Welcome to the Baker’s Dozen Ultimate Cookie Exchange! Today I’ve united with twelve other incredible food bloggers to bring you a holiday cookie celebration so big, it’s being monitored by the North Pole. To see all of the participating bloggers, and to learn more about the valuable giveaways, please visit the Baker’s Dozen home site at www.13CookieChristmas.info. 
Now for my cookie…
I love the winter months…I am a big fan of snow, decorated trees and cookies. Baking during the holidays is filled with all different varieties of cookies. It’s the time of year to share and savor your favorite goodies with friends and family. It’s also the time to build memories and traditions that will last a lifetime.
When I was invited to participate in The Ultimate Baker’s Dozen, I knew that I wanted to provide you with a cookie that was delicious, but also steeped in tradition. It is my hope that you will take this recipe, prepare it with someone dear to you and then share the cookies with the special people in your lives. This recipe takes a little time and patience, but it’s a great way to spend some much needed quality time in the kitchen with friends and family.
I chose to make “Clothespin Cookies” because these are the cookies that I look forward to every year when visiting my dad and step mom for the holidays. My step mom orders these every year from a friend and let me tell you, I eat A LOT of them! These are essentially strips of pastry dough made into a tube shape and filled with buttercream frosting. Although I was unable to get the recipe that my step mom’s friend uses, I did get my hands on an amazing recipe from The Funny Farm Bakery in Wakeman, Ohio. The owners of the bakery happen to be friends with my mom and they graciously provided me with their recipe and it worked out beautifully! I chose to fill these with my go to recipe for buttercream frosting and the end result was a delicious and truly addictive holiday cookie.
A tidbit of history for you…”Clothespin Cookies” got their name because they were originally formed on round clothespins. You can purchase metal forms like these, but I chose to go old school and use clothespins that I purchased from Michaels.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! Please take some time to check out the other fabulous bloggers participating in this event! Have a delectable day and thanks so much for visiting!
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Clothespin Cookies
from: The Funny Farm Bakery
yield: this makes A LOT of cookies I halved the recipe and made over 80…keep in mind they are small!
Ingredients
For the Dough
1 pound of margarine
1 cup cold water
2 tablespoons Crisco
1 tablespoon sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp Butter Flavoring
4 1/2 cups flour
Method
1. Place margarine, Crisco, sugar, egg yolks, butter flavoring and flour into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until well combined. Slowly mix in the water until fully incorporated and dough forms a ball in the bowl of your processor.
2. Remove the dough from the processor and place into the freezer for 45 minutes.
3. Cut dough into fourths. Wrap each quarter in plastic wrap. Chill.
4. Take out one quarter at a time and allow to stand at room temperature long enough that it softens enough that the dough can be rolled.
5. Roll dough out on floured pastry sheet/ board about 1/8 inch thick (or as thin as you can get it). Cut dough into 3/4 inch wide by 3 inch long strips. Wrap around clothes pins or metal forms.
6. Bake (seam side down) at 375 degrees F (200 degrees C) for approximately 9-10 minutes until the bottoms are lightly browned. Slide off forms while still very warm and then cool completely.
Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1 stick salted butter – room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter – room temperature
1 cup shortening
1 tablespoon Clear Vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
2 pounds confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar, 10x)
6-8 tablespoons very cold milk
Method
Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the clear vanilla extract and butter flavoring and combine well. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold milk… one tablespoon at a time, combining very well after each addition (mixer on medium-high to high speed) until you reach the desired consistency.
Fill cooled pastry tubes with filling using a pastry and sprinkle the cookies with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
{ 129 comments… read them below or add one }
The Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies sound amazing!
I love your blog! I just recently started my own baking blog and you have provided lots of inspiration!!
I would have to choose the Creamy Peanut Butter Cookies —- they look divine!!
emily8463@gmail.com
Those cookies look amazing! I'm so glad I found you! I bake all the time too, and blog about it (among other things) I'll definately be back.
~Liz
My favorite cookie would have to be the Snickerdoodle! The White Chocolate chunk look good, but I will never turn down a snickerdoodle cookie. They all look so classic and who doesn't love a homemade cookie! Thanks for providing an outlet to find all these great and different sites!
kate.l.ham@gmail.com
It's me again. I can't seem to find where to Subscribe in Email. The subscribe button doesn't seem to work, and the Feedburner doesn't have an option for email. Do you have one? Thanks
~Liz
oh my the clothespin cookies are so cute, i think i'll add these to my list to make for goodie boxes. i like to have some that aren't the normal round cookie.
and i think the sugar cookies sound yummy.
These are so, so cute! Can you freeze them? I'm thinking they'd be great to make for a cookie exchange since the recipe makes so many AND they're unique and fun and yummy-looking!
I choose the snickerdoodles. YUM!
