Cone or Cone? A Guide to Ice Cream Cones

Cup or cone? Ice cream just seems to be better when you can eat whatever you put it in.

Let’s be honest. Unless you are serving the kids a cool treat or planning to enjoy melted ice cream (no judgments), you are likely to enjoy your next scoop of propped on top of a delicious cone. Regardless, you make sure the assistant behind the counter does not forget to add the matching wafer.

Ice Cream Cones

The cone is an important part of your ice cream experience. It provides additional texture to the dessert, as well as a light flavor to complement the strong, sweet flavors of ice cream devoured.

But what type of cone will you choose? There is more than a waffle cone or a standard cone. Below are the most popular cone options, as well as the benefits of each. Instead of cup or cone, we should be asking, which cone?

Cake cones, or wafer cones, are subtly sweet and made with a cake batter-like mix. Cake cones are the traditional ice cream cone--those small, light brown cones with a flat bottom. They provide a great handhold for children ready to stuff their faces.

Waffle cones blend cake and pastry flours and molasses or dark brown sugar to produce a distinctive sweet and crunchy flavor. The thick cone reduces drips as the ice cream melts, while the wider brim allows more toppings. The thick result also makes it a great option for an edible bowl, the waffle bowl.

Sugar cones are a slightly sweeter version of the traditional cake cone. By adding molasses or brown sugar to the baking process like in a waffle cone, these cones are thicker and crunchier in a smaller and darker in hue than cake cones or waffle cones. Sugar cones help prevent the cones from breaking or becoming soggy.

Any of these options can be used to create a chocolate-dipped cone. White chocolate or dark chocolate, with sprinkles or without, a chocolate rimmed cone is an indulgence we won’t feel guilty about.

As you find your favorite cone, do not forget to top each taste testing cone with a delectable scoop of homemade ice cream. It’s the only way to understand which cone is best for you, of course.