Cookie-Clad Peg Delights are whimsical, golden pastries filled with luscious vanilla cream, perfect for gatherings, gifting, or a sweet afternoon indulgence. These nostalgic, clothespin-wrapped cookies deliver bakery-level charm.
Delicate, buttery pastry meets cloud-like filling in this elegant dessert that’s equal parts vintage and crave-worthy. The crisp shell and creamy core create a melt-in-your-mouth moment worth savoring.
Star Players in These Cookie-Clad Peg Delights
- Chilled unsalted butter – Ensures a tender, flaky pastry with rich, buttery flavor.
- Egg yolk – Adds richness and structure, binding the dough beautifully.
- All-purpose flour – The sturdy base for both the shell and the filling’s thickener.
- Granulated sugar – Brings gentle sweetness to both the pastry and the cream.
- Milk – Provides the creamy base for the luxurious vanilla filling.
- Room temperature butter – Whipped to silky perfection, it transforms the filling into a dreamy, pipeable cream.
- Vanilla extract – The aromatic heart of the filling, bringing warmth and depth.
Let’s Roll! How to Make Cookie-Clad Peg Delights
Begin by blending chilled butter, sugar, flour, egg yolk, and salt until crumbly. Add water and pulse until the dough forms. Chill it well to firm up before rolling.
Divide and roll the dough into a rectangle, trimming neatly. Cut into strips and wrap each one around foil-covered clothespins to form the signature curl. Bake until golden and cool completely.
Meanwhile, cook the sugar, flour, and milk into a thick pudding base. Chill it completely before whipping it into creamed butter, then add vanilla and salt for a smooth, fluffy finish.
Pipe the vanilla cream into the hollow pastry shells, giving each one a bakery-worthy flourish.
Sweet Secrets & Clever Variations
For crisp shells that hold their shape, don’t skip the chilling steps—cold dough bakes up cleanly. Make sure the clothespins are tightly wrapped in foil to prevent sticking. Want to switch things up? Swap vanilla for almond or lemon extract for a fun twist, or dip the ends of the filled cookies in melted chocolate for extra indulgence.
If you’re after a lighter filling, try folding in a few spoonfuls of whipped cream or mascarpone into the final vanilla mixture—this adds silkiness and softens the richness.
Keeping Cookie-Clad Peg Delights Fresh
Store these filled cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving for the best flavor and texture.
To freeze unfilled pastry shells, place them in a sealed container and store for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature and fill just before serving to preserve their crispness.
Cookie-Clad Peg Delights
Ingredients
Pastry Dough:
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup unsalted butter chilled
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons water
- 1 dash salt
Vanilla Cream Filling:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 dash salt
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend together the cold butter, sugar, egg yolk, flour, and salt until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Introduce the water gradually, pulsing until the dough coalesces into a ball. Shift the dough onto a floured workspace, pressing gently until cohesive and slightly tacky. Divide the mass in half, wrapping each portion in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare clothespins by encasing them in small pieces of aluminum foil. On a floured surface, roll out one dough portion into a 12×8-inch rectangle. Trim edges neatly, then cut into 1-inch wide strips. Spiral each strip around a prepared clothespin, slightly overlapping the edges. Position them seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking tray. Repeat this process with the remaining dough.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until faintly golden. Allow the pastries to rest for a few minutes post-baking, then cautiously slide off the clothespins. Let the pastries cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the filling, combine flour, sugar, and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens, roughly 10 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap to avoid skin formation and chill for 40 minutes.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the room temperature butter on high for approximately 8 minutes until fluffy. Gradually add the cooled milk mixture in increments, ensuring full integration. Scrape the bowl, switch to the paddle attachment, then incorporate vanilla and salt. Continue beating on medium-high for 10 to 13 minutes until the filling is light and smooth.
- Fill a piping bag with the cream and use a star tip to pipe the filling into each cooled pastry shell.
