Recipes & Cooking Desserts & Baking Bread Dessert Bread & Pastry Lady Locks 5.0 (1) 1 Review Learn how to make lady locks easily with some frozen puff pastry. By Sarah Brekke, MS Sarah Brekke, MS Sarah Brekke, a culinary expert with The Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen, is passionate about food and cooking. Her unique background as both a food scientist and a culinary contributor allows her to blend her passions for both educating readers and creating tasty content. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on October 16, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: BHG / Cara Cormack Prep Time: 45 mins Total Time: 4 hrs 45 mins Servings: 16 Yield: 16 Jump to Nutrition Facts Lady locks are light, airy pastry cookies that are filled with sweet pastry cream. Shape-wise, it’s like cannoli, but it will have a softer exterior and fluffier interior. The beauty of these cream horns is that you can easily pair it with any sort of flavors, making it as bold or as delicate as you want think by infusing the pastry cream up with imitation or pure vanilla extract, for example, or switching it up to a delicious, decadent chocolate pastry cream). By using frozen, pre-made puff pastry sheets, you’re going to be cutting time byhalf, if not more–if you’re not familiar with puff pastry, this dough takes patience and effort to make, including the process of knowing when and how cold your butter and the dough itself should be. As it is a simple dough in terms of flavor, focus on mastering the art of your homemade pastry cream—the recipe for it isn’t complicated, yet you need to be on top of it in order to get smooth results. 23 Pastry Recipes That Taste Like They Came from a Bakery The confection originated in Eastern Europe, but became a staple for Christmas and wedding desserts in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Depending on the area you're from, these cream-filled delights are also known clothespin cookies—which may also have slightly different textures, too. Ingredients Lady Locks 2 sheets frozen puff pastry (17.3-ounce package) 1 large egg white 1 tablespoon water 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar Pastry Cream 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups half and half 4 large egg yolks, beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract 1/3 cup whipping cream Directions Lady Locks Prepare the pastry cream at least 4 hours in advance of making the pastries. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. BHG / Cara Cormack On a lightly floured surface unfold and roll one puff pastry sheet into a 12x10-inch rectangle. Cut each sheet crosswise into sixteen 10x3/4-inch strips. BHG / Cara Cormack Wrap each strip of dough around a greased cream horn mold or cannoli tube*, overlapping layers slightly. Arrange on prepared pan spacing 1 inch apart. Test Kitchen Tip If you don't have cannoli or pastry tubes, use the handle of a wooden spoon to get the right shape. In a small bowl beat together egg white and water. Brush over pastries and sprinkle with sugar. BHG / Cara Cormack Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack. BHG / Cara Cormack While still warm, slightly twist the molds and remove from pastry horns. Cool on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheet. BHG / Cara Cormack Meanwhile, prepare the pastry cream. To fill, spoon cream mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large open star tip. BHG / Cara Cormack Pipe cream into each pastry. If desired, chill up to 1 hour. Pastry Cream BHG / Cara Cormack In a medium heavy saucepan stir together sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually stir in half-and-half. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. BHG / Cara Cormack Gradually stir half of the hot mixture into beaten egg yolks. Return all of the egg yolk mixture to saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. BHG / Cara Cormack Transfer to a bowl. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Place bowl of Pastry Cream in a bowl of ice water; chill for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Chill about 4 hours or until cold; do not stir. BHG / Cara Cormack In a chilled small mixing bowl beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Gradually fold whipped cream into cooled pastry cream; chill well before using. Makes 2⅓ cups. For chocolate pastry cream: Decrease half-and-half to 1½ cups and add 4 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate to the saucepan after adding the half-and-half. Omit vanilla. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 138 Calories 8g Fat 13g Carbs 4g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 16 Calories 137.6 % Daily Value * Total Fat 8.1g 10% Saturated Fat 4g 20% Cholesterol 85.8mg 29% Sodium 84.7mg 4% Total Carbohydrate 12.7g 5% Dietary Fiber 0.1g 0% Total Sugars 9.3g Protein 3.7g 7% Vitamin D 0.4mcg 2% Vitamin C 0.3mg 0% Calcium 46.5mg 4% Iron 0.5mg 3% Potassium 72.2mg 2% Fatty acids, total trans 0.2g Vitamin D 18.8IU Alanine 0.2g Arginine 0.2g Ash 0.5g Aspartic acid 0.3g Caffeine 0mg Carotene, alpha 0.4mcg Choline, total 61.5mg Copper, Cu 0mg Cystine 0.1g Energy 575.6kJ Fluoride, F 1.9mcg Folate, total 15.5mcg Glutamic acid 0.7g Glycine 0.1g Histidine 0.1g Isoleucine 0.2g Leucine 0.3g Lysine 0.2g Methionine 0.1g Magnesium, Mg 6.3mg Manganese, Mn 0mg Niacin 0.3mg Phosphorus, P 70.9mg Pantothenic acid 0.5mg Phenylalanine 0.2g Phytosterols 0mg Proline 0.3g Retinol 77.6mcg Selenium, Se 8.1mcg Serine 0.2g Theobromine 0mg Threonine 0.2g Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.3mg Tryptophan 0.1g Tyrosine 0.1g Valine 0.2g Vitamin A, IU 279IU Vitamin A, RAE 78.6mcg Vitamin B-12 0.2mcg Vitamin B-6 0mg Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 1.2mcg Water 41.4g Zinc, Zn 0.4mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.