Cream Horns

PHOTO BY ME - DO NOT STEAL!

One of my all time favorite guilty-pleasure desserts is Cream Horns. Different parts of the country call them different names or have 'similar' desserts but what it comes down to is a fattening cream filled horn that is pure heaven. I love them so much that I finally convinced my husband I did not WANT a cake this year for my birthday... I really truly just wanted cream horns. It's taken me 20 years to convince him but last month, with the prompting of my daughters, he finally realized I was serious and to stop buying me chocolate ice cream cakes when I HATE chocolate. 
 

Last week I finally bought my own cream horn forms and yesterday mixed up the dough. Today I'm filling them and I will let you know how they turned out. In the meantime, here is the dough recipe. If you don't have metal cream horn forms just wrap the dough strips around an old fashioned round clothespin, or a wooden dowel, or even a pencil if you don't mind the rolls being very very thin.

CREAM HORNS
(Ladylocks or Clothespin Cookies)

1 c butter
1/2 c Crisco shortening
3 c flour (plus more for kneading and rolling)
2 egg yolks, beaten
2 t sugar
1 - 1 1/4 c water


Cream the butter and shortening. Set aside.
Combine the flour, egg yolks, sugar and water in a mixing bowl and mix well. Add flour 1/4 cup at a time if the dough is too sticky. Roll the dough out on a floured surface and spread with 1/4 of the butter shortening mixture. Fold it in on itself and knead it then replace it into the bowl and chill for 1 hour. Take it out and repeat the rolling, spreading and folding and kneading again with another 1/4 cup of the shortening/butter mixture. Repeat this 2 more times until the butter mixture is incorporated. (*note: I found it difficult to incorporate the butter mixture after the 2nd rolling so I transferred it to my standing kitchen aid mixer and used the dough hook and the low speed to help me 'knead' it in. I also added 1/4 c flour each time to quell the stickiness and help incorporate it.)








Chill your dough overnight or at least for a couple hours. Roll dough to 1/4" thick on a floured surface. Cut into strips 1" wide. Wrap each one around the metal forms or the dowel, clothespin or pencil.



Bake on a greased baking sheet at 425 or approximately 10 minutes until they are puffed up and just starting to get golden brown. Slip them off the form while they are still warm and then allow them to cool.



Fill with;

Cream Horn Filling

1 c Crisco
1 c butter (not margarine... never use margarine for anything! Blech!)
4 c powdered sugar
4 t vanilla
3/4 c marshmallow creme

Cream the Crisco and butter. Add the sugar gradually and then the creme and vanilla. Beat well until it's smooth like whipped cream. Fill cooled or chilled cream horn forms.

Does not need to be refrigerated for storage.




*My update*

I don't think this recipe warrants the name Cream Horns, only because I have very high standards. They turned out, they are beautiful and they taste great, but are definitely more of a 'cookie' than a puff pastry. I don't hold that against the recipe... french pastries are hard to make at home! I do plan on making these again - many times over! But I will use a store bought puff pastry in its place.

I would call these "Clothespin Cookies" (Your grandmother will know that term) or ladylocks... but not cream horns as they really do need a flaky puff pastry horn to earn the name.


***Edit:  THANK YOU JENNY for letting me know!!!  Yep, those are mine and she is not only pretending they are hers but are selling them as 'her' product.