Puff Pastry Cream Horns

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These puff pastry cream horns are crisp, golden, and filled with soft vanilla whipped cream. An Italian-style dessert you can make at home in a snap. Save this recipe for your next gathering!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword puff pastry

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 15

Cooling Time 1

Total Time 1 45

Servings people

Calories 309kcal

Author Jillian Wade

Cost $8.59

Equipment

baking sheet
parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Cream horn molds
Sharp knife or pizza cutter
Small bowl (for egg wash)
Pastry brush or small brush
wire cooling rack
Electric mixer
Mixing bowl (chilled)
Pastry bag or zip-top bag (for filling)
Sifter (for powdered sugar)

Ingredients

17.3 oz box puff pastry thawed
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar sifted (plus more for dusting, if desired)
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract*

Serving Options:

Strawberries

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep the oven and pastry

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Unroll one sheet of thawed puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface.

Cut and shape

Using the pastry creases as a guide, cut the sheet into strips — then cut each section into 4 strips. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and water to make an egg wash. Flip each strip over and lightly wet one edge and both ends with water.

Wrap the molds

Wrap a pastry strip around each cream horn mold diagonally from one end to the other, slightly overlapping each turn. It will take 2 strips per horn.

Bake the pastry

Brush the wrapped molds with egg wash, making sure to get into the cracks. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour, then carefully remove the molds.

Make the filling

Chill the mixing bowl before whipping. When the horns are cool, pour the chilled heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract into the bowl. Beat until soft peaks form. Add sifted powdered sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Fill and serve

Transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag and pipe it into each cooled pastry horn. Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve with fresh strawberries or a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Notes

*Clear Vanilla Extract: Using clear vanilla keeps the whipped cream bright white rather than the off-white color of traditional vanilla.

Storage Tips

Refrigerate: Store filled cream horns in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Make-ahead: You can bake the pastry shells in advance and fill them just before serving.
Freeze shells: Unfilled shells can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before filling.

Baking at High Altitude (3,000 ft and above)

If you live where the air is a little thinner, baking puff pastry can behave differently because moisture evaporates faster, and baked goods can puff unevenly. The good news is that these puff pastry cream horns are easy to adjust for success at altitude.

Here’s how to adapt the recipe:

Oven Temperature: Increase the oven temperature to 410°F to help the pastry rise quickly before drying out. This gives you a better lift and flakier layers.
Baking Time: Shorten the baking time by 1–2 minutes and keep an eye on the color. At altitude, pastries can brown more quickly due to faster evaporation. Pull them when they’re a rich golden color.
Liquid Adjustments: If your dough feels dry when wrapping, brush the pastry strips with a little extra water along the edges. The lower humidity at high altitude can make puff pastry less pliable.
Whipped Cream Stability: Because cream can whip a little faster in drier air, stop the mixer as soon as you reach stiff peaks to avoid over-whipping. For extra stability (especially if serving outdoors), you can add 1 tablespoon of instant pudding mix or 1 teaspoon of cornstarch while whipping.
Cooling and Filling: Let the baked shells cool in a slightly humid environment if possible. Cover them loosely with a clean kitchen towel to help prevent cracking before filling.

These simple tweaks will help your Italian cream horns turn out beautifully crisp, flaky, and picture-perfect no matter how high up your kitchen sits.

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