Cannoncini (Italian Cream Horns)
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Cannoncini (Italian cream horns) are traditional treats made of crispy, buttery puff pastry and stuffed with a luscious, creamy pistachio custard. Each bite has the perfect balance of flavors and textures, making this easy, 30-minute dessert a crowd pleaser every time.
Looking for other filling options? You’ll love using either chocolate pastry cream or this Italian pastry cream for cannoncini!
Quick Look: Cannoncini (Italian Cream Horns)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Servings: 12 people
- Dietary Info: Vegetarian (can be made Gluten Free or Dairy Free with substitutions)
- Method: Oven Baked
- Technique: Brush a sheet of puff pastry with beaten egg, then cut into strips and wrap around greased horn molds. Dust with powdered sugar and bake, then fill with pastry cream just before serving.
- Flavor & Texture: These cannoncini have crisp, flaky pastry that contrasts beautifully with the smooth, creamy, not-too-sweet filling.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This traditional Italian recipe is one of my favorites! I love to order cream filled pastries at Italian cafes when I’m home in Italy. In fact, I grew up eating cannoncini for breakfast when my zia (aunt) or nonni (grandparents) would take me to breakfast in Cagliari, Sardegna.
What makes these treats amazing is the layers of buttery puffy pastry that melt in your mouth, and the delightful Italian pastry cream filling that’s velvety smooth.
This recipe is a fancy dessert that is easy to prepare, and it’s fun to change up the flavors with different fillings. Anytime you make these, you’ll wow your family and friends with this delicious Italian dessert!
If you love traditional Italian sweet treats, you’ll also want to try my Authentic Sicilian Cannoli, Italian Pear Cake, or Italian Custard Tart.
Made With Amore,
“These are so delicious and remind me of the ones we get in Italy!”
– Jordan
Table of Contents
- Quick Look: Cannoncini (Italian Cream Horns)
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients
- Variations & Substitutions
- How to Make Cannoncini (Italian Cream Horns)
- Cannoncini (Italian Cream Horns) FAQs
- Serving Suggestions
- Expert Tips
- More Traditional Italian Dessert Recipes
- Cannoncini (Italian Cream Horns) Recipe
Simple Ingredients
These delicious, flaky, buttery pastries with luxurious cream filling are surprisingly easy to make with a few quality ingredients.
- Puff Pastry: Using store-bought puff pastry dough is a huge time saver! I prefer the Pepperidge Farm Brand.
- Italian Pistachio Custard: I recommend using Italian pistachio custard for filling the horns, which is similar to pistachio pudding. You can also use flavored custards, such as Italian chocolate pastry cream or Italian vanilla pastry cream.
- Beaten Egg: You’ll need one beaten egg to act as “glue” to hold the puff pastry together as it bakes.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Different Fillings: This is where you can have a lot of fun with different options! Experiment with your favorite type of custard or pudding, or try whipped cream with swirls of homemade jam, blueberry sauce, strawberry sauce, or even homemade Nutella folded in.
- Dairy Free Option: Make your own rough puff pastry using vegan butter (or use vegan puff pastry if you can find it) and use dairy-free milk to make the custard filling.
- Gluten Free Option: Use your favorite gluten-free puff pastry alternative, or make your own gluten free puff pastry. Be sure to thicken the custard filling with cornstarch, arrowroot, or another GF thickener.
How to Make Cannoncini (Italian Cream Horns)
The first step to making the Italian cream horns is making the Italian pistachio custard. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until later. Let’s get baking!
- Preheat oven. Lay the puff pastry sheets on a well-floured surface and lightly brush all over with egg wash. Cut into twelve ¾-inch wide strips.
- Spray the horn molds with cooking spray. Wrap the puff pastry around the molds, starting at the pointed end. Overlap the dough slightly and lightly stretch it, then press the end firmly to seal. Sprinkle all over with powdered sugar and bake at 400°F for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let the puff pastry cool for a couple of minutes, then gently remove from the mold. Just before serving, fill the pastries with the cream using a pastry bag fitted with a wide, round tip.
