Making ice cream cones at home is very easy. It’s quite fun if you have an electric waffle-cone maker, although you can bake them in the oven with great success as well. The batter is simplicity itself: just a few ingredients mixed together, baked, and rolled up into cones…which is the fun part! You will need a conical cone-rolling form made of wood or plastic, or you can simply shape them around overturned teacups to make a cone-bowl hybrid. A few tips for baking cones by hand: The batter recipe can easily be doubled, allowing for a few practice cones, which may come in handy your first time making them. When baking them in the oven, I prefer to use parchment paper to line the baking sheet, rather than a silicone baking mat. Also, I let the baking sheet cool between batches or have another baking sheet handy, as the batter is much easier to handle when the baking sheets are at room temperature. To roll the cones, you may wish to wear clean rubber gloves or use a tea towel, since the just-baked cookies may be too warm for you to handle with bare hands. If using an electric ice cream cone maker, most models require 3 tablespoons of batter for each cone, so you may get 4 cones from this recipe. Follow the instructions that come with your unit.
Ingredients
Makes 6 cones
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Step 2
In a small mixing bowl, stir together the egg whites, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the salt and half of the flour, then mix in the melted butter. Beat in the rest of the flour until smooth.
Step 3
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread 2 level tablespoons of the batter into a circle 6 inches (15 cm) across. Try to get the circles as even and smooth as possible (you’re likely to get 2 rounds on one standard baking sheet).
Step 4
Put the baking sheet in the oven and begin checking the cones after about 10 minutes. Depending on your oven, they’ll take between 10 and 15 minutes to bake. The circles should be a deep golden brown throughout (some lighter and darker spots are inevitable, so don’t worry). Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use a thin metal spatula to loosen the edge of one disk. Slide the spatula under the disk, quickly flip it over, and immediately roll it around the cone-rolling form, pressing the seam firmly on the counter to close the cone and pinching the point at the bottom securely closed. Let the cone cool slightly on the mold until it feels firm, then slide it off and stand it upright in a tall glass to cool. Roll the other cone the same way. (If it’s too firm, return the baking sheet to the oven for a minute or so until it’s pliable again.)
Step 5
Repeat, using the remaining batter. You’ll find it easier to spread the batter if you slide the reusable parchment paper off the baking sheet; any heat from the baking sheet will make the batter fussy to spread.
Variations
Step 6
For Sesame or Poppy Seed Ice Cream Cones, stir 3 tablespoons (35 g) toasted sesame or poppy seeds and a bit of grated lemon zest into the batter.
Step 7
To make Chocolate Ice Cream Cones, increase the sugar to 1/2 cup (100 g), and use 6 tablespoons (60 g) flour and 3 tablespoons (21 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder in place of the 2/3 cup (90 g) flour.
Step 8
For Gingersnap Ice Cream Cones, add 1 tablespoon mild molasses and 1/4 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to the batter. Increase the sugar to 1/2 cup (100 g).
Step 9
For Honey-Cornmeal Ice Cream Cones, substitute 1 large egg and 1 egg white for the 1/4 cup (60 ml) egg whites. Melt 2 teaspoons of strongly flavored honey with the butter, and substitute 1/2 cup (70 g) of flour and 1/4 cup (35 g) of stone-ground cornmeal for the 2/3 cup (90 g) flour.
Step 10
For Rosemary Ice Cream Cones, add 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary to the Honey-Cornmeal Ice Cream Cone batter.
Storage
Step 11
The batter can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Let the batter come to room temperature before using. Once baked and cooled, store the cones in an airtight container until ready to serve. They’re best eaten the same day they’re baked.
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Reviews (1)
Back to TopI made the honey and rosemary version with cornmeal. Delicious. I used a little less sugar than the recipe called for, given I was adding the honey, and I'm glad I did. They would have been too sweet had I used the full 7 T (I used 6T). It's worth using a really strongly flavored honey, and don't scrimp on the rosemary! I made them just a little too thick and they cooked for just a little too long, so I had trouble getting them to mold nicely on the bowls, and will definitely work to improve that, but they were really nice anyway, and the texture was perfect with vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries, and pistachio nuts.
yoginiknitting
Beverly, MA
7/19/2020
