Homemade Sugar Cones

Annie's Eats

My hope is to inspire you to be fearless in the kitchen, to try new things, to take the time to make things the homemade way and most importantly, to have fun doing it!

42 comments

posted in: How To, Ice creams & Sorbets

07.19

2012

Are you a cone or a cup kind of ice cream eater? I must admit, I’ve been a cup person most of my life. The neat freak in me has never enjoyed the drippy mess that comes if you dawdle while eating your ice cream cone, so a cup it usually is. Ben, however, has been ordering cones since we first started dating (13 years ago!) At first I thought he was kind of a nut but then after sneaking a few bites I started to see his point. The crispy, crunchy cone just goes with ice cream. Plus, I don’t really dawdle while eating my ice cream anymore ;) Waffle cones are my true favorite but since I don’t know of a way to make those at home without a waffle cone maker, I decided to try my hand at sugar cones first.

Though I’m rarely intimidated by recipes, I built this up in my head and was pretty nervous…that is until I read the recipe and method and realized it was basically identical to making fortune cookies, but in a different shape. Done! These are a fun project and Andrew thought it was so super cool to eat ice cream out of cones that he helped to make. So glad we decided to give these a try because they are such fun! Next time I might try subbing in a little bit of cocoa powder, or maybe add some citrus zest or flavored extract. Oh, the possibilities.

Sugar Cones

Yield: about 16 cones

Ingredients

1¼ (6 oz.) confectioners' sugar, sifted
½ cup egg whites (from about 4 large eggs)
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. (4 oz.) all-purpose flour
½ cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, melted

Directions

To create a sugar cone mold, cut a triangle out of card stock or flexible cardboard (like a cereal box) with dimensions of about 14.5 x 14.5 x 16 cm. Form it into a cone shape and seal the side with tape. Fill the cone with dried beans or rice and tape over the top to seal. Cover the cone with foil.
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. (Since you eventually spread the batter into 5-inch circles, I found an easy method was to cut out enough parchment circles to fit on one baking sheet and place them under the mat to serve as a guide.) You only need to prepare one baking sheet since you can only bake about 4 cones at once. (More than that and they will harden before you have time to shape them all.)
In a mixing bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and egg whites. Whisk to blend. Add in the flour and melted butter and whisk just until smooth. Place a scant 2 tablespoons of batter in each 5-inch circle and spread in a thin, even layer with a small offset spatula.
Bake about 6-7 minutes, until the edges have just barely begun to brown. (If they brown too much, they will crack when shaped.) Gently use a clean offset spatula to remove one of the circles off of the baking sheet. Wrap it around the cone mold as seen here leaving a small overhang for the tip. Pinch the tip shut. (Mine didn't really stay well closed but it didn't matter much in the end.) Allow to stay on the mold about 20-30 seconds, just long enough to help the shape set. Remove and transfer to a wire rack. Working quickly, repeat this process with the remaining circles. If they harden too much before you are able to shape them, simply return the pan to the oven for 30 seconds to warm them up again. Repeat this process with the remaining batter. Store in an airtight container.

Source

slightly adapted from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones from Bi-Rite Creamery

