How to Make the Perfect Waffle Cone at Home to Upgrade Your Ice Cream Experience

Waffle cones are incredibly easy to prepare, allowing you to craft both big and small cones, showcasing your skills to impress yourself, your family, and friends.

If you enjoy eating ice cream, why not try making some at home? And if you're going through the labor of mixing, boiling, and churning, why not take things a step further and create homemade waffle cones? Waffle cones have a history dating back to Ancient Rome and Greece, though it's unclear if they were used for desserts. The roots of the first ice cream cones, with their signature lattice pattern, are believed to trace back to France, and several mentions have been found in many French cookbooks. However, their widespread popularity only began in the 20th century in the United States.

After the commercial production and distribution of waffle cones began, many variations of cones started to emerge in the market. Cake cones, commonly served with soft-serve "softy" ice creams, became popular. There are also sugar ice cream cones that have a higher sugar content or contain molasses, which gives them a deep brown color compared to waffle cones. They are longer and slimmer than waffle cones and much sturdier than cake cones. You may also find gluten-free cone options in some artisinal ice cream shops.

Waffle cones are incredibly easy to prepare, allowing you to craft both big and small cones, showcasing your skills to impress yourself, your family, and friends. They needn't be as flawless as the ones from an ice cream shop; the handmade effect only reflects your effort and hard work. The best part is, you don't even need a waffle cone maker at home, even though it makes things easier – a frying pan or skillet will do the trick.

Here's a step-by-step guide to making waffle cones at home:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup refined flour
• ⅔ cup powdered sugar (sifted)
• 2 egg whites
• ⅓ cup milk
• 2 tbsp melted, butter
• 1/4 tsp salt (omit if you’re using salted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions(without waffle machine)

• Sift the sugar and flour together multiple times to ensure they are fine and lump free. You want the smoothest batter possible for the waffle cone so this step is very important.
• Whisk the eggs, butter, milk and vanilla extract. Then fold in the sugar and flour mix to this gradually.
• Heat a skillet or non-stick pan to medium flame and melt some butter. Wipe off the excess with a kitchen paper towel.
• Add 1-2 tablespoons of the batter and spread as evenly as possible with the spoon or an icing spatula. Cook for a minute or two and then flip over.
• Gently lift the cooked flat waffle and roll it into a cone shape with your hand. Pinch the bottom shut. Hold it for about 10 seconds or so till it sets.
• Keep repeating the above mentioned steps till you run out of all the batter.

With waffle machine

• Create the batter as mentioned earlier. Preheat your waffle machine.
• Spoon the batter in the center of the hot griddle and spread evenly. Shut the lid and cook for about a minute.
• Remove the waffle from the machine using a chopstick or a wooden spatula. Here too, pinch the bottom and hold for about 10 minutes before leaving to cool.

Additional tips:

• You can make waffle cones in advance and store them in an airtight container, but they will lose their crispness and snap over time. Freshly made waffle cones are unbeatable and will taste the best.
• If your cones are soft and chewy, then you may be spreading the batter unevenly or undercooking it. You can also reheat them in the oven set at 400 F.
• You can also customize the flavor of your waffle cones according to your preferences. Feel free to add orange zest, almond extract, cocoa powder, or spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
• You can also dip half of the waffle cone in melted chocolate and roll it in finely chopped nuts for some added crunch.
• For eggless cones, replace the eggs with flaxseed meal. Mix 1 tablespoon of flaxseed into 3 tablespoons of water for one flax egg.
• You may not be able to fold all the cones uniformly, and that’s okay. If there’s a hole at the bottom of the cone, you can always fix it by dipping it in some chocolate.