I have shared different flavors of cream horns on my blog so far: vanilla cream horns, coffee cream horns and dark chocolate cream horns. All of these recipes are very popular on my website. They are not only nostalgic but also taste sooo good. Who does not like a flaky, buttery pastry filled with sweet light filling? Personally, I do not know anybody, do you? This time, I am sharing new recipe for lemon cream horns.
If you like lemons, you need to try this zesty and refreshing version of this classic dessert. It is easy to make and I love making it for birthday celebrations, Easter or adding it to my Christmas cookie platters.
How to make lemon cream horns
In order to make lemon cream horns, you will need special metal molds. I used cannoli mold ( for tube like shapes). I think this is what people are using to make lady locks cookies. For the real cream horns shape, I used cone shape molds. I have seen people also making their own mold out of aluminum foil but I am not sure if this would work great.
This recipe for lemon cream horns, lady lock cookies is very simple and it is made from scratch. I have seen many recipes that use puff pastry, which is fine. In my opinion homemade shells are so much better.
TIPS:
- In order to get flaky pastry use cold butter cut into tiny cubes, or just grate butter the same way you would grate cheese. You can also use frozen butter if you want.
- I do not grease my metal molds, as amount of butter in the dough is enough for shells to come off easily.
- Make sure that when wrapping dough around the mould, the dough is overlapping.
- Adding egg wash and granulated sugar on top is optional. I always add it as this is what my Mum is doing and in my opinion it enhances the texture and flavour.
- This recipe is great to make in advance. You can make the dough and store it in the freezer and then use it when needed.
- Make your own lemon curd if you can, it taste so much better than store-bought. I can recommend this recipe for homemade lemon curd .
What do lemon cream horns, lady locks cookies taste like?
Lemon cream horns are one of my favorite desserts. They are so addictive and one is never enough. The consistency is so light that it is actually hard to believe that you are having a dessert. The shell is flaky, crunchy and delicate. The consistency is similar to puff pastry, but better! The layer of granulated sugar on top adds extra crunch and sweetness. The zesty and refreshing lemon filling balances the sweetness so well.
How to store lemon cream horns, lady locks cookies
You can store empty shells at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Just make sure that the environment is free from any moisture and dampness. I store my shells on a large baking tray and cover them lightly with cling film and never had any issues.
I would recommend storing filled cream horns, lady locks cookies in the fridge for up to 3 days. Please note, that consistency of pastry can be affected and it can become a little soft. This is because of the moisture from cream.
I would not recommend freezing this dessert as shells can become soggy and soft.
If you are looking for more recipes for cream horns, lady locks I can recommend you the following:
Click this link to see all recipes for cream horns on my blog
I hope you will make my recipe and if you do, please leave a comment below and let me know your feedback. You can also find me on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Gab and Gettr. Please say hi and do not forget to tag me in if you make my recipe. I love seeing your creations.
Recipe source – my Mom’s notebook
Enjoy!
Lemon cream horns
Light, buttery and flaky pastry filled with homemade lemon curd, mascarpone cheese and whipped cream. I love making lemon cream horns, also called lady locks cookies or clothespin cookies. Homemade pastry shells are so good and delicate and are filled with silky and creamy lemon filling. This recipe is perfect if you want to wow your guests.
Ingredients
Cream horns
Vanilla cream filling
Instructions
Making cream horns shells
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Please read recipe post as well. It includes storage direction and other useful information.
I always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients as it helps to achieve the best results. The US measurements in cups are the estimate and I can not guarantee the best results. For this recipe is used metal moulds for cannoli and cream horns.
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In a medium bowl add flour, salt, powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix.
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Add cold butter cut in small pieces. You can also use grater to grate butter. Then add sour cream. Mis all the ingredients and knead into a dough. make sure that butter is fully incorporated.
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Wrap dough into a cling film and place it in a freezer for 2 hours. Putting dough in the freezer will help to achieve flaky and light cream horns. You can leave dough in the freezer for longer if you want. Just let dough to defrost when you are ready for baking.
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When you are ready to bake, prepare 2 large baking tins lined with baking paper, set aside.
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Prepare 2 bowls. Add egg white to one bowl and granulated sugar to the other. Set aside.
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Divide dough into 4 portions and roll each portion into a rectangle if possible. I rolled mine until I got about 30 cm (12 inch) long dough. 0.3 cm (0.11 inch) thick I cut it into stripes, 2 cm (0.8inch) wide. My moulds are quite big so you have to judge yourself what length of pastry you need.
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Wrap each dough stripe around a metal tube making sure that stripe is overlapping. There should be no spices between the layers of the dough. It will create holes. When you are done with wrapping the mold make sure that at the end you press the last piece of the dough together. It will prevent cream horns from opening up.
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Place each mould wrapped in dough on the prepared baking tin. Brush it with egg white and sprinkle some granulated sugar on top. This will make cream horns more crunchy. You can of course omit this step if you want to have egg-free dessert.
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Preheat oven to 190C fan (374F).
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Bake dough for about 15-20 minutes until golden.
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Remove pastries from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes and then gently separate pastries from molds. Let them cool down completely.
Making lemon cream filling and assembling cream horns
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Make lemon curd and let it cool down completely before adding cream and mascarpone cheese.
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In a medium bowl add double cream (heavy whipping cream) and mascarpone cheese and gently mix together until the mixture thickens.
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Using a spoon, fold in half of lemon curd. Save the rest to add it in the middle of each cream horn.
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Prepare a piping bag with a piping nozzle. I used Wilton 1A. This bag will be for the cream filling. Next prepare second bag for lemon curd.
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Spoon lemon cream filling into the piping bag. Then spoon lemon curd in the second bag.
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Pipe some lemon cream filling inside each horn, I filled half. Then I added a little bit of lemon curd in the middle and then more lemon cream filling.
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Sprinkle icing sugar (confectioner's sugar) on top.