This is easily the BEST Cream Horns recipe on the internet! It’s made with puff pastry baked until golden and flaky, then filled with a fluffy filling that straddles the line between whipped cream and buttercream frosting! Every bite of this pastry is heavenly!
These are a classic dessert treat that is perfect for holidays and gatherings. You can also dip or drizzle them in chocolate!
I Love This Easy Cream Filled Pastry!
Last week I had a serious craving for Cream Horns. If you’ve never had one before, you are missing out! The buttery puff pastry is baked to perfection and then filled with a sweet vanilla cream! They are AMAZING!
They are very popular in New England and you can find them shaped as a tube or as a cone/horn. I love this recipe because, with store-bought pastry dough, they are actually really easy to make!
Look no further. This recipe is perfect. The marshmallow fluff & shortening is key!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: Sweet, creamy, buttery.
Texture: Flaky layers of pastry dough wrapped around a soft and creamy filling that’s a cross between whipped cream and buttercream.
Ease: 6/10
Pros: Texture and flavor.
Cons: Wrapping the dough around the mold can be a bit tricky until you get the hang of it.
Would I Make This Again? Yes, we make these all the time!
What Is The Origin Of Cream Horns?
They are believed to have been invented in Austria, which makes sense given that Chimney Cakes are another popular dessert in that region. They are also known as Schaumrollen or Schillerlocken.
Cream Horn Ingredients
The pastry is just store-bought puff pastry, there’s nothing you need to add to it. The filling is a delicious mixture of:
- butter
- shortening
- powdered sugar
- marshmallow fluff
- vanilla
- heavy cream
Don’t skip the shortening – it is key! And while the cream is optional, I highly recommend using it (or half & half) because it really fluffs up the filling for a lovely texture that doesn’t make it feel greasy.
How To Make Cream Horns
As I said before, Cream Horns are really simple to make! You’ll need dough molds or you can also use sugar cones that have been wrapped in aluminum foil.
Step 1: Begin by unfolding your puff pastry dough on a lightly floured surface and rolling it out with a lightly floured rolling pin.
Step 2: You should still be able to identify where the fold lines were. Cut each section into 4 evenly sized strips with a pastry wheel or pizza cutter.
Step 3: Wrap your strips of dough around the molds, slightly overlapping the dough.
Dip your fingers in water to soften the ends of the dough strips and make them sticky enough to adhere to each other.
What Can I Use Instead Of A Cream Horn Mold?
You can wrap a sugar or waffle cone in aluminum foil and use that.
Step 4: Bake them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until golden brown.
Step 5: Prepare the filling with an electric mixer, once baked and cooled, fill the pastry horns with cream! Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
Cream Horn Recipe Variations
- Fruit: Add fruit preserves or Raspberry Filling to the inside of the pastry before filling it with cream.
- Chocolate: Either dip the baked pastry in melted chocolate and allow it to cool before filling, or drizzle it with melted chocolate after filling.
- Powdered Sugar: Dust with powdered sugar after filling for a pretty finish!
- Frosting: Choose one of my frosting recipes like Chocolate, Nutella, or Peanut Butter as a filling instead of the traditional cream recipe!
How To Store Cream Horns
Cream horns are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoyed within a couple of days if including heavy cream or a week or so if omitting. The sugar content is enough to stabilize the heavy cream for a couple of days.
What’s The Difference Between A Cannoli And A Cream Horn?
So much honestly, the only thing that’s really similar about them is their cylinder shape – and sometimes, cream horns are more like horns/cones so even more different.
Cream horns are made with puff pastry dough and a fluffy and creamy filling usually made with butter, marshmallow fluff, and powdered sugar.
Cannoli are an Italian pastry made with a thin dough that’s fried into a crispy shell and filled with a sweet ricotta filling.
A Cannoncini are Italian Cream Horn which are made with a puff pastry shell but a thick pastry cream filling.
