Cannoncini are Italian cream horns: crisp, flaky cones of sugared puff pastry filled with cool, thick vanilla pastry cream and dusted with powdered sugar. They look like bakery pastries, but they start with a sheet of store-bought puff pastry, and they are a lovely finish for a holiday meal or a tray for a shower.
How to make cannoncini: Cook a vanilla pastry cream from egg yolks, sugar, flour and hot milk, then chill it for at least 1 hour. Roll puff pastry in sugar, cut it into 12 strips and wrap each around a cone-shaped mold. Brush with egg wash and bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Slide off the molds, cool and fill just before serving.
Why You’ll Love It
- Store-bought pastry. One sheet of puff pastry makes all 12 horns.
- Homemade cream. A simple stovetop vanilla pastry cream.
- Crisp and creamy. A shattering sugared shell around a cold, smooth filling.
- Make the parts ahead. The cream chills while the horns bake and cool.
What Is Cannoncini?
Cannoncini are puff pastry cones filled with Italian pastry cream. The pastry is wrapped around a metal cone, baked until golden and flaky, then filled once it has cooled. In English they are often called Italian cream horns.
Ingredient Notes
Egg yolks. Three, for the pastry cream.
All-purpose flour. Three tablespoons thicken the cream.
Sugar. A 1/2 cup for the cream and another 1/4 cup for rolling the pastry.
Vanilla extract. One teaspoon.
Milk. Eight fluid ounces, warmed until hot but not boiling.
Puff pastry. One sheet, about 8 ounces, defrosted.
Egg and water. One egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water makes the egg wash.
Powdered sugar. Optional, for dusting.
Ingredients
For the pastry cream
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 fluid ounces milk
For the horns
- 1 sheet puff pastry (about 8 ounces), defrosted
- 1/4 cup sugar, for rolling the pastry
- 1 egg, for egg wash
- 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
- Powdered sugar, optional, for serving
How to Make Cannoncini
1. Make the pastry cream. Warm the milk until hot but not boiling. In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla extract and flour until light and fluffy. Add the milk a little at a time, whisking to prevent lumps.
2. Thicken and chill. Set the pan over medium heat and stir continuously until the cream reaches a slow boil and thickens. Lower the heat and cook for a couple more minutes, stirring so it does not stick, until it reaches the thickness you want. Transfer to a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap, let cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Prepare the pastry. Heat the oven to 400°F. Sprinkle some of the 1/4 cup sugar on the counter and the rest over the puff pastry. Roll the pastry into a rectangle about 9 by 12 inches and cut it into 12 strips about 1 inch wide.
4. Wrap the molds. Wrap one strip around each cone-shaped horn mold, overlapping the pastry by about half its width. Place the wrapped molds seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Brush and bake. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water and lightly brush the pastry, keeping the wash off the molds so the horns are easier to release. Bake at 400°F for about 15 to 20 minutes, until golden on top.
6. Release and fill. Let the horns cool for a couple of minutes, then gently remove the molds. If one sticks, press the mold inward slightly to reduce its circumference and gently turn it until it releases. Let the shells cool before filling them with the chilled cream just before serving. Dust with powdered sugar if you like.
How to Get Cannoncini Off the Molds Without Breaking Them
The shells are fragile, and a horn that is glued to its mold will crack when you pull. A few small things, done before and after baking, let the molds slide out cleanly.
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Wrapping | Overlap each strip by about half its width | The spiral holds together as one shell |
| On the tray | Set each horn seam-side down | The end of the strip stays tucked under |
| Egg wash | Brush the pastry only, never the metal | Egg on the mold bakes on like glue |
| After baking | Wait a couple of minutes, then ease the mold out | The pastry firms up a little first |
| If one sticks | Press the mold inward slightly and turn it gently | A smaller mold lets go of the pastry |
Then wait again. Fill the shells only when they are cool, and only just before serving. Cream sitting inside a pastry shell softens it over time, so the longer they wait filled, the less crisp they are.
Tips for Success
How do I keep the pastry cream from getting lumpy?
Add the hot milk a little at a time and whisk the whole time. Once the pan is on the heat, keep stirring until it reaches a slow boil and thickens.
How long does the cream need to chill?
At least 1 hour in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap.
How wide should the pastry strips be?
About 1 inch. Roll the sheet to about 9 by 12 inches and cut 12 strips.
How do I know the horns are baked?
They are puffed and golden on top, after about 15 to 20 minutes at 400°F.
How do I fill them?
A piping bag is the easiest way to get the cream down into the cone. A small spoon works too.
Cannoncini vs. Cannoli
They are different pastries. Cannoncini are made from puff pastry and filled with pastry cream. Cannoli use a different kind of shell and filling. I do not have a detailed history of either to offer, so I will leave it at what is on the plate.
How Long Does It Take?
About 105 minutes: 20 minutes of prep, 25 minutes of cooking and baking, and at least 1 hour for the pastry cream to chill. Shorter times that leave out the chill are not realistic. The chill is part of the recipe.
Storage & Reheating
Cannoncini are not reheated. Keep the pastry cream refrigerated until you fill the shells. USDA FSIS says to refrigerate perishable leftovers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if it is above 90°F, in covered containers, and gives 3 to 4 days as a general limit. Filled horns will soften in the refrigerator, and I cannot promise how long they stay crisp.
What to Serve With It
For another Italian-style pastry, make mini cannoli cups. For more desserts built around cream, try the bee sting cake, the Italian cream cake or the strawberry cream cheese icebox cake. For small bites on the same tray, add raspberry cream cheese bites, and for a quick topping there is cream cheese whipped cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I remove the baked horns from their molds without breaking them?
Keep egg wash off the molds, let the horns cool for a couple of minutes, then ease the molds out. If one sticks, press it inward slightly and turn it gently.
What is cannoncini?
Puff pastry cones filled with Italian pastry cream.
What is the difference between a cannoli and a cannoncini?
Cannoncini are puff pastry horns with pastry cream. Cannoli are a separate pastry with their own shell and filling.
When should I fill the shells?
Just before serving, once the shells are cool and the cream is cold.
Final Notes
I brush the egg wash on with a small brush and keep it well away from the metal, because a clean mold slides right out. If you make them, leave a comment to tell me how they turned out or ask a question.
Cannoncini
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Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks for the pastry cream
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour for the pastry cream
- 1/2 cup sugar for the pastry cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 fluid ounces milk for the pastry cream
- 1 sheet puff pastry about 8 ounces, defrosted
- 1/4 cup sugar for rolling the pastry
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
- powdered sugar optional, for serving
Instructions
- Warm the milk until hot but not boiling. In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla extract and flour until light and fluffy. Add the milk a little at a time, whisking to prevent lumps.
- Set the pan over medium heat and stir continuously until the cream reaches a slow boil and thickens. Lower the heat and cook for a couple more minutes, stirring so it does not stick, until it reaches the thickness you want. Transfer to a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap, let cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Sprinkle some of the 1/4 cup sugar on the counter and the rest over the puff pastry. Roll the pastry into a rectangle about 9 by 12 inches and cut it into 12 strips about 1 inch wide.
- Wrap one strip around each cone-shaped horn mold, overlapping the pastry by about half its width. Place the wrapped molds seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water and lightly brush the pastry, keeping the wash off the molds so the horns are easier to release. Bake at 400°F for about 15 to 20 minutes, until golden on top.
- Let the horns cool for a couple of minutes, then gently remove the molds. If one sticks, press the mold inward slightly to reduce its circumference and gently turn it until it releases. Let the shells cool before filling them with the chilled cream just before serving. Dust with powdered sugar if you like.
