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A fun, easy, and tasty pastry, this Cream Horn Recipe is a classic treat that you will absolutely love. Puff pastry baked and filled with vanilla and chocolate whipped cream, a combination you can’t resist.
If you have never tried this Cream Horn Recipe, now is the time. These beauties are super flavorful, easier than they look, and just an all-around fun recipe to make.
We love having creme horns for breakfast with a cup of coffee or a nice light dessert. They are really perfect for any time of the day because they just taste so good.
We love to mix up the flavor fillings and often do plain vanilla and then a chocolate to give a little variety to our family or guests. Because who can resist either?
These take minimal and easy-to-find ingredients and are done in under an hour. They are also fun to make when you have little hands around, they love wrapping and filling homemade Cream Horns.
I know from experience! Lily has a blast with these tasty little things. Memories in the kitchen are so important and chocolate cream horns are high on our list.
So, whether you’re making these for a holiday or just any time of the week, puff pastry cream horns are memory makers. Bring on the flavor!
So if you’ve been looking for a fun treat to add to your menu rotation, I highly suggest that you make a batch of my Cream Horn Recipe. You’ll get a five star rating from any crowd.
Some of my other favorite breakfast/dessert recipes that we have on our site include: Cherry Danish, Honey Bun Bread Pudding and Pistachio Muffins.
Jump to:
- WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- HOW TO MAKE cream horn RECIPE:
- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
- DO I HAVE TO USE THE CHOCOLATE FILLING?
- CAN I ADD ANYTHING TO THE TOPS OR SIDES OF THESE?
- DO I HAVE TO USE PUFF PASTRY?
- ANY ADDITIONS?
- ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?
- HOW TO STORE:
- DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Homemade Cream Horns Recipe
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Puff pastry horns are easier to make than they look.
- Makes a large batch to feed a crowd.
- You can easily customize the filling.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- Egg
- Water
- Puff pastry
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy cream
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
HOW TO MAKE cream horn RECIPE:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking with parchment paper and set aside.
- Lightly spray the cream horn molds with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
- Whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl, set aside.
- Doing one at a time, unfold one of the puff pastry sheets. Using a rolling pin, flatten it out.
- Cut the pastry into 8 1-inch sections, discarding any scraps. Starting at the tip of one of the molds, begin to wrap a pastry strip around the mold. Gently pressing together to seal. Then, place the molds seam side down onto a prepared baking sheet.
- Next, using your egg wash, brush the exposed pastry until coated.
- Place in the oven and bake for 14-16 minutes until puffed and slightly golden brown. Once done, remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet while still in the mold.
- These will need to be baked in batches, so continue to wrap your molds while your batches are baking.
- Once all of the horns are baked, transfer them to a wire rack to completely cool.
- While the horns cool, make the filling. In the body of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the cream cheese and whip until smooth.
- Next, a little at a time add in the powdered sugar until fully combined, making sure to scrape down sides if needed. Then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Slowly stream in the heavy cream until it is completely mixed in. Scrape down the sides of the mixer, then place the mixer speed on medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form, this will take roughly about 1 minute.
- Remove half of the cream and place into a bowl, then add the cocoa powder to the remaining cream in stand mixer and mix it in until combined.
- If desired you can lightly dust your horns with powdered sugar.
- Using a pastry bag with an open star tip (or any tip or even a plastic bag with the corner cut off) fill the cream horns with the cream. Filling half of the cream horns with the vanilla cream and the other half with the chocolate cream.
- Serve immediately.
GET THE MOLDS FOR THIS RECIPE HERE!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
DO I HAVE TO USE THE CHOCOLATE FILLING?
We love having a mixture of the chocolate filling, but you can use all vanilla if you’d like.
We also like to use other fillings besides cream cheese frosting such as a cannoli filling, buttercream, cool whip, stabilized whipped cream, etc.
You can really fill these with what you want. I’m a chocolate lover, so chocolate it is.
Just make sure that it is sturdy enough to hold the filling.
CAN I ADD ANYTHING TO THE TOPS OR SIDES OF THESE?
You can absolutely do that if you want to give these a little more flavor or make them a little more eye appealing.
Some of our favorite ideas include:
- Drizzle with your favorite chocolate
- Dip the ends in crushed pistachios
- Dip ends in mini chocolate chips
- Color your filling for other occasions
DO I HAVE TO USE PUFF PASTRY?
Yes, puff pastry is essential for this recipe. Oh, how I love that flaky pastry.
You do not want to use another homemade dough or crescent dough.
You want the puffed-up texture that puff pastry will give you for these.
ANY ADDITIONS?
I’ve got a bunch of ideas that sound TASTY! Try it out on your own Italian cream horns and see for yourself.
- Coarse Sugar Sprinkle: Before baking, sprinkle coarse sugar over the puff pastry strips for an extra sweet crunch on your pastry horns.
- Jam Filling: Add a little jam inside the horns before piping in the cream for a fruity surprise that will delight your taste buds.
