Casein Free Cornets – Delicious, elegant and impressive for any guest!

Years ago I adapted a recipe for cornets, which are delicate cookie-like cones, to be gluten-free.  They came out so good that they became one of my favorite desserts to serve to company (all of whom were not gluten intolerant).  The reason being is that I could prepare them in advance with relative ease and then at the last minute add ice cream or whipped cream and seasonal fruit and dust with a little powdered sugar for an elegant presentation and absolutely delicious finish to an elegant meal.

After creating these little masterpieces and getting the repeat shock and awe from my guests, I started thinking about this recipe and wondering if I could transform it to be not only gluten-free but also casein free.  As luck would have it, I was gloriously successful.  Each cornet came out beautifully and just as delicious as my original gluten-free version.

So since we are coming to the end of summer and still have the luxury of enjoying all the delicious ripe fruit of the season, I thought I would share my gluten-free, casein free version of this very special dessert treat.

Making GF/CF Cornets:

These cornets are shaped like a cone. In order to form them into the cone shape you will need to create a mold. Alternatively you can use a thin cone mold (available at some fine kitchen stores), but if you don’t have this luxury you can easily make your own. To make the molds, take a medium sheet of aluminum foil and scrunch it up and form it into a solid cone. Don’t worry if it is not perfectly smooth, you won’t be pressing the cookie into the foil just using it as a general shape to form around. Make 4 of these molds.

The Recipe

For the Cornets:

• 6 Tablespoons Earth Balance or other casein free butter substitute
• 6 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon gf vanilla extract
• 2 egg whites
• 3 Tablespoons gf flour
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

*Note: We used The Gluten Free Pantry’s Country French Bread mix for the gf flour in this recipe.

Making the Batter

In a small saucepan, melt the Earth balance butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the sugar. Add the vanilla and egg white; whisk for 1 minute. Add the gf flour and xanthan gum and whisk until smooth. The batter will be fairly liquid.

Making the Cookies:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spoon a heaping tablespoon (for each cookie) of the batter onto the prepared cookie sheet, making only 4 cookies at a time. Using the bottom of the spoon, spread the cookies in a circular motion until each cookie is about 5 inches in diameter. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until golden (they will still be very soft). 

Rolling the Cornets:

Remove the cookies from the oven and let rest on the cookie sheet for 1 minute before molding (if they are molded too soon they will crack).

Working quickly, roll each warm cookie around the aluminum cone-shaped molds. Set the cookies on a rack to let cool.

When cool, carefully remove the aluminum cones. Repeat this process with the remaining batter.

Filling the Cornets:

I normally fill these with fresh whipped cream, however, they are equally delicious filled with a scoop of soy ice cream and topped with fresh berries or seasonal fruit and dusted with powdered sugar.

Bon Appetit!

- Chef Jessica