Patts Miniature Lady Locks Recipe

How to make it

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• Filling: Cook milk and cornstarch over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Cool.
• Beat together until sugar seems to almost dissolve. Add to warm (not too hot) cornstarch mixture and whip until sugar dissolves. The filling should be nice and fluffy. The cornstarch mixture should be warm enough to dissolve the sugar, but not too warm so it all melts. Fill the icing bag with the filling - I use a star tip. Fill the cookies. You can dip both ends in colored sprinkles to coordinate with your occasion. You can also dust with powdered sugar or just leave plain.
• This cookie can be made ahead of time and frozen. You can also make the shells ahead of time, freeze them thaw them to fill and refreeze them. I have used all different kinds of filling, but this one seems to hold up the best. It is thicker than most and doesn't seem to break down quickly so it is ideal. I double or triple this recipe depending on how many cookies I am filling.
• Lady lock pastries: Buy them at your local cake baking store!
• NOTE: (Patt's notes) I first started making lady locks about 33 years ago. Back then we made our own dough - it took a long time and we used a 3 pound can of Crisco - give or take a few cups. You wrapped the dough on aluminum foil covered clothespins and baked them on a brown paper bag lined cookie sheet to absorb all of the grease. When you finished, your kitchen was splattered with grease, but the cookies were beautiful. Today all of that has changed. You drive to the cake decorating supply store, purchase the dough or already made shells and bake or just fill them. It is less labor intensive, still time consuming, but so worth it.