Horn of Plenty with Berries and Cream

If you are planning a special New Year's dinner, this horn of plenty (cornucopia) ... overflowing with berries and cream ... is the perfect light ending to a rich meal.

Dating as far back as the period of classical antiquity, the horn of plenty represents the bounty in life. More often associated with the fall and Thanksgiving, I also like to welcome the New Year with this horn filled with wishes for a prosperous, happy and healthy year to come for our family and friends.

Although it looks impressive with its beautiful presentation, this recipe is very easy to make.  The horns (molded cookies) can be prepared ahead of time, making it easy to assemble at the last minute. The horns can be made gluten-free by substituting GF flour for the all-purpose flour.

Horn of Plenty with Berries and Cream
(Serves 8.)

• 3 ounces (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg white
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour mix for a GF dessert)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup of mixed berries, rinsed and dried
• Mint leaves, for garnish
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
• Metal cream horn molds

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Horn of Plenty with Berries and Cream

Line a cookie sheet with a reusable nonstick cooking mat.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat. While it still is warm, add the sugar and whisk it into the butter. Add the vanilla and egg white and whisk to combine. Add the flour and continue to whisk until smooth.

Spoon heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, making only 4 cookies at a time as they will spread. Using the bowl of a teaspoon, spread the cookies in a circular motion until each cookie is about 5 inches in diameter.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest for about 1 1/2 minutes before molding. (If molding is done too soon, the cookies will break.)

To mold, roll each large warm cookie around the cream horn mold, or simply roll the cookies free-form into a cone shape without the mold. As soon as a free-form cone is rolled, place a small cone-shaped ball of crushed aluminum foil inside the cone to prevent it from collapsing while it dries.

Allow the cookies to cool and harden for 10 minutes before removing.

Whip the cream and sugar together until stiff.

Partially fill the horn with the whipped cream* and berries, either by piping the cream or spooning it. Garnish with mint and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

*Horns can also be filled with pastry cream (creamy custard) as pictured above and decorated with the whipped cream.