Apparently this past Sunday was National Ice Cream day. Can I let you in on a little secret? I’m actually not a huge ice cream fiend like most people seem to be. Don’t get me wrong: I like ice cream, but it’s one of the few foodstuffs about which I am rather picky.
For example: I absolutely won’t eat soft serve. If I’m going to subject myself to all the brain freeze and tooth pain [I have really sensitive and terrible teeth, despite the fact that they don’t *look* terrible], then by golly, I want some real, fattening, creamy, and rich ice cream. The real, creamy ice cream is the bee’s knees, but even it is something I cannot eat in large quantities because it’s just too much for me sometimes. I think it is mostly related to the fact that I get brain freeze easily, and my teeth are very sensitive to extreme temperatures.
My dad always teased me when I was a kid, because everyone else flippin’ loves ice cream. On family ice cream outings, I’d always be a bit indifferent to it. My parents even used to joke that I “wasn’t a real Cohee (my last name)” because I’d rather eat a brownie than ice cream most days. {Warm brownies with ice cream, though? Now that’s a different story.}
But when it’s July and disgustingly hot out [yay, Missouri heat and humidity!], even someone like me enjoys some ice cream. I had some ice cream chillin’ [pun intended] in my freezer, so I decided to conquer some homemade waffle cones. Because I may or may not actually like waffle cones more than I like ice cream.
The batter for the waffle cones isn’t hard to make; however, there is a bit of a learning curve involved with shaping them. But there’s just something so satisfying about making your own dang waffle cones! I mean, waffle cones are pretty rad, amirite? Also, it’d be remiss of me to not suggest dipping some of them in chocolate. And sprinkles, obvz. 1..2..3..DOOO IIIIT.
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Homemade Vanilla Waffle Cones.
Yield: It depends on the size of your waffle cone/pizzelle press.
– 2 large egg whites
– Pinch of salt
– 3/4 cup powdered sugar
– 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract {Or you could go real crazy and use vanilla bean paste for good measure!}
– 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
– 4 TBSP.(1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
– 1 TBSP. vegetable oil, or nonstick cooking spray, for panInstructions:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the salt and 1 TBSP. of sugar, then beat until stiff peaks form. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the vanilla extract and the rest of the sugar. Carefully fold in the flour and cooled butter into the mixture until it’s incorporated.
2. Heat your waffle/pizzelle iron to medium heat. Brush lightly with oil, or spray it with a nonstick spray. Place a heaping tablespoon of batter on the iron, about a third of the way in from the back hinge. Close the iron and press it tightly, and cook for about one to one and a half minutes [or however browned you prefer them].
3. Remove the flat cone from the iron, and place on a wire cooling rack so that it cools off a bit. Using a waffle cone mold or a some kind of conical mold, quickly roll it into the iconic cone shape. {Note: I just used a small plastic funnel to get mine shaped, and I burnt my fingers a lot. It was worth it. Work with what you have on hand.}
