Category Archives: Ice Cream Cones

Ice cream cones are essentially tuiles…thin, sugar-rich cookies that can be molded into different shapes when they’re hot. I say this a lot, but they’re simple to make and they taste great. Oh, and did I mention that they take about twenty minutes from start to finish? Start by preheating your oven to 350. Combine your egg whites, sugar and vanilla in a bowl.

Whisk that.

Then add half the flour and the salt.

Whisk that in. When the flour has been incorporated whisk in the melted butter.

Then the last of the flour.

Now you’re ready to make your tuiles. Scoop about two tablespoons of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan.

Actually, you know what? This would be easier without having the edge of the pan to work around. Shape your tuiles on a parchment sheet on the surface of your counter. With broad, even strokes, spread the batter into a roughly circular shape about 6″ across. Rotate the parchment sheet as needed.

You can do three up on a single parchment sheet.

Slip the parchment onto a baking sheet…

…and bake until the tuiles start to get deep golden spots all over them. Promptly remove the pan from the oven, slip an icing spatula under one of the tuiles…

…then quickly wrap it around a cream horn mold. Ouch, that’s hot.

Oh, what are cream horn molds? Why, these:

You can get half a dozen for seven bucks on Amazon. Anyway, when you’ve pressed the edges together and pinched the bottom closed, place the cone in a small glass to cool, then carry on with the rest of them.

Should the finished tuiles get too rigid to roll, just put the pan back in the oven and heat them until they soften again. It won’t take long. Once your cones have cooled, they’re ready to use. Where’s the Rocky Road?

I said I had a recipe, I didn’t say it was my own. This one is from the king of ice cream, pastry chef David Lebovitz. His book The Perfect Scoop became an instant classic when it was published four years ago. Aside from all the luscious, easy-to-prepare ice cream recipes, there are naturally several for vessels. This is one of them.

2 large egg whites
3 ounces (scant half cup) sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3.25 ounces (2/3 cup) flour
1 ounce (2 tablespoons melted butter)

Preheat your oven to 350. In a small bowl stir together the egg whites, sugar and vanilla. Add the salt and half the flour, stir, then stir in the melted butter. Beat in the remaining flour until the batter is smooth.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon three two-tablespoon quantities of batter onto the sheet, spaced well apart and using an offset spatula spread it into 6″ circles. Bake the batter for 10 minutes. Check to make sure they’re not getting too browned, and bake up to five minutes more until they’re a deep golden brown.

When the cones are done, slip the spatula under them and immediately wrap them around ice cream cone molds. Press firmly to seal the sides and pinch the bottom closed. Set cones in glasses or a cone holder to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining batter. Makes six cones.