- Chocolate Drizzle: After filling the horns, drizzle melted chocolate over the ends of the cream horns using a piping bag or a ziploc bag for an elegant touch.
- Nutty Crunch: Roll the pointed end of the filled horns in chopped nuts like almonds or hazelnuts for added texture and flavor.
- Coconut Flakes: Dip the ends of the horns into sweetened coconut flakes to give your easy dessert a tropical twist.
- Marshmallow Fluff Layer: Spread a thin layer of marshmallow fluff inside the horns before adding the cream for an extra sweet treat that satisfies any sweet tooth.
- Dust with Powdered Sugar: Lightly dust the finished horns with powder sugar for a classic and beautiful presentation.
- Coffee-Flavored Filling: Add a teaspoon of instant coffee to the cream filling for a mocha flavor that pairs well with the buttery puff pastry.
- Fruit Topping: Garnish the filled horns with fresh berries or sliced fruit to add color and freshness to your cream horns recipes.
- Edible Glitter: Sprinkle edible glitter over the horns for a sparkling effect that’s perfect for special occasions or perfect gifts.
ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?
If you have any other options that you think would work well, let me know what you think! Find your own favorite way.
- Homemade Puff Pastry: Instead of store-bought puff pastry, make your own homemade puff pastry or rough puff to control the ingredients and enjoy a homemade touch.
- Metal Cream Horn Molds: If you don’t have metal cream horn molds, create cone shapes using aluminum foil or use inverted sugar cones as molds.
- Mascarpone Cheese: Substitute cream cheese with mascarpone in the filling for a richer, creamier texture that elevates the cream cheese filling.
- Egg Whites: For a lighter filling, use whipped egg whites sweetened with sugar to create a meringue instead of the cream cheese mixture.
- Different Extracts: Swap out vanilla extract with almond, lemon, or peppermint extract to give the filling a new flavor profile that tantalizes your taste buds.
- Vegan Alternatives: Use dairy-free puff pastry and replace cream cheese and heavy cream with coconut cream and a vegan cream cheese substitute to make easy cream horns suitable for vegans.
HOW TO STORE:
FREEZER: We do not recommend storing your homemade cream horns after they are made unless you plan on freezing them immediately. Room temperature is a no go, and the filling is not stable enough to withstand any storage in the refrigerator.
To freeze these Cream Horns, place the horns filled in a freezer container, and they will keep for 3 months. These are great eaten frozen, or you can defrost them for 5-10 minutes before serving.
DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- You can use both chocolate and vanilla or one or the other, or see some other filling suggestions above.
- Top or dip these in other things, see above for ideas.
- You can flavor your cream filling with other extracts such as orange, almond, peppermint, or strawberry.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- Make sure that you use puff pastry and that it is thawed.
- This makes a large batch, but you can double it to serve a crowd.
Love a great breakfast or dessert recipe that is super simple and absolutely tasty? This Cream Horn Recipe is exactly what you’ve been looking for.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
If you’ve tried this CREAM HORN RECIPE let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Homemade Cream Horns Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- Splash of water
- 2 sheets puff pastry thawed
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup powdered sugar plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking with parchment paper and set aside.
- Lightly spray the cream horn molds with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
- Whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl, set aside.1 large egg, Splash of water
- Doing one at a time, unfold one of the puff pastry sheets. Using a rolling pin, flatten it out.2 sheets puff pastry
- Cut the pastry into 8 1-inch sections, discarding any scraps. Starting at the tip of one of the molds, begin to wrap a pastry strip around the mold. Gently pressing together to seal. Then, place the molds seam side down onto a prepared baking sheet.
- Next, using your egg wash, brush the exposed pastry until coated.
- Place in the oven and bake for 14-16 minutes until puffed and slightly golden brown. Once done, remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet while still in the mold.
- These will need to be baked in batches, so continue to wrap your molds while your batches are baking.
- Once all of the horns are baked, transfer them to a wire rack to completely cool.
- While the horns cool, make the filling. In the body of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the cream cheese and whip until smooth.8 ounces cream cheese
- Next, a little at a time add in the powdered sugar until fully combined, making sure to scrape down sides if needed. Then stir in the vanilla extract.¾ cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Slowly stream in the heavy cream until it is completely mixed in. Scrape down the sides of the mixer, then place the mixer speed on medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form, this will take roughly about 1 minute.2 cups heavy cream
- Remove half of the cream and place into a bowl, then add the cocoa powder to the remaining cream in stand mixer and mix it in until combined.1 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- If desired you can lightly dust your horns with powdered sugar.
- Using a pastry bag with an open star tip (or any tip or even a plastic bag with the corner cut off) fill the cream horns with the cream. Filling half of the cream horns with the vanilla cream and the other half with the chocolate cream.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- You can use both chocolate and vanilla or one or the other, or see some other filling suggestions above.
- Top or dip these in other things, see above for ideas.
- You can flavor your cream filling with other extracts such as orange, almond, peppermint, or strawberry.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- Make sure that you use puff pastry and that it is thawed.
- This makes a large batch, but you can double it to serve a crowd.
Nutrition
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