Cannoncini are a deliciously sweet and flaky Italian pastry stuffed with lots of creamy custard.
Quick and easy to make and typically inhaled by friends and family, these are sure to be a hit at your next get-together!
Cannoncini – Italian Custard Horns
Cannoncini are one of my favorite Italian pastries (along with some Authentic Cannoli): they’re light, flaky, and stuffed with lots of vanilla custard. Heaven.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Authentic Italian Cannoncini. As many of you know, I grew up in Italy and this is one of the many authentic Italian Recipes from my childhood that I’m excited to share with you guys!
- Perfectly flaky. One the best things about this pastry is that perfectly light and flaky texture given by puff pastry.
- Custard filling. Filled with lots of sweet and creamy vanilla custard, the filling is sure to be a hit with everyone!
- Quick, easy, prep-ahead. This pastry only calls for a handful of basic ingredients and is very easy to make, no baking skills needed! Want to prep ahead? Make the custard 1-2 days ahead of time!
Ingredients for Cannoncini
Full measurements and instructions included in the recipe card below 🙂
Puff pastry. Regular frozen, store-bought puff pastry is fine but of course you’re welcome to make your own from scratch, if you prefer. If using frozen, make sure to thaw it and roll it out (more details on that below). In Italy, frozen puff pastry isn’t very popular so a thin refrigerated pre-rolled puff pastry is used instead.
Eggs. For the custard. You will only need the yolks but don’t throw out the egg whites, you can use them to make meringue kisses, Coconut Macaroons without Condensed Milk, or even just an omelette!
Sugar. White granulated, for the custard.
Cornstarch to thicken the custard, you can also use all-purpose flour.
Milk. For best texture and flavor, use full-fat whole milk. I also tested this recipe with different plant-based milk but the flavor just wasn’t comparable so I don’t recommend plant-based in this case.
Vanilla extract for flavor!
Powdered sugar, for dusting.
How to make Italian Custard Horns
STEP ONE: Prepare the custard. Add the milk to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and heat the milk until warm but not hot, then turn off the heat. Meanwhile, add the yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt to a medium bowl and beat until light and creamy.
Pour the prepared mixture into the warm milk, place the saucepan over medium heat and mix constantly using a wooden spoon until the liquid starts thickening.
Once the custard has thickened and begins to bubble, turn off the heat, stir in the vanilla, and cover with parchment paper, making sure the parchment paper touches the custard (this prevents the custard from creating a skin). Allow the custard to come down to room temperature.
STEP TWO: Cut the puff pastry into strips. If you're using frozen puff pastry, thaw it and roll it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Then, using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the puff pastry into 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick strips.
STEP THREE: Assemble the Cannoncini. Grab one of the strips of puff pastry and wrap it around a cream horn mold (I use these) starting from the tip of the mold and working your ways upwards, making sure you slightly overlap the the puff pastry as you wrap.
Bake. Place the Cannoncini onto your prepared baking sheets, making sure they aren’t touching. Bake until puffy but still pale and allow them to cool down to almost room temperature before removing them from the molds.
STEP FIVE: Fill with custard. Transfer the custard into a piping bag cutting off the tip when ready to fill the Cannoncini. There's no need to use a metal tip unless you want a specific look, you can just cut off the tip of piping bag and use just that. Slowly fill the custard horns until full, then dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!
These are best eaten as they’re made as the humidity of the filling will soften up the puff pastry overtime.
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
Make-Ahead Instructions: the best way to prep ahead for Cannoncini is to make the custard (step 1) up to 1-2 days ahead of time. Once you cover it with parchment paper, allow it to come down to room temperature, then pop it in the refrigerator and chill it until ready to stuff the pastries. Do not fill these ahead of time, the custard will soften up the puff pastry!
Storing Instructions: store in an an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Keep in mind that the puff pastry will soften up overtime because of the natural humidity of the filling. They will still taste delicious, just softer.
HAPPY BAKING LOVES!! I hope you’ll love this Italian Cannoncini Recipe as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
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Cannoncini Recipe (Italian Custard Horns)
Ingredients
For The Custard
- 1 and 1/3 cups (330 ml) full-fat milk
- 3 egg yolks (save the whites for coconut macaroons without condensed milk, meringue kisses or just an omelette!)
- 3 tbsp (30 g) cornstarch
- 3/4 cups (150 g) white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For The Cannoncini
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Make the custard. Add the milk to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and heat the milk until warm but not hot, then turn off the heat. Meanwhile, add the yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt to a medium bowl and beat until light and creamy.Pour the prepared mixture into the warm milk, place the saucepan over medium heat and mix constantly using a wooden spoon until the liquid starts thickening.Once the custard has thickened and begins to bubble, turn off the heat, stir in the vanilla, and cover with parchment paper making sure the parchment paper touches the custard (this prevents the custard from creating a skin). Allow the custard to come down to room temperature. This can be made up to 1-2 days ahead of time.
- Preheat the oven to 375F (190C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. You can skip the parchment paper if you're using non-stick baking sheets.
- Cut the puff pastry into strips. If you're using frozen puff pastry, thaw it and roll it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Then, using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the puff pastry into 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick strips.
- Assemble the Cannoncini. Grab one of the strips of puff pastry and wrap it around a cream horn mold (I use these) starting from the tip of the mold and working your ways upwards, making sure you slightly overlap the the puff pastry as you wrap.
- Bake. Place the Cannoncini onto your prepared baking sheets, making sure they aren't touching. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until puffy but still pale and allow them to cool down to almost room temperature before removing them from the molds.
- STEP FIVE: Fill with custard. Transfer the custard into a piping bag cutting off the tip when ready to fill the Cannoncini. There's no need to use a metal tip unless you want a specific look, you can just cut off the tip of piping bag and use just that. Slowly fill the custard horns until full, then dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!
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