Once you know how to make these easy 5-ingredient cream horns you'll never need to get them from the bakery again! That's right, these luscious treats only call for 5 ingredients!
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Using readymade puff pastry means you can rustle up these delicious cream horns in next to no time. The powdered sugar-topped, buttery puff pastry encloses a delicate vanilla cream filling.
These sweet cream horns, also known as lady locks, are loved for their simplicity. Although you can jazz them up however you wish, adding different flavors, sprinkles, melted chocolate, or any other touches, they are also amazing just as they are, perhaps enjoyed with a cup of coffee.
You can use puff pastry in other recipes too, such as puff pastry apple turnovers or savory egg puffs.
Main Ingredients
You only need 5 ingredients to make these cream horns. Let's take a closer look at what you will need:
- Puff pastry: To make the horns. The easiest way to prepare the horns is to use thawed puff pastry. You can make your own if you prefer, but I usually keep a package of puff pastry in the freezer because it's a versatile ingredient.
- Egg: For the egg wash. Mixing an egg with a little water makes an egg wash that can be brushed onto pastry to add gloss and shine as well as an attractive golden color. It also helps the pastry twists stick together and hold their shape.
- Confectioners' sugar: To add sweetness to the cream horns. Other names for the same ingredient are powdered sugar and icing sugar; these are all the exact same thing. Sprinkle a little extra over the pastries just before serving if you want, or even a pinch of cinnamon sugar.
- Heavy cream: The basis of the filling. You can't substitute light cream or Half & Half for this because it won't be thick enough. Cool Whip would work, but I personally love the taste of fresh cream. The heavy cream needs to be whipped until it's stiff enough to fill the prepared pastry horns. You could do this by hand, but an electric mixer makes the job much easier!
- Vanilla: For a delicate flavor. A touch of vanilla is the only flavor you need to make these delicious pastries. If you're in the mood to experiment, swap the vanilla for any other kind of extract you want to try, such as almond, coconut, or orange, or try cocoa powder instead for a chocolate filling.
Instructions Overview
Thaw and unroll the puff pastry and cut it into 16 strips. Take one of the strips and wrap it around a greased horn mold starting at the pointy end. Overlap the layers as you wrap them.
Take another strip and use that to wrap around the second half of the horn mold. Repeat this with the remaining 14 strips and the remaining 7 molds to form the horns.
Cover the pastry horns in plastic wrap and freeze them for half an hour. Mix an egg with a little water to make an egg wash and brush this over the pastry horns. Sprinkle some confectioners' sugar on them and bake until golden.
Whip some heavy cream to the soft peak stage and then mix in vanilla and more confectioners' sugar and keep whipping until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
Remove the pastry horns from the molds and pipe some vanilla cream into each one. Refrigerate them until serving.
Common Questions
The cream is typically a simple combination of heavy cream and vanilla extract.
Yes, you can freeze these for up to 2 months. They are pretty good thawed although the pastry will be a little softer.
Once you've filled the shells you do have to keep these chilled because they contain dairy. They're best eaten within
Chopnotch Tips
- Elevate these to the next level by drizzling or dipping them in chocolate.
- Add a little food coloring to the filling for a fancy look, or how about mixing in some sprinkles for a different texture? Alternatively, these are pretty amazing just as they are!
- If you don't have cream horn molds, wrap some ice cream cones in foil and use those instead.
These cream horns feature buttery, flaky puff pastry enclosing delicious and creamy vanilla filling for a sweet and tasty treat.
Related Recipes
Let us know what you think! Give this recipe a rating in the comments section below.
Recipe
How to Make
Cream Horns
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, divided
For the filling:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the pastry:
- Grease 8 tin-plated cream horn molds and set them aside.
- Unroll the thawed puff pastry sheet onto the countertop and slice it into 16 strips (about ½-inch wide strips) using a sharp knife and the straight edge of a metal pastry ruler.
- Take one mold and two pastry strips. Starting at the pointed end of the mold, wind one of the pastry strips around the cone as a spiral, slightly overlapping layers as you spiral your way up the cone. When you run out, use the second pastry strip to continue the spiral the rest of the way. Repeat this process with the remaining 7 molds.
- Place the pastry-covered molds onto a baking sheet, tightly cover with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the freezer. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a separate baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the egg with one teaspoon of water to create an egg wash.
- Brush the egg wash over each puff pastry, sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar onto each pastry, and place them seam side down onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.
To make the filling:
- Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks and then add the remaining confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract. Continue to whip until stiff.
- Transfer the filling into a piping bag and remove the mold from the cooled pastries.
- Pipe the filling into each pastry. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve, and then serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Elevate these to the next level by drizzling or dipping them in chocolate.
- Add a little food coloring to the filling for a fancy look, or how about mixing in some sprinkles for a different texture? Alternatively, these are pretty amazing just as they are!
- If you don't have cream horn molds, wrap some ice cream cones in foil and use those instead.
I loved the way how to make all your recipes and i will try it soon. You get as soon as i make it an email from me. Have a nice sunday. From where you are i am from the Netherlands.
Hi Jenny, thanks so much for the kind words! I'm in the U.S. and hope you had a nice Sunday too! Let me know how the cream horns turned out!!