souls during the long Winter.
When I think of an afternoon tea party, I think of sunny afternoons filled with joy and delicious bites that are washed down with some nice cups of tea. I have lots of finger food recipes for a fabulous party: Afternoon Tea Party Menu Ideas which are so good.
And these Viennese Fingers or Viennese Shortbread Biscuits are the perfect addition here. They are incredibly delicious, elegant and decadent, and you won't believe how easily you can make them at home.
While the Viennese Whirls are the more popular version of these biscuits, the Viennese fingers are even easier to whip up and need less ingredients too. They have a very similar texture to a shortbread biscuit , which is another popular treat in the UK.
Ingredients used
- plain flour - well sifted
- icing sugar - unlike caster or granulated sugar, the icing sugar has a smooth texture which helps achieve the right consistency for the biscuits
- cornflour - or corn starch
- vanilla extract - or any other extract of your choice
- milk chocolate - you can swap for dark chocolate or a combo dark and milk chocolate
- butter - very soft, but not melted
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- Add the soft butter to a bowl together with the icing sugar.
- Use a hand mixer to beat them very well until you get a smooth texture with a pale yellow colour.
- Sift in the flour and cornflour, add the vanilla extract and beat again for at least 2 minutes until you have a very soft mixture.
- Use a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle to pipe out fingers of 5-6 cm in length onto a baking tray that is lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit, 170 fan oven) for 10-12 minutes until the fingers have a very light brown colour around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
- Melt the chocolate to a smooth consistency, and dip each end of the fingers into it - transfer back onto the baking tray lined with non-stick paper and allow the chocolate to harden before serving.
Expert tips
Unlike other shortbread recipes or recipes that use shortcrust pastry, there is no need to chill this dough before baking, in can go straight in the oven as soon as they fingers have been piped.
It is crucial to beat the dough mixture really well with the hand mixer, otherwise it will be impossible to pipe it out, even through a large nozzle. While the mixture shouldn't be close to melting, it does need to be smooth enough to create perfect Viennese fingers.
Do keep an eye on the biscuits after 10 minutes, different ovens work in different ways, and something even a minute can make the different between a well-baked biscuit and a burnt one.
The shortbreads will harden further as they cool down - do make sure you are careful when you dip them into the melted chocolate, as they are pretty crumbly and break easily.
Recipe FAQs
It is most likely that the dough hasn't been beaten well enough with a hand mixture - we need a very smooth, soft mixture.
When biscuits spread too much, it is most likely that the ratio butter to flour is off - too much butter is usually the culprit. Also, never pipe the biscuits onto a warm baking tray, as it will change the texture of the biscuits.
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Viennese Fingers
Ingredients
- 225 g plain flour
- 250 g butter, soft
- 50 g icing sugar
- 25 g cornflour (corn starch)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200 g milk chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (375 Fahrenheit, 170 fan oven).
- In a large mixing bowl, add the soft butter with the icing sugar, and use a hand mixer to beat them very well to a soft consistency.
- Sift in the flour and cornflour, add the vanilla extract, and continue to beat well for at least 2 minutes until you have a pale-yellow colour and a smooth texture.
- Add the soft dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
- Line 3 baking trays with parchment paper, and pipe out fingers of 5-6 cm in length, leaving at least 2-3 cm in between each finger.
- Bake each tray for 10-12 minutes until the biscuits are a very light brown around the edges.
- Leave them to cool down completely.
- To melt the chocolate, break it into chunks, and add them to a bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
- When the fingers have cooled down, dip each end into the chocolate, and transfer them back onto the non-stick paper for the chocolate to harden.
Video
Notes
- Unlike other shortbread recipes or recipes that use shortcrust pastry, there is no need to chill this dough before baking, in can go straight in the oven as soon as they fingers have been piped.
- It is crucial to beat the dough mixture really well with the hand mixer, otherwise it will be impossible to pipe it out, even through a large nozzle. While the mixture shouldn't be close to melting, it does need to be smooth enough to create perfect Viennese fingers.
- Do keep an eye on the biscuits after 10 minutes, different ovens work in different ways, and something even a minute can make the different between a well-baked biscuit and a burnt one.
- The shortbreads will harden further as they cool down - do make sure you are careful when you dip them into the melted chocolate, as they are pretty crumbly and break easily.
Nutrition
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