Vanilla cream horns, lady locks cookies
It looks like a lot of countries around the World have their own name for this fabulous dessert. In the UK they are called cream horns, in Poland rurki z kremem, in Italy they are called cannoncini, in Greece kornedákia. I also heard that in the US this dessert is called lady locks cookies or clothespin cookies. What are they called in your country? Please let me know in the comments below. Today I am sharing my family recipe for vanilla cream horns, lady locks cookies.
Cream horns are so delicious and a real crowd pleaser. They always disappear first from my dessert table. If you are looking for a easy and delicious dessert recipe you need to try making cream horns.
How to make vanilla cream horns, lady locks cookies
In order to make cream horns, you will need special metal moulds. I used cannoli mould ( 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 moulds. I have seen people also making their own mould our of aluminium foil but I am not sure if this would work great.
This recipe for vanilla 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 moulds, 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.
What do Vanilla cream horns, lady locks cookies taste like?
Cream horns are one of my favourite 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 vanilla whipped cream filling is creamy, airy and not overly sweet.
How to store 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:
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!
Light, buttery and flaky pastry filled with homemade whipped cream. I love making homemade vanilla cream horns, also called lady locks cookies or clothespin cookies. They are so good. Homemade pastry is so good and delicate and is filled with silky and creamy vanilla whipped cream. This recipe is perfect if you want to wow your guests.
- 370 g flour (AP, plus extra for dusting)
- 250 g butter (cold, unsalted or salted, cut into small cubes)
- 260 g sour cream
- 20 g sugar (powdered, confectioner's)
- 1 egg white (form large egg, about 36 grams)
- 70 g sugar (white, granulated)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (good quality)
- 1/4 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)
- 600 ml double cream (you can also use whipping cream , or heavy cream if you are in the US)
- 100 g sugar (powdered, confectioner's)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (good quality)
- 10 g sugar (powdered, confectioner's, optional)
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.
In a medium bowl add flour, salt, powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix.
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.
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.
When you are ready to bake, prepare 2 large baking tins lined with baking paper, set aside.
Prepare 2 bowls. Add egg white to one bowl and granulated sugar to the other. Set aside.
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.
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 mould make sure that at the end you press the last piece of the dough together. It will prevent cream horns from opening up.
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.
Preheat oven to 190C fan (374F).
Bake dough for about 15-20 minutes until golden.
Remove pastries from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes and then gently separate pastries from moulds. Let them cool down completely.
In a medium bowl add cream, sugar and vanilla and whips until hard peaks form.
Prepare a pipping bag with pipping nozzle. I used Wilton 1A.
Spoon whipped cream into the pipping bag and fill pastries with cream.
Sprinkle icing sugar on top.