Thanks for posting so many great recipes. We've tried several so far! Hmmm…picking a favorite cookie…if I were picking from the Monthly Features I'd select the Blueberry Cobbler cookies and from the classics, it would be the Old-Fashioned Vanilla.
goiahawks@gmail.com
Hoosier Homemade-
Thanks for stopping by, you can subscribe here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyBakingAddiction
-Jamie
chocolate chunk!
these cookies look like so much fun to make! i love the idea of using clothespins
i would have to choose the white chocolate chunk pecan cookies… YUM
Walnut Chocolate Chip. I am so going to bake this weekend!
Super Chocolate Chunk!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Ginger spice! I've been on a ginger kick lately. I think it's my new favorite spice.
Walnut Chocolate Chip – yum, yum, yum! http://wonderwomanconfessions.blogspot.com
They all look wonderful, but the Double Chocolate Fudge cookie looks sinfully delicious!!!
mskmincey@gmail.com
Yum, Toffee chocolate chip. That sounds very tasty to me!
neh05 at fsu dot edu
Something about those Cherry Chocolate Chunk cookies makes my mouth water… I'd love to get my hands on any of those cookies though!
[ mailckim@gmail.com ]
I'll always go for a good snickerdoodle!
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut all the way!! Love the Mac nuts!!
Thanks for sharing these amazing recipes!!
– Anne
http://www.everlastingink.blogspot.com
Definitely the White Chocolate Chunk Pecan…..two of my favorite things….and your cookie recipe looks yummy….buttercream frosting….can't wait to try these
Thanks
I love the delicate and wintery look of your cookies.
~ingrid
Snickerdoodles for me. YUM!
Snickerdoodles are always my favorite!
The sampler, of course, because I can NOT choose. Well, maybe the cranberry orange pecan…
The cranberry orange pecan sounds very tasty.
Your clothespin cookies sound really good too, I think I'll have to put them in my To Try folder.
The Triple Chocolate Chunk sounds INCREDIBLE!!
The oatmeal walnut raisin look fantastic. Not as cute as yours though.
Double chocolate fudge all the way!!
Gingerspice would have to be the winner.
White chocolate macademia nut!
I would love the toffee choc. chip but the cranberry white choc. sound wonderful!
Carey
Definitely the peanut butter chocolate chip!
these are just fantastic, i've never seen anything like it. gorgeous!
Double chocolate fudge… or maybe the white chocolate brownies…
Cranberry Orange Pecan!
First can I say that I love clothespin cookies! There is this bakery in Fremont, OH (where I was born and raised) that always has them stocked. When I got home I always get those, coconut logs and maple sticks…yum!
Now onto the giveaway. How fun! I'm totally digging the old fashioned vanilla cookies…delicious!
I lurve Snickerdoodles!
The second I saw blueberry cobbler cookies I didn't need to look any furthur. Why haven't I ever seen those before! Yum! casidyanne at hot mail dot com
The clothespin cookies look yummy! I can see why you love them.
I'm a basic girl so I would have to stay true to chocolate chip. The snickerdoodle cookies are a very close 2nd though.
Happy Holidays!!
The old fashioned vanilla cookies are calling my name.
urchiken at gmail dot com
P.S. Can I substitute butter for margarine in your cookie recipe?
The Cranberry White Chocolate sound delish!
The Oatmeal Raisin Walnut looks sooo good! whisk-at-hand.blogspot.com
I would choose ginger chocolate chunk! Yum!!
These look so pretty and are delicious!
On the cookie giveway, I would opt for M&M chocolate chip!
Peanut butter white chocolate is my fave
member (dot) thao (at) gmail.com
Cranberry white chocolate are one of my all time favorites! Yum, Yum, Yum!
I would have to go with Double Chocolate Fudge – wow! Thanks for the giveaway!
jmhamlin826 AT yahoo DOT com
I'd love to try their cranberry shortbread cookies! How festivally delicious. Thanks for another great giveaway!
The Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies sound divine.
wendyc06@gmail.com
My favorite would be the double chocolate fudge. Yummy!
Yum! The PB chocolate chip cookies look amazing!
Your cookies look amazing! I would choose the ginger spice cookies.
I would have to choose the Double chocolate Fudge.
I like the fall decorated cookies
Thanks!
Decadent Triple Chocolate Chunk, for sure!
How about Double Chocolate Fudge! I love Country Cupboard Cookies! I've ordered Christmas Gifts from them in the past.
The blueberry cobbler cookie looks really good!
The sugar heart cut-out looks too cute!
The classic Chocolate Chip cookies look awfully good!
momladyof4@gmail.com
Ginger spice sound yummy! Thanks for the origin trivia about clothespin cookies.
the gingerspice cookies look yummy!
White Chocolate Chunk Pecan!
The Ginger Spice look good. (Probably because of the recipe you posted recently.) Thanks for a chance at the giveaway.
Favorite?!
You mean I have to choose between Cranberry White Chocolate and Gingerspice?! Impossible.
It has to be the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. That's the best flavor combination ever!
christinadey@gmail.com
Double Chocolate fudge!!!! Yum!
Can I pick three!? The snickerdoodles, gingerspice and cherry chocolate chunk all sound delicious! If I could only try one – it would be the cherry chocolate since I've never had anything like that!
