Lazy Cream Horns Recipe

Our Lazy Creams Horns Recipe creates a bakery-style treat that has all the same flavors of a traditional cream horn. You’ll still get the crispy pastry shell and the fluffy cream horn filling, without a lot of hard work. Making this one of the easiest “fancy” desserts you’ll ever make.

The result looks more like a two-layer Napoleon, but rather than having whipped cream or even pastry cream in it, it’s got that fluffy marshmallow buttercream filling. Why buy the store-bought ones that are always soggy or stale, we can easily do better ourselves. You might even be surprised when people ask you where you bought them.

Don’t miss the good stuff! Scroll down past the recipe card for helpful Pro Tips and additional information.

Lazy Cream Horns

All the cream horn flavor without all the work! Puff pastry filled with cream horn filling. No baking tubes required.

4.94 from 15 votes

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Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 cream horn bars

Calories: 516kcal

Author: Elizabeth (Beth) Mueller

Equipment

• ▢
  Baking Sheet
• ▢
  Mixing Bowl
• ▢
  Mixer

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 box frozen Puff Pastry with 2 sheets thawed
• ▢ 1 egg slightly beaten
• ▢ Coarse sugar crystals I use decorator sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup softened butter
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter flavored solid shortening
• ▢ 2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 jar marshmallow fluff about 7 ounces

Instructions

• Allow puff pastry to come to room temperature if it is not already thawed. Mine says 40 minutes minimum.
• Preheat oven to 400 Degree F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Unwrap puff pastry and place on a lightly floured surface.
• Carefully unfold pastry.
• Cut along the folds of the pastry.
• Cut each third in half, forming rectangles.
• Place rectangles on a baking sheet, allowing at least 1 inch between them.
• Lightly brush each rectangle with beaten egg.
• Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
• Place in preheated oven and cook until pastries are puffed up and lightly browned. About 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
• While pastries are cooling, make the filling.
• Cream together butter and shortening until light and fluffy, this may take up to 5 minutes.
• Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Add vanilla and mix well.
• Add marshmallow fluff and beat until incorporated and light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Slice cooled pastries in half using a serrated knife.
• Spread or pipe filling onto the bottom half of the cut pastry and replace the top.
• These can be stored at room temperature.

Notes

• These can be made in smaller pastries by cutting the puff pastry into smaller pieces.
• Make sure the oven is hot. Once it has preheated, give it another 15 minutes to heat up.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 516kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 3.71g | Fat: 32.45g | Saturated Fat: 11.126g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 19.4g | Trans Fat: 1.44g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 184mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 27g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and may vary based on exact ingredients used. For accuracy, consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.

Pro Tips

You can make these like a traditional cream horn. You just need to cut the puff pastry into strips and wrap them around some cream horn tubes, you could even use cannoli tubes, or the ones that have one tapered end. Make sure you go ahead and buy yourself a Bismacrk (sometimes spelled Bismark) filling tip when you order the tubes, you’ll need the longer tip to get the filling into the middle.

We cut the pastry into shapes before baking for holidays or when we want some variety.

400°F is hotter than most of the things we make but there’s a reason for it.  If the oven is too cool, it won’t create the steam needed to cook the middle of the pastry. 

Preheat the oven for at least 15 minutes after it comes to temperature to make sure it is hot enough for the job.

These can be made in smaller pastries by cutting the puff pastry into smaller pieces.

Storing

You can store these at room temperature for up to 3 days. With this recipe, you are making a buttery cream horn filing but it isn’t cream-based so you don’t need to keep them in the fridge.  In fact, refrigeration can make the pastry a little soggy so a room temperature storage box is the best option.

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This recipe was written and tested by a human.