- Dust the cream horns with a little more powdered sugar if desired, and serve immediately. Enjoy this traditional Italian dessert as a sweet treat at breakfast or at the end of a dinner.
Cannoncini (Italian Cream Horns) FAQs
The word cannoncini in Italian means “little cannons,” as it refers to the shape of these horn-shaped cream-filled pastries. They’re made with puff pastry sheets wrapped around metal molds, baked until crisp, and then filled with Italian pastry cream. When I miss Italy, I crave these cannoncini. The buttery puff pastry is baked to perfection and then filled with a sweet cream of your choice. They are amazing!
The most common reason is filling the pastry too early. The pastry naturally absorbs moisture from the cream over time, so for the best texture, pipe the filling into the cannoncini just before serving. Also, be sure to bake the pastry until it is a rich golden brown; underbaked pastry will turn soggy quickly.
Yes, you can–although using metal cream horn molds make the process much easier! If you don’t have molds, you can create your own cones by shaping aluminum foil into a cone, then spraying it with cooking spray to reduce sticking. The finished shape may not be quite as uniform, but they’ll still be delicious.
The unfilled pastry horns will keep for 3-5 days in an airtight container. If you try to fill the horns before you store them, the pastry will be soggy! You can store the cream in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Serving Suggestions
Try these delicious cannoncini soon! They will make you feel as though you’re in an Italian cafe enjoying a sweet treat. If you love Italian pastry cream-filled desserts as much as I do, try my Puff Pastry Filled with Italian Cream or Italian Crumble Cake with Pastry Cream Filling.
Round out your Italian feast with other traditional sweets, like my Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donuts, Italian Crostata (Jam Filled Tart), or Italian Pistachio Gelato.
My Pro Tips
Expert Tips
- Keep the puff pastry dough cold! Otherwise, the dough will start to lose consistency.
- Use egg wash to keep the shells on the molds. If you skip this step, the puff pastry will explode out of the mold (trust me, I know from experience!)
- Make the custard filling ahead of time. Since it needs to cool, it will be ready right when you need it!
- Fill the shells right before serving. If you fill them too early, they risk getting soggy.
More Traditional Italian Dessert Recipes
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Cannoncini (Italian Cream Horns)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 batch Italian pistachio custard, or your favorite flavor of custard
- 1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted (about 225g)
- 1 large egg, well beaten (for egg wash)
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Make the Italian pastry cream, cover it with plastic wrap, and leave it in the fridge until needed.
- Heat oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the horn molds in a shallow dish and spray them with cooking spray on all sides. Set aside.
- Lay the sheet of puff pastry on a well-floured surface and lightly brush it all over with egg wash. Cut into twelve ¾-inch wide strips.
- Wrap the puff pastry around the molds, starting at the pointed end of the cone mold. Be sure to overlap the dough slightly on each pass, and lightly stretch it as you go to help keep it in place. (Keep the egg wash away from the mold, or it will make it harder to remove the pastry horn from the mold once they're baked.) The dough may only reach about halfway up the mold, but if you have longer strips, it may reach the end. Firmly press the last bit of the strip onto the mold or the dough to seal.
- Place the wrapped molds seam side down onto the prepared sheet pan, then sprinkle them generously with powdered sugar.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until they're golden on top. Let the puff pastry cool for a couple of minutes, then gently remove them from the molds. If the pastry sticks to the mold, use the sharp end of a knife to very gently wiggle it loose.
- Just before serving, fill each pastry with the Italian pastry cream using a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Dust with more powdered sugar if desired and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Keep the puff pastry dough cold! Otherwise, the dough will start to lose consistency.
- Use egg wash to keep the shells on the molds. If you skip this step, the puff pastry will explode out of the mold (trust me, I know from experience!)
- Make the custard filling ahead of time. Since it needs to cool, it will be ready right when you need it!
- Fill the shells right before serving. If you fill them too early, they risk getting soggy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
A recipe to love and make often! Classic Italian cream horn recipe just like we serve in Italy.
These are so delicious and remind me of the ones we get in Italy!
Agreed! They are easier than you think to make!