It’s that holiday time of year again; the time of year when every house is filled with the sweet aromas of delicious holiday treats. Cookies are a favorite homemade gift to share with friends during this time of year. This is a recipe for delicious, easy, and beautiful clothespin cookies, sometimes also called Ladylocks, because of their beautiful, spiral shape.
3 packages frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
2 cups vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
seeds from 1/2 of a vanilla bean pod
2 pounds confectioner’s sugar
7 oz. jar marshmallow cream
3/4 cup milk
food coloring (optional)
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1. Thaw out the puff pastry over night in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
3. Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 12″ x 10″ rectangle. Cut the dough into 1/2″ wide x 6″ long strips using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter. Wrap each strip around a cream horn cone-shaped cookie mold, dampening slightly with a touch of water and just barely overlapping the edges. Bake at 450°F for 5 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 375°F and continue to bake for 10 additional minutes. Carefully remove the cone-shaped molds, and allow the cookies to cool completely.
4. With an electric mixer on high speed, cream together the vegetable shortening, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, seeds from vanilla pod, and milk. Beat this mixture for 10 minutes. Add the marshmallow cream to the milk and sugar mixture and beat until thoroughly combined. Color with food coloring to add a festive touch, if you so choose.
5. Using a pastry bag, or a plastic bag with a hole cut into one of the corners, pipe the marshmallow cream filling into the into the center of the cooled spiral cookies. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with sifted confectioner’s sugar just before serving.
For best results, store cookies in an airtight container and keep refrigerated until used. These cookies also freeze well.
This is a unique and beautiful cookie recipe that is perfect to serve as a holiday treat. The dusting of powdered sugar resembles snow and sets the perfect tone for the holiday season. This is a great recipe to add to your holiday goody baskets to be given to friends and relatives.
