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Puffed Pastry Cream Horns
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Puff Pastry Cream Horns

An easy recipe for cream horns using Pepperidge Farm brand puff pastry. The filling is whipped white chocolate ganache, but you can use any cream filling you like.
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Keyword Cream Horn, Puff Pastry
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 9 horns
Author Anna
Cost 5

Equipment

  • 1 ramekin or custard cup for gelatin
  • 2 microwave-safe mixing bowls or 1 microwave-safe bowl and a small saucepan
  • 1 handheld electric mixer
  • 10 cannoli or cream horn molds (I only have 6, so I had to work in batches)
  • 1 small tray or 2 large platea that fits in the freezer
  • 1 large baking sheet for baking the pastry
  • non-stick foil or parchment paper
  • plastic wrap
  • piping bag
  • large round or star tip for piping cream

Ingredients

  • ½ box puff pastry
  • 1 large beaten egg (for egg wash), you won't use all of it
  • sparkling sugar (optional)

Cream Horn Filling

  • 2 ½ teaspoons cold water
  • ¾ teaspoon plain gelatin
  • 1 ½ ounces white chocolate (you can go a little over) (45 grams)
  • 7 ounces heavy whipping cream (210 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon good vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions

Filling

  • Put cold water in a ramekin and stir in the gelatin. Let sit for 5 minutes to soften.
  • Break or chop the white chocolate and put it in a microwave-safe glass bowl or a quart size Pyrex if you have one.
  • Put the cream in a small saucepan or 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Heat the cream in the saucepan or microwave, watching it very closely, just until it is very hot but not boiling. Add the softened gelatin to the hot cream and stir to dissolve, then pour hot mixture over the white chocolate. Let stand for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. If for some reason your white chocolate has not melted all the way you can heat it for 10 seconds, but the heat from the cream should do the trick. Do not add the powdered sugar yet.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours until very cold.

Preparing Puff Pastry Horns

  • Thaw the puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm brand) as directed on the package. It takes less than 40 minutes and there are microwave directions on the box if you're in a hurry.
  • Unfold the puff pastry on a cutting board and lay it in front of you with the 9.75 inch horizontal and the 10.5 inch side vertical. Cut vertical ½ inch strips. Aim for about 20. You'll need two strips for each horn. You can also do thicker strips and use 1 strip for each horn.
  • Have ready a parchment or nonstick foil lined tray or a couple of lined plates that will fit in your freezer. Also have ready a little beaten. For a little extra crunch, you can also sprinkle on sparkly sugar before baking, but that is optional.
  • Grease your molds very well with butter.
  • Take one strip of pastry and starting at the pointy end of the mold, coil/loop the pastry trip keeping sides touching. It will only go about half way, so take a second strip, pinching it to the first, and continue looping. The mold still might not be completely covered. Set the puff pastry wrapped mold on the tray and continue to make as many more horns as you cans. Set each one on a parchment lined tray or plate as you go. When done, put in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. When oven is hot, brush the frozen puff pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with sparkling sugar if using. Bake the puff pastry wrapped molds for about 18-20 minutes. Let cool, then carefully slide off the mold.
  • Once cool, take your white chocolate ganache out of the refrigerator. Using an electric mixer, beat it until thick enough to pipe. It might take a little longer than whipped cream does to thicken, but it will thicken. Just as it's starting to form peaks, taste test. Add powdered sugar to taste or leave it as is.
  • Fill a piping bag fitted with a round tip and squeeze the ganache into the cooled pastry. Sift powdered sugar over the pastries and serve. These so good when served fresh because the horn is puffy and crunchy and the cream is soft. However, you don't have to serve them immediately.
  • Store in the refrigerator for a few hours or eat immediately. For longer term storage, store the horns in a freezer bag in the freezer.