More Puff Pastry Recipes
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Cream Horns
Equipment
- Cream Horn Molds or Sugar Cones
Ingredients
- 2 boxes Puff Pastry Dough thawed1
- 1 tablespoon water2
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 cups marshmallow fluff
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream3 optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, unfold a sheet of pastry dough and gently roll it out with a lightly floured rolling pin.
- You should still be able to see where the fold creases in the dough ware. Use a pastry wheel (or pizza cutter) to cut each section of the dough into 4 even strips.
- Grab a strip of dough and begin winding it around the cream horn mold4. If you are using tube shape you can start at either end, if you're using a cone shape you will want to start at the point and wrap from there, slightly overlapping the dough as you wrap. Wet your finger in the water to soften the end of the dough strip and make it sticky enough to stick to the mold and the next strip of dough. 3 strips of dough should fit on each mold. Do not wrap too close to the edges of the molds or it will be difficult to get the baked pastry off.
- Place the dough wrapped mold on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes until light golden brown, remove from the oven and allow the dough to cool on the mold for 20 minutes.5 Gently slide the pastry off the mold6 and allow them to cool for an additional 10 minutes on a wire rack.
- While the pastry is cooling, prepare your filling by creaming together the butter and shortening with an electric mixer. Add in the powdered sugar, fluff, and vanilla and mix on low speed until the sugar has combined, then increase the speed to high and whip for 2 minutes. If you choose to add the heavy cream (which I highly recommend) add it in before turning up the speed.
- Transfer the filling to a pastry frosting bag fitted with a large piping tip and pipe filling into the pastry. If you are using a tube-shaped mold, fill from both ends. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
- The dough will take about 2 hours to thaw or you can put it in the refrigerator the night before you want to use it.
- The water does not go into the recipe, it is only used to wet your fingers and help you prep the dough.
- I highly recommend adding the heavy cream because it helps the filling whip up into a light texture and makes it easier to pipe.
- If you do not have mold and don’t want to wait to order them, you can use sugar cones that have been gently, but tightly wrapped with aluminum foil.
- If you don’t have enough molds or not enough room on your pan, you can bake your pastry dough in two different batches.
- Make sure to lightly grip the end that is opposite from the direction you’re pulling the pastry off the mold from. Do not pull from the middle or there is a higher chance of the pastry breaking.
- There is enough butter in the pastry dough that you do not need to spray your molds, this can actually make it hard for them to stay on the molds when prepping and baking.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Joy says
I love this recipe and everybody that gets these cream horns says it to die for. This time I don’t have any heavy cream can I use half and half?
Mary Cunningham says
My family love this recipe. Best ever.
Laura L PRICE says
Could you fold in raspberry jam and mini chocolate morsels to the filling?
Rebecca Hubbell says
You can definitely add both. One thing to keep in mind is that raspberry seeds and chocolate chips can clog the piping tip, so make sure you use a large one.
Meg says
Excellent!! These were so much fun to make and they taste delicious!!! So much better than what you buy in the store. This is my go to recipe now; love it!! Thank you for sharing!
Sue says
How can I make a chocolate filling too.
Rebecca Hubbell says
You can add 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to the filling!
Morgan Moberly says
Every time I make these everyone raves about them! I even made some with different flavors of filling. Definitely a great recipe 💜
Wanda Bonham says
This is my first time making cream horns. Thought I would surprise my husband because he loves them. I am not new to baking. I don’t know what I did wrong, but this was one of the messiest recipes that I’ve ever done. Taste is wonderful, but very time-consuming.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Wanda, can you tell me what was messy about it so I can help you troubleshoot?
Eileen says
Love this recipe, very easy to follow. I did add the heavy cream, it made the filling creamy . Will definitely add this as one of my favorite. Just one question, can they be frozen ?
Rebecca Hubbell says
I would flash-freeze them before wrapping them individually with plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer bag. It would probably be best if the filling was prepared fresh.
Donna says
Excellent & easy!!