Novelty Ice Cream Week: How to Make Your Own King Cones

Updated August 10, 2018

Homemade King Cones are easy, fun, and delicious. . Vicky Wasik

With your trusty chocolate dip/Magic Shell recipe in hand, it's time to start tackling the ice-cream-truck man's arsenal of frozen treats. First up? We're going straight for the king...cone.

Good Humor's King Cone has changed form over the years, but the central concept remains the same: by lining a sugar cone with water-repellant chocolate and oil, you can fill it with ice cream, wrap it up, and store it frozen without risk of the cone turning soggy. This inner coating of chocolate is the crux of the King Cone's anatomy.

A cross-section of an official Good Humor King Cone shows its construction.

(And as any King Cone lover knows, that little nub of chocolate in the bottom is the best bite of the whole thing.)

The King's crown, meanwhile, comes in a number of forms. Though today's default is some thin squiggles of chocolate and a sparse sprinkling of nuts, my favorite is the full chocolate dip with a hefty coating of finely chopped peanuts. That just happens to also be the easiest to replicate at home, affording you the most chocolate dip in every bite.

To start, load up a squeeze bottle with your chocolate dip and drizzle it down the inside of the cone. You only need a thin layer of chocolate, so spin the cone as you drizzle for even coverage. As for that divot of chocolate in the bottom, feel free to make it as big as you like.

You'll need to pre-freeze your cones so the chocolate dip can harden. Keep them upright using a tall, narrow glass, such as a Champagne flute. The cones will need 20 to 30 minutes in the freezer to fully harden. Why so long when the dip hardens instantly on ice cream? Because freezer air doesn't chill nearly as efficiently as direct contact with a scoop of frozen ice cream does.

Meanwhile, chop your peanuts to the size of cake crumbs.

I like to sieve out the peanut dust.

Once your cones are frozen solid, fill them up with your choice of ice cream. My favorite is this Scotch vanilla bean, but any good ice cream will treat you right. Be sure to tamp the ice cream all the way down into the cone.

Then get a nice spherical scoop for the top...

...and dip it in your waiting pool of chocolate dip. (A one-pint plastic food container is the perfect dipping bowl.)

As long as you dip fast and with some confidence, your ice cream won't fall off its cone. Once you have a thorough coating, spin the cone above the chocolate dip to drain off the excess.

While the chocolate dip is glossy and soft, roll your cone quickly around your bowl of chopped peanuts. Then wait 30 seconds for the dip to fully harden.