Also known as Cream Horns and Lady Locks, these Sugar Free Clothespin Cookies are a classic pastry filled cookie.
Made with puff pastry stuffed with chocolate buttercream, these cookies feature the a mouthwatering marriage of textures and flavors, making them perfect for serving as a dessert or for sharing with other at your next gathering.
What you will read about in this recipe.
What makes Clothespin Cookies so good?
ClothesPin Cookies are a favorite thanks to their flaky buttery pastry shell (tubes) stuffed with creamy sweet filling.
I like how easy to make, yet impressive this pastrie cookies are.
Have you tried my recipe for Sugar Free Chocolate Filled Croissants
Made with sugar free hazelnut spread, those croissants are perfect for breakfast or as a snack any time of the day. Both this recipe for clothespin cookies and that recipe for croissants are made with puff pastry that is stuffed with something tasty!
Wooden Clothespin were used to to form the pastry 'horn' that will house the filling. You can find wooden Clothespins here.
What you need to make Clothespin Cookies
- Puff Pastry Thawed.
- Butter Softened to room temperature. If you use unsalted butter you can add a half teaspoon of salt.
- Sugar Free Powdered Sugar.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Vanilla Extract
- Heavy Cream
How to make Clothespin Cookies with No Added Sugar
- Prep Time: 50 minutes .
- Bake Time: 20 minutes .
- Servings: 12- depending on how your strips are cut .
- How to Serve: Serve as is or with additional powdered sugar alternative dusted and melted chocolate drizzles.
- Notes: You will need aluminum foil, a baking sheet, clean wooden clothespins and foil to make this recipe . My clothespins were wrapped in foil that was sprayed before wrapping them with the pastry.
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 400f. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray.
- Pastry. On a clean and lightly floured workspace, unroll a puff pastry sheet. Use a pastry cutter or pizza cutter to cut the dough into strips. My dough was cut into 12 strips to make 12 cookies.
- Wrap. Wrap each of the strips around a clothespin. Start at the one end of the pin (smaller works best) and wrap the dough around the clothespin, slightly overlapping the dough (about a quarter inch) on each wraparound. Optional- you can brush the dough with an egg wash (one egg mixed with a tablespoon of water) before baking to add a shine to your cookies.
- Bake. Place the wrapped clothespins on to your prepared baking sheet from the first step, leaving about two inches between each wrapped pin. Then bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry turns golden brown.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool for five minutes on the baking sheet. Then carefully remove the pastry from the pin and allow it to fully cool in a cooling rack.
- Buttercream To make the buttercream frosting, start by beating the softened butter until smooth and fluffy. While the butter is beating, in a medium bowl use a whisk to combine together the powdered sugar alternative and unsweetened cocoa powder. Once the butter is smooth and fluffy you can gradually add the powdered sugar alternative and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Then add the vanilla extract and the heavy cream to the mixing bowl and continue to beat until you reach your desired consistency.
- Fill. Once your pastries have fully cooled, you can pipe them or use a teaspoon to fill them with the buttercream.
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Tips for making the best clothespin cookies.
The puff pastry sheet should be thawed yet as cold as possible while you work to prevent the butter from melting and to keep the flaky texture. It is best to work quickly with the pastry and if you are using more than one sheet, keep any unused sheets refrigerated until you are ready to use them.
More helpful tips for you.
- When you are wrapping the pastry around the clothespin, you can use a bit of water to help the pastry stick if needed.
- My pastry sheet was cut into 12 pieces to make 12 cookies. If you are making thinner cookies, just be sure to make the strips long as they will need to wrap around the pins.
- If you have difficulty removing the pastry from the pin after baking, you can give the pasty a gentle squeeze to help loosen it.
- Lastly, when filling the cookies with the buttercream, avoid overfilling or overstuffing the cookies. Doing so can make a huge mess if the filling spills out.
How to store clothespin cookies
Clothespin cookies should be stored in an airtight container. When properly stored, they should keep for up to three days when refrigerated. If you intend to freeze the cookies, it is best to freeze them without the filling. .
Here are some more no added sugar recipes that you may enjoy.
Print the recipe for Sugar Free Clothespin Cookies
Sugar Free Clothespin Cookies
Equipment
- Pastry Wheel
Ingredients
- 1 Puff Pastry -Thawed.
- 1 cup Butter -Softened to room temperature
- 3½ cups Sugar Free Powdered Sugar
- ½ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 tbsp Heavy Cream -Additional tbsp if needed for consistency
Instructions
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 400f. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray.
- Pastry. On a clean and lightly floured workspace, unroll a puff pastry sheet. Use a pastry wheel or pizza cutter to cut the dough into strips. My dough was cut into 12 strips to make 12 cookies.
- Wrap. Wrap each of the strips around a clothespin. Start at the one end of the pin (smaller works best) and wrap the dough around the clothespin, slightly overlapping the dough (about a quarter inch) on each wraparound.
- Bake. Place the wrapped clothespins on to your prepared baking sheet from the first step, leaving about two inches between each wrapped pin. Then bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry turns golden brown.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool for five minutes on the baking sheet. Then carefully remove the pastry from the pin and allow it to fully cool in a cooling rack.
- Buttercream To make the buttercream frosting, start by beating the softened butter until smooth and fluffy. While the butter is beating, in a medium bowl use a whisk to combine together the powdered sugar alternative and unsweetened cocoa powder. Once the butter is smooth and fluffy you can gradually add the powdered sugar alternative and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Then add the vanilla extract and the heavy cream to the mixing bowl and continue to beat until you reach your desired consistency.
- Fill. Once your pastries have fully cooled, you can pipe them or use a teaspoon to fill them with the buttercream.
Recipe Notes
Also, please see the actual recipe post for further details on this recipe. Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that are used. See thesugarfreediva.com for details on this recipe.
posted:
December 9, 2025*About Sugar Alternatives
Specific sugar alternatives are not given in the recipes presented on this site. Only suggestions are given as to the 'kind' of alternative to use. It is up to you to select the alternative to use that suits your needs best. If the recipe is heated or cooked, it is best to use an alternative that can be heated or cooked with for best results. This site does not endorse any specific ingredients,
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Nutrition
Please note: Nutritional data has been calculated using a tool that comes with this recipe card and not by me. This means that Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that you use. The accuracy of this tool may differ from other tools as expected. Also note that there is no instructional value to the video that may be attached to this recipe. It is only there for visual pleasure. For more information about the images in this recipe, please refer the the recipe instructions. Thank you!
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Sugar Free Clothespin Cookies, AKA lady locks or cream horns, delicious buttery dough stuffed with chocolate cream. No Added Sugar Recipe.
Please see recipe post for further details on this recipe.