Waffle cones are by far the most popular way of eating ice cream. Whether you’re sat at a picnic, by the ocean, or just at home on your couch. But when you think of a waffle cone, you might not immediately assume they are made in the same way as normal waffles.
They are, of course, much thinner and crispier than your everyday breakfast waffles. So, if you want to make waffle cones, can you use a regular waffle iron? You sure can!
But it’s not as simple as just making thinner waffles. You’re going to need something to shape the cones with. Preferably, a cone shaped implement. You can easily find a cone-shaping tool online. They are also pretty cheap. So, even if you only want to give waffle cone making a go once, it won’t leave you too out of pocket.
So, now we’ve got that out of the way, on to the making!
How to Make Waffle Cones
Waffle cones aren’t all that different from normal waffles. But there are some important differences. The most important being the thickness and crispiness of the cone. You don’t want to be eating your ice cream out of an inch think breakfast waffle. (Although, you actually probably do, but that’s not why we’re here).
Here are some easy steps to making your own waffle cones.
1. First, you need to make your waffle batter.
You can use a store-bought mixture of the dry ingredients. But, the measurements and the instructions will mostly likely relate to thick, fluffy waffles. What we want is something much thinner and crispier.
But the best option is to alter your favorite waffle recipe. Take your usual waffle recipe and reduce the amount of flour and increase the volume of butter or oil.
This will allow the waffle mixture to become crispier but not so thin that it won’t cook properly.
2. Prepare the waffle iron
Now you need to get your waffle iron ready. Heat it up and spray with a nonstick cooking spray. You can brush the waffle iron with oil or butter. But a cooking spray will be easier and a little healthier (although none of us are eating ice cream cones for our health…)
3. Make the waffles
Now it’s time to actually make the waffles. The crispiness and solidity of the cones will depend on how much batter you use. If you have one, a ladle is the best tool for this. Try one ladleful of batter, see how it spreads and how big it is.
Then, if it’s too big or too small, you can alter the amount you use. This is one of the great things about home cooking. You are in complete control. You can make normal sized waffle cones. Or you can make giant or mini cones. The choice is yours. If you want to make a giant waffle cone to fill with an entire pint of ice cream. Then you can. And you should.
4. Shape the cones
Now. This is the most important part and it’s also the trickiest. Once the batter has cooked, you need to quickly (and carefully! Remember the waffle will be hot!) curl it around your new cone shaping tool. As it’s your first go, don’t worry too much about how it works. It’s going to take a while for you to perfect the shape. And the joy and charm of a homemade food is that it doesn’t look like something perfect, uniform, and factory-produced.
Plus, you can always make more batter and just keep trying. Don’t worry too much if the waffle feels very soft. It will be soft when it is warm and will harden and crisp up as it cools. Remember, these are just thinner, crispier versions of normal waffles. So they’re going to become hard when they cool, just as normal waffles will.
Once you have shaped the cone and it has cooled down; you’re finished! Now you can move on to making more and then filling them up with a delicious ice cream of your choice.
Top Tips
Now you know the best way to make your own waffle cones, here are some top tips for making sure your cones are as perfect as can be.
- One great way to level up your waffle cones is by decorating them. You can dip them in chocolate and add sprinkles. Or you can cover them in whatever you want. They are just as easy to add toppings too as your everyday breakfast waffle. You can even add food coloring and make your waffles even brighter and more exciting.
- As well as decorating and coloring your cones, you can also flavor them. This can be by adding flavorings such as vanilla or blueberry essence. Or by using sprinkles, dried fruit, or whatever else you would like. Just remember, the waffle cones need to be super thin and crispy. So whatever you use will need to be small or easily flattened. Otherwise you will have a strange, bumpy texture. And whatever you include might become squashed in the iron and cause it to overflow.
- Make more than you will need. When it comes to something like waffles and pancakes, it’s common for them to go wrong. No matter how experienced you are. Everyone who has ever made pancakes knows that the first is always a terrible mess.
So, when you’re making your waffle batter, make more than you think you will need. This will allow for mistakes. You might also find yourself needing to alter the consistency of the batter as you go along.
It’s going to take a few tries before you perfect the shaping of the cones. So, give yourself some allowances and make space for mistakes.
So, there you have it! Making waffle cones is super-easy and can be made using whatever waffle iron you have in your kitchen. Although you’re going to need a device to shape the cones. You definitely don’t need to buy a new iron just to make ice cream waffle cones.