IF YOU’RE GOING TO THE TROUBLE TO MAKE YOUR OWN ICE CREAM, WHY NOT SPEND A FEW MORE MINUTES AND MAKE YOUR OWN CONES? HERE ARE THREE SIMPLE, DELICIOUS WAYS TO MAKE THIS TIME-HONORED ICE CREAM VEHICLE. THE CONES ARE FUN, EASY, AND BETTER THAN STORE-BOUGHT. USE THESE BASIC RECIPES AND THE NINE VARIATIONS AS A START, THEN BE CREATIVE. AFTER YOUR CONES HAVE COOLED, DIP THEM IN MELTED CHOCOLATE, THEN INTO NUTS, SPRINKLES, OR CHOPPED CANDY.
MAKES 6 TO 8 CONES
THESE cones taste somewhat like fortune cookies and are very sturdy. They’re easiest to make if you have a nonstick cookie sheet and cone-shaped molds, which are available at baking supply stores or by mail from Bridge Kitchenware in New York City (212-688-4220).
¾ cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup milk
½ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
Preheat the oven to 300°F. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the egg until it is thickened and pale yellow. Beat in the butter, vanilla, and milk. Gently stir in the flour.
Grease a large nonstick cookie sheet and spread 1½ tablespoons of the batter into a 6-inch circle using a thin, flexible spatula. Dipping the spatula in water first makes this job easier. The batter will spread about ½ inch while baking, so keep the circles about 1 inch apart. Fit as many circles as you can on 1 cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and use a large metal spatula to remove 1 cookie from the sheet. Handling it carefully so as not to burn your hands, immediately wrap the hot, pliable cookie around a cone-shaped mold, sealing the point. Repeat with the remaining cookies. The cookies will harden as they cool, so work as quickly as possible. Let the cookie sheet cool and repeat the process with the remaining batter. Remove the cones from the molds when completely cool.
BOWL CONES Invert 4 small, clean, identical bowls to use as molds. Place hot cookies directly over the bottoms of the bowls. The cookies will fall around the sides of the bowls and harden as they cool. When cool enough to handle, carefully remove the cones from the bowls and repeat with any remaining warm cookies.
ITALIAN CONES Add a few drops of anise extract or ¼ teaspoon ground fennel to the batter along with the vanilla. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
WALNUT CONES Stir ⅓ cup finely chopped walnuts into the finished batter. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
Hint: If your cones aren’t quite perfect (OK, so there’s a bole on the bottom), don’t worry. Carefully stuff the bottom with a few mini-marshmallows to keep the ice cream from leaking out as it melts.
MAKES 4 TO 6 CONES
THESE cones require a pizelle iron—a round waffle iron with very shallow grooves. Electric and stovetop models are available. Look for them at baking supply stores or by mail from Bridge Kitchenware in New York City (212-688-4220).
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg
5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the egg until it is thickened and pale yellow. Beat in the butter and vanilla. Gently stir in the flour. Do not overmix or the pizelle may become tough. Allow the batter to rest at room temperature at least 15 minutes.
Lightly grease your pizelle iron with vegetable oil spray. Preheat the iron on the stove over medium heat (if you’re using an electric model, follow the manufacturer’s directions). Use 1½ tablespoons of batter for a 5-inch pizelle iron and 2 tablespoons for an 8-inch pizelle iron. Close the iron and cook the pizelle for 30 seconds on one side. Turn the iron over and continue to cook until lightly golden, about 1 minute more. Carefully peel the soft cookie off the iron and roll it around a cone-shaped mold, sealing the point. Repeat with remaining batter. The cones will harden as they cool. Remove the cones from the molds when completely cool.
ALMOND CONES Substitute ¼ teaspoon almond extract for the vanilla extract. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
CINNAMON CONES Add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon to the batter along with the vanilla. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
CIRCUS CONES Add a few drops of food coloring to the batter along with the vanilla. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
FLOWER CONES Add 1 teaspoon rose water or orange flower water to the batter along with the vanilla. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
MAKES 6 TO 8 MERINGUES
THESE aren’t true cones; in fact, they’re not even shaped like cones—more like shells. They’re still a great way to serve ice cream. And since so many recipes call for egg yolks, I found these meringues a great way to use up all those leftover egg whites.
4 large egg whites
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup superfine sugar
Preheat the oven to 180°F. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add the salt and cream of tartar. Continue to beat until soft peaks form. Slowly beat in the sugar, turn the beater to high, and continue to beat until the mixture is thick and shiny, about 2 minutes.
Butter and flour a large cookie sheet. Create the shells by placing ½ cup of meringue, in a mound, on the cookie sheet. Using a wet spoon, make a depression in the center about 4 inches wide (big enough to hold a large scoop of ice cream). Take care to leave at least ¼ inch of meringue on the bottom.
The meringue shells will not spread, so place them close together and fit as many as you can on the cookie sheet. Bake for 2 hours. Turn off the oven and open its door. Allow the meringues to sit in the oven until cool. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
CHOCOLATE CHIP MERINGUES Mix ¾ cup miniature chocolate chips into the meringue just before creating mounds. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
CINNAMON MERINGUES Add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon along with the sugar. Proceed with the recipe as directed.