http://douxflavor.tumblr.com/ Annika
Great Idea! Not only for kids…
- Annika
Deborah Andrews
Thanks for this tutorial! I was thinking I’d have to have a special tool similar to a waffle iron. One trick I’ve noticed in the commercially prepared waffle cones is that there is a “plug”, of a sort, of chocolate in the bottom of the cone to help prevent the drips from the bottom. Some are even coated on the inside.
What an awesome treat. We love, love, love making homemade ice cream in our house and these will pair up very nicely.
Thanks!
Debbie…(O:
>
http://tideandthyme.com/ Laura
You’re such a nut! Love this. They make waffle cones in-house at my local ice cream parlor, and the smell is always intoxicating.
annieseats
Yes, I’ve heard of that. Thought of doing it myself but the holes on mine were probably a bit too open to be fixed. It worked out just fine though, there were only drips near the end as with most cones :)
http://thegreenmixerinenglish.wordpress.com/ tanja@thegreenmixer
I was looking for something like this the other day and this is perfect as it is made without any special (or professional) equipment. Thanx!!!!!!
Keldaugherty
We plug the whole with a mini marshmallow and it works great!
http://bethsblueplate.wordpress.com/ Beth
What a great idea! I bet you might be able to use a marshmallow to “plug” the hole if the tip didn’t stay shut. (I have a feeling mine wouldn’t, ha!) By the way, what flavors of ice cream are you showing in the pictures? They look SO good!
Karen
One trick I’ve used is to slide a mini marshmallow in the bottom to plug it. They look great.
http://wee-eats.com/ natalie
when I made my home made drum sticks the only thing I was sad about was not having an ice cream cone maker – thank you for giving us a way to make cones WITHOUT that stupid ice cream cone maker machine ! ;)
http://vanillasugarblog.com vanillasugarblog
love these annie!
will include these in my friday link roundup!
http://www.shemakesandbakes.com/ Emily @ She Makes and Bakes
So brilliant! I’ve always been a cup person, but this is great!!
annieseats
The front is blackberry (on the blog tomorrow) and the back is the dreamy creamy strawberry ice cream.
Jackie Gonzales
This is so great! I made my son an ice cream cone the other day and thought “Hmmm…wonder how I would make homemade cones??” Of course you deliver :) The little man asked me the other day why I buy ice cream when I make so many other things…(hangs head in shame)…guess it’s time to start trying this too!
http://indigoscones.blogspot.com/ Ellen @ Indigo Scones
Yay! I also recently made cones. They’re such fun, but I definitely had some brittle ones and my cone molds weren’t great. So thanks for putting this up :)
Also, because I know you’re a fall person, you should really try gingersnap cones. All you do is add dried spices and about a tablespoon of molasses to the cone batter. Those with your apple pie ice cream (or a pumpkin one…) would be so amazing!
RadMagicLove
I would LOVE to try this out!! Sugar cones are my favorite.
http://endlessfrontier.blogspot.com/ Heidi
I made your apple pie ice cream (which was amazingly delicious) over the weekend and was looking for a new recipe that would use the leftover egg whites, this recipe will be perfect!
Thekitchwitch
I’m a sugar cone girl, myself. I still make the kids get ice cream in cups (disaster imminent with a cone) but I never could understand waffle-cone kids. Whaa? Sugar cones rock.
Jill
I LOVE this idea!!!
Pastrychef23
So.. were these cones CRISPY? They look to me like a form of tuile paste, which usually has to brown to be crunchy, and is chewy where it’s underbaked.
I wonder if you made a few of the molds, if you could wrap, then invert onto a sheetpan and brown them a bit more? I may just have to give this a try!
http://www.foodiebride.com/ Shawnda
What a fun idea!
http://atthepatisserie.wordpress.com/ Ann P.
Hey, I don’t know if I’ve told you this before, but my favorite way to reduce the drippage out of the cone’s point is chocolate! After the cones are set, stand them upwards in a bed of sugar, then drizzle a teaspoon of melted chocolate into the tip until it covers the hole. Just wait for it to harden, and then 0 drips from the end is guaranteed. :)
http://www.facebook.com/MarlaMeridith Marla Meridith
Awesome!! I must try this :)
Ariel Hope
This looks amazing! I hope I get to try it out some time. Annie, I need some help. A relative of mine is having her 68th birthday soon. I want to make her something special; a cake of some sort. Problem is she doesn’t like chocolate, but she does like cheesecake. What would you suggest?
Eshannon2
This looks like a fun recipe to try. I also like to use my pizelle iron and then shape my cookies around the wooden mold I have. When my kiddos were little I used top put an m and m or peanut or whatever in the bottom to keep the ice cream from dripping out. The loved to get to the candy at the end!
Guest
Hi! I am also a fan of waffle cones, and I found a tutorial on how to make them using a panini press here: http://paninihappy.com/make-your-own-ice-cream-cones-on-a-panini-press/
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I thought that you may be interested :)
I also want to say that I have been a long time reader of your blog, and have followed it since I was in high school. I am now almost done with college and have checked your blog daily–everywhere from the US to South Africa to France and beyond. Thanks so much for always inspiring me to create better (and yummier) treats in the kitchen!
Vicki Bensinger
These are similar to a pizelle but I’ve never tried this version. I use to eat ice cream cones all the time. However many years ago when I was in college I was at Baskin Robbins alone and ordered an ice cream cone. I was eating it and a man made a comment about how he liked the way I was eating it and I’ve never had one since, at least not in public. Too many sicko’s out there.
http://www.facebook.com/asia.burk1 Asia Burk
so cool! Im going to try my hand at this but I think we will also make bowls to by just draping it over a small dish before it gets a chance to cool. the kid-o will love this. =) thanks Annie.
http://noblepig.com/ Cathy @ Noble Pig
I’m a cone eater but my 10 year also likes the cup only…too messy for him. These are a fun project though, I bet they are delicious!
Ddk9
If you have a pizzelle iron or krumkaka iron you drop the dough and bake until slightly done and then roll.
annieseats
Yes! I forgot to mention bowls are another great option. Enjoy!
annieseats
You can search desserts by category. I’d just click on cakes and start there. Good luck!
annieseats
Yes, I remember you mentioning that :) Unfortunately the way mine shaped I knew chocolate wasn’t going to do the trick.
annieseats
Yes, they were crispy.
http://cookingbride.com/ Lisa
Is that a direct mail piece from Ann Taylor Loft that you used as your mold? Glad to see you recycling your junk mail!
I am a cone person, definitely. I have this pinned and can’t wait to try it out when I have a free weekend. I’ve gotten into making my own ice cream, so making my own cones is the next logical step!
Christie
I’ve also seen a mini marshmallow stuffed gently into the tip of the cone to prevent leaks. These sound like a great project for kids. Can’t wait to try them! Thanks Annie!
annieseats
Yep, you got it :) Junk mail coupons are the perfect thing for making the cone molds! Have fun.
http://kitchensimplicity.com/ Cheri | Kitchen Simplicity
This post makes me so happy. I’ve been wanting to try out many cone shaped desserts but they always call for those specialty cone shaping tools. Now I can make my own. Why didn’t I think of that? ;) I can’t wait to try this soon.
Guest
M & M in the bottom of the cone can help with the trips and be a sweet surprise!! : )
annieseats
Love that idea!
sweetsugarbelle
How FUN!!!
Carol
I made the peach ice cream yesterday, so my daughter and I made these cones today to go with it. So simple and so much fun! We really enjoyed both the ice cream and the cones, so I’m sure we’ll make them again.
Melinda
My husband grew up with pretzel cones. I can’t find an recipe anywhere for them and all the ones you’re able to buy just look blah. Any ideas how to achieve that?