I think that ice cream always goes better with a cone, cookie or wafer; something crunchy. And so I treated myself a neat gadget, an ice cream waffle cone maker, to go along with the homemade ice creams that I like to make. I’m especially pleased that I found a recipe for waffle cones which uses only egg whites. Since I was taught never to throw good food away, I can use the egg yolks in the custard ice cream and the whites in the cones. I come out even with my use of eggs.

Waffle Cone Express

A waffle ice cream cone machine is simply a waffle maker with a finer grid. You really don’t need a machine at all, you can use a small skillet — these are sort of crepes. But the waffle cone maker is a creative gadget and I needed a new “gadget.” And it is quicker to use this machine rather than having to flip the cones using a skillet.

You can make either cones or bowls with the Waffle Cone Express. The batter comes off soft and pliable and can be shaped either way if you work quickly. Making your own waffle cones is probably a little extreme — but I found the “Waffle Cone Express” machine on Amazon for $49.00 (with points — even less). Treat yourself!

If you have some time; the cones are actually easy to make. And they are very tasty; I have to keep a sharp eye on my husband because the cones quickly disappear — with or without ice cream.Tips for making cones:

I found recipes for waffle cones which use whole eggs and recipes which used only egg whites. The later ice cream cones seem a little more crunchy — like the commercial cones that we are used to — and it was much easier to spread thinly on the waffle cone maker. However, both recipes taste good.

It takes a little practice to make cones. There is a bit of technique involved. Here are some tips:

• The batter should be thin  – I used milk to thin down this batter with egg whites. Handle the batter gently — don’t over mix.

• The Waffle Cone Express comes with different heat settings and an indicator to tell when the machine reaches the correct temperature. Heat the waffle cone maker to “2”. The green light comes on.
• I rubbed a little oil on both the bottom and top plates using a paper towel. This is to help the cone brown–they don’t stick to the grate.
• Add the batter and smooth to the edge with the back of a wooden spoon or a spatula.  A cone uses about 1/4 cup batter. The batter in this batch was one made with whole eggs — it was too thick and difficult to smooth it evenly to the edges. Next time, I’ll add some additional milk.

• The green light comes back on when the machine has come up to temperature. However, continue to cook the cone longer — cook the cone until it turns brown — or it will be rubbery and doughy and won’t make a crisp cone when cooled.

• Before the cone cools, wrap it around this neat gadget which forms the cone. (It came with the machine.). Pinch the point of the cone so that is is closed. You must form the cone before it cools. I laid the cones on parchment paper which was spread on a baking sheet and then rolled the cones.
• And practice a couple of times. My first cones were a disaster. Don’t give up. These are better — not perfect — but who cares about that. It’s the taste that counts and both the recipes here are good ones.

Here are my two waffle ice cream cone recipes. The first is generously adapted from Goodfellows’ Waffle Cones Recipe (a Brooklyn Ice Cream Parlor) as published in Bon Appetit magazine and uses only egg whites. The second is reprinted with permission from Allrecipes and uses whole eggs.

And my second recipe:

What do you do with the ice cream waffle cone machine after the batch of ice cream is finished? Of course, store it with your other gadgets. But i’ll remind you from time to time to get it out and use it; I’ll try to find some other uses for it, too.