Clothespin cookies are an old-fashioned favorite that your family will love! Tubes of pastry are filled with buttercream frosting and dusted with powdered sugar for a sweet, tender holiday cookie.
Place butter, sugar, egg yolks, flour and salt 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.
Remove the dough from the processor and place into the freezer for 45 minutes.
Cut dough into fourths. Wrap each quarter in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to keep cold.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Take out one quarter of the dough at a time and allow it to stand at room temperature long enough that it softens enough that the dough can be rolled.
Roll dough out on a floured surface into a rectangle measuring just over 12 inches x 6 inches. Dough should be very thin.
Using a sharp knife, a dough blade, or a pizza cutter, trim the edges of the rectangle so that it measures 12 inches x 6 inches. Cut into 12 strips measuring 1 inch wide x 6 inches long.
Wrap each strip around a mini cannoli form or round clothespins, slightly overlapping the edges of the dough as you wrap. Place (with the dough ends down) on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms are golden. Let cool for 2 minutes, then remove the pastry shells from the forms, placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
Let the cannoli molds or clothespins cool completely, then repeat with the remaining dough quarters.
Make the buttercream filling:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for 6-7 minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the salt and powdered sugar, and continue beating until the sugar is fully incorporated.
Add in vanilla and cream or milk and mix on low speed until incorporated.
Turn the mixer back up to medium-high speed and beat the buttercream for an additional 6-7 minutes.
If the buttercream is too thick, add in a bit of milk, one teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Place in a piping bag fitted with a medium piping tip and pipe into each pastry shell.
Store in the refrigerator. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
I used mini cannoli forms to shape my cookies.If you are using clothespins, make sure to use the old-fashioned round clothespins.I would recommend spritzing the clothespins with cooking spray before using to help the pastry slide off more easily after baking.To quickly cool the cannoli molds, place them in a heat-proof container and set them in the refrigerator or freezer to bring them back to room temperature.Dough recipe adapted from The Funny Farm Bakery