Apparently I’m on some kind of food-in-ice-cream-cones kick. But really, what’s not to love, especially when you’re feeding a crowd of people who are in a hurry? This week is Teacher Appreciation week at my kids’ school and I was asked to bring fruit for breakfast one morning, so this is what I’m bringing. I figure they can grab it and go. If they want to eat the cone (the cone dipped in a really nice dark chocolate, by the way), they can, but if they’re trying to quit ice cream cones, they can just eat the fruit and toss the cone.
I saw this on one of my friend’s Facebook pages (if you’re reading this, hi, Rebecca!) She served them at a baby shower and the whole idea was so ingenious that I had to try it out. Even my kids were excited about them; sometimes fun presentation is all it takes to get kids excited about eating stuff they might usually fight you on.
For the fruit, I used a whole fresh pineapple that I cut up (you can use this tutorial or this little device, which has been a game-changer for me), 1 large carton fresh raspberries, 1 large carton blueberries, 1 large carton blackberries, and 1 small carton strawberries that I stemmed and sliced. However, you can use whatever fruit is in season, so I hesitate to be super specific about what to use here–mango and kiwi would also be delicious. If using light-colored fruit like pineapple, mangoes, or apples, don’t add them to the fruit mix until right before serving.
For the cones, I used sugar cones. My grocery store was out of the regular cones (?!), so I used chocolate, but really, they ended up being delicious.
To make the chocolate dip, you’ll need a 3.5-4-ounce bar of good chocolate and about a teaspoon of coconut oil (coconut oil is great because it firms up really nicely when it cools).
Break the chocolate into pieces and place the pieces along with the coconut oil into a microwave-safe bowl.
Heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating. When the mixture is melted and smooth, remove from the microwave.
Take a cone…
And dip it open-side-down into the chocolate, rolling the edges into the chocolate.
Allow to cool on a sheet of parchment or wax paper.
While the cones are cooling, use an electric mixer to make the fruit dip. Combine the cream cheese, orange extract, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whip the cream and powdered sugar until medium peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and combine well. Place in a serving dish. If you prefer, this Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip is also incredibly delicious.
When ready to serve, combine all the fruit and then portion it into the cones. Serve immediately with the fruit dip (either on the side and allow people to dollop it onto the fruit themselves, or, if you’re kind of a Type-A personality or if you’re dealing with small children, you can add it yourself.)
Makes 24 cones.
Chocolate-Dipped Fruit Cones
Ingredients
- 24 sugar cones
- 1 3.5-4 ounce bar dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 10-12 cups assorted fruit washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces (if necessary). Good choices are berries, fresh pineapple, kiwi, and mango.
Creamy Fruit Dip
- 1 8- ounce package cream cheese light cream cheese is fine
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon orange extract
- 1 cup whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30-second increments, stirring after each heating, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Dip the sugar cones, open-side-down, into the melted chocolate, turning the cone so the chocolate coats the entire edge of the cone. Allow to cool completely on a sheet of wax or parchment paper.
- While the chocolate is cooling, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, orange extract, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whip the cream and powdered sugar until medium peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and combine well. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Right before serving, toss the fruit together. If necessary, add a little sugar for sweetness (sometimes the berries can be pretty tart, although a good pineapple or mango can help sweeten them naturally). Portion the fruit into the cones and serve immediately with the dip on the side (or you can dollop it on top if you feel like people need help). Makes 24 cones.
Questions & Reviews
These are great treats to make for my Grandkids. My children don’t like there kids to eat a lot of candy, so what a great substitute for something a sweet.
I made these for an Easter dessert. They disappeared quickly from the dessert table. I wanted to make this gluten free so found some gf sugar cones at Whole Foods. I made several changes because of what I had on hand. For fruit I used pineapple, blueberries and strawberries. The best part besides the chocolate was the cream. Will be making these again.
Can the whole inside of the cone be covered in chocolate or will it become too soggy?
You could, it would just be more of a chore. 🙂