White chocolate macadamia nut? Yeah, that sounds amazing!!
Volley_Chick23@msn.com
TOFFEE CHOCOLATE CHIP!!! Yum.
The Double Chocolate Fudge!!
Those Clothespin cookies also look amazing, I'll take a dozen of those too!!
I would love to try the shortbread cookies. I make them a lot & love trying new kinds.
Jen cjy5787@gmail.com
The M&M chocolate chip cookies look so good!
Oh, I have to go with a classic, Oatmeal Walnut Raisin… mmmmm!
I would LOVE to try the peanut butter chocolate chip or the m&m
Blueberry Cobbler cookies, all the way!
M&M Chocolate chip! YUMMMMMM
Toffee Chocolate Chip for me!
BROWNIES…..I hope they count. Thanks for your inspiration.
Creamy Peanut Butter! Those clothespin cookies look amazing! I already have way too many goodies to make for the holidays so you should send me some.
cranberry white chocolate, come to mama!!
Good ol'sugar cookies, BUT I had rather have your clothespin cookies delivered to my door. YUM!!
I can't decide between good old fashioned chocolate chip or the chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. They both look fantastic!
Its hard to beat a good snickerdoodle!
I would choose the holiday shortbread and be reminded of Christmas!
I thought the signature holiday cookies look scrumptious.
Blueberry Cobbler. Sounds amazing and something I've never had before!
Cranberry Orange pecan sounds awesome!
I love peanut butter cookies!
Toffee chocolate chunk–YUM!!
I love the Cookie Art cookies!!! I love decorated cookies that are out of the ordinary!!!!
Cherry Chocolate Chunk sounds so good – I love the flavor combination.
My favorite cookie would have to be the olf fashioned vanialla cookie. I love simole cookies with simple flavors! This one just sounds like it will melt in your mouth! Love the blog by the way!
Your cookies look so cute! I thought the creamy peanut butter cookies looked great!
nlarma@gmail.com
Cherry Chocolate Chunk ( January)
They sound AMAZING!
I have too many favorite cookies! But maybe toffee choc. chip.
You can never go wrong with Ginger Spice!
M&M chocolate chip!
Toffee chocolate chip cookies look so yummy! And I think your clothespin cookies look delectable too! They remind me of cream horns!
Gingerspice!
Your cookies sound intriguing…hope I have the patience to see these through.
Snickerdoodles, definitely! LOVE these cookies; made them a lot when I was growing up and they always remind me of my childhood!
Deborah
deborah0523@yahoo.com
All the cookies look good, but my favorite would be the snickerdoodle and the cowboy cookies in August for my birthday. Happy Holidays and Happy Baking!
The cranberry white chocolate sound wonderful. I would love to try the clothespin cookies. They look delicious!
Your cookies sound a lot like the lady fingers my room mate used to make!
The cranberry white chocolate cookies look just sweet enough; like the cranberry bliss bar at Starbucks without the toothache afterward!
The Super Chocolate Chunk cookie looks great!
I'd love the peanut butter chocolate chip!!! MMMMM!!!
The deep dish butterscotch blondies look sooooo good.
I'd love the gingerspice cookies. Ginger and molasses are so great!
Hands down, the Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies would be my favorite. I recently baked them and will have them on my blog soon.
ginger spice sounds super yummy in mah tummyyy
What a fun blog! I'm glad I found you. I think the snickerdoodles look tasty!
mormishmom at gmail dot com
Cranberry white chocolate is my weakness! The flavors go together so amazingly
I think I'll have to place an order soon! cutecort@yahoo.com
Super Chocolate Chunk. What? I like chocolate!
jmoore3333(at)gmail(dot)com
Walnut Choc. Chip is def. my favorite.
They should warn readers to eat before viewing their blog… or maybe not.
They all looked so good, but the White Chocolate Chunk Pecan would be the biggest hit at my house. Thank you for your great contest!
andrea.kruse at gmail dot com
Julie my favorite cookies at Country Cupboard Cookies are the Homemade Christmas Sugar Cookies frosted in buttercream! They look so good! Thanks for the great posts. I love your site!!!
Tough call but I'd have to say my favorite are still snickerdoodles
Chris
zekks at yahoo dot com
Thanks!
Super Chocolate Chunk
And, your clothespin cookies look yummy!
Toffee chocolate chip!
White Chocolate Chunk Pecan. Love your Closepin Cookies recipe—definitely on my must-try list.
mom0js (at) yahoo (dot) com
mmmm creamy peanut butter for sure
They all look so good! I think the Gingerspice looks best to me right now, though.
mmm…gingerspice…
and btw I love your blog design!
Definitely the Cranbery White Chocolate ones! They look so good! It was a tough decision between that one and the Snickerdoodles =D
My favorite is the Super Chocolate Chunk.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip!! But I just got done making PeanutButter Cupcakes, so maybe I still have PB on the brain!
Wow all of them look amazing. I would love to try the double chocolate fudge
who could choose?! Classic Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Chip and Super Chocolate Chunk look like the way to go for now…until later, that is! YUM!