This recipe has been a long time coming because I wanted to make sure when I put it out there that it would be easy for anyone to make and enjoy. Learning how to form the cones can be a bit tricky but I think I have most of the variables down after eating cones and bowls for weeks. It was a hardship.
Since being gluten-free, do you go to an ice cream shop and automatically order a dish of ice cream because you assume they won’t have gluten-free cones? Thankfully, I’ve seen more and more ice cream shops offering gluten-free cones but it’s not everyone. No need to forego a cone anymore! Now you can have your cone and ice cream too! These light and crispy cones take only a few minutes to make and when fully dried (see notes) they will last for weeks stored in an airtight container.
I started testing these a few weeks ago, during the most humid summer in the history of ever. Humidity ruins everything, just so you know. It’s slowly taken my tomato plants down to pathetic, brown vines and it slowly softened these cones up so they were like crepes. Luckily, I have an amazing dehydrator so I put them in there for about an hour and they crisped right up. If you don’t have a dehydrator, they can be put in a very low oven (not more than 200˚) for an hour, checking them often. Once they are crisp and completely cooled, store in an air-tight container. (For most people, humidity is only an issue during the dog days of summer.)
These cones start with an eggy batter that gets pressed in the waffle cone iron. It’s somewhat like a waffle maker but the hot plates are flatter. Each cone took about 1 minute 30 seconds in the iron and I pulled them off with tongs and a silicon spatula to help support it as it was coming off the iron. I placed each cone on a paper towel while I put the next cone’s batter on the iron. By that time it had cooled slightly and I was able to gingerly wrap it around foil cones that I’d made. I’m cheap like that but you can buy a cone form if you like. Eventually I’ll get one because these cones are sure to be a staple in our household!
Notes:
• Let’s talk about variables. We’ll start with the batter. I thought that this batter would be best thinner rather than thicker, you know, like a crepe. Then I tested a different kind of sugar that had more moisture in it than the first. Holey cones, Batman! A holey cone won’t hold ice cream so I went back to work. I discovered that the batter needed to be a little bit thicker and all the moisture was causing the cone to steam and hiss rather than bake. So, if the first cone has too many holes, add a little more gf flour, 1 tsp. at a time until they are solid when cooked in the iron. I decided I did like the little holes on the outside edges of the cones but if you don’t, just add more flour until the whole thing is solid. I particularly like the “lacy” feel of holey edges.
• The size of the egg you use will make a difference. The eggs I use are from my backyard chickens and they come in many different colors and sizes – the eggs … and the chickens. I chose a “large” sized egg to use for this recipe. If it would’ve been larger, I would’ve needed more flour to keep from having holey cones.
• The waffle cone iron I have has a dial on it from 1-5. I cooked mine at about 3.5 for about 1 minute, 30 seconds or until it was evenly browned. This is more difficult to tell when you’re doing chocolate cones so that’s where the time comes in. These could probably be done in a skillet but you would have to be very quick and precise about spreading the batter in a perfect circle before it cooks too much. If you love ice cream cones, I would suggest buying the iron!
• For the ice cream cone bowls, I simply draped the cone over a small bowl until it cooled. I did dehydrate them for about 30 minutes before storing in an air-tight container.
- 1 egg, whole large
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 3 Tbls butter, melted (or coconut oil)
- 2 Tbls milk (or dairy alternative beverage)
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 3 Tbls gluten-free flour* (I used King Arthur Measure for Measure)
- Pinch salt
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Cook as directed in waffle cone iron or carefully and quickly spread about 2 Tbls batter on a skillet and cook as you would a crepe.
- Once each cone is cooked, allow to cool for about 30 seconds and form into a cone on a cone form or fashion your own cone shape out of foil.
- Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
- *If the cones have too many holes, add more flour, 1 tsp at a time until there are no more holes when cooked. The size of the egg and the type of flour makes a difference in this recipe so you may need to adjust after making the first one.
- 1 egg, whole large
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 3 Tbls butter, melted (or coconut oil)
- 3 Tbls milk (or dairy alternative beverage)
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 ½ Tbls cocoa
- 2 Tbls gluten-free flour* (I used King Arthur Measure for Measure)
- Pinch salt
- Cook as directed in a waffle cone iron or quickly on a skillet like a crepe.
- *If the cones have too many holes, add more flour, 1 tsp at a time until there are no more holes when cooked. The size of the egg and the type of flour makes a difference in this recipe so you may need to adjust after making the first one.