7 Best Cornetti Recipes

So What are Cornetti and Where do they Originate?

Cornetti are a flaky pastry that looks very similar to a croissant. The croissant originates from France, whereas cornetti are from Italy. Cornetti are usually a bit sweeter than croissants. Unlike traditional croissants, this pastry also has eggs in it. However, the technique of folding the dough over in multiple layers is a common process for both kinds of pastries.

If you go to Italy, you will often find them filled with sweet jams, chocolate, or custards. You are in for a treat because today, we are sharing the 7 best cornetti recipes. This is one of those baked goods that is addicting and we hope you enjoy making it.

1. Classic Cornetti (Italian Croissants)

Classic-Cornetto-Italian-Croissants
Photo courtesy of Delicious

Instead of all-purpose flour, you will need some bread flour to make these cornetto classico. It calls for the zest of one orange or one lemon to add a hint of citrus flavor to it. This recipe tells you how to make the dough with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, which makes the mixing process a lot easier during the preparation phase. To get all the layers, this dough requires several repetitive wait times to fold it over and allow it to rest and proof up.

Depending on how big you want them to be, one batch of this dough will make up to 18 cornetti. If you’re going to make a double batch of this recipe, you can freeze any excess raw dough after you roll them up. Once you’re ready to use them, simply set them out for a few hours to thaw before they are baked.

Get the full recipe and directions from Delicious

2. Apricot Brioche Italian Cornetto

Apricot-Brioche-Italian-Cornetto
Photo courtesy of Table & Spoon

If you have a food processor, you will be able to use it for this recipe. You will also need a rolling pin and dough scraper, which are helpful tools during the preparation process. In addition to glazing the tops just before baking them, you will also add a little bit of apricot jam for the inside of the pastry.

This recipe requires two nights of refrigeration, so if you want to make them for a special day such as Christmas morning, plan ahead. One tip the author shares is once the cornetti are cooking, if you notice the tops browning too quickly, you can cover them with aluminum foil.

Get the full recipe and directions from Table & Spoon

3. Cornetto Con Crema

Cornetto-Con-Crema
Photo courtesy of The Food in my Beard

This version of cornetto pastry uses a combination of all-purpose flour and cake flour. Cake flour is finer than all-purpose flour and will make the cornetti turn out a bit softer after it’s baked. The dough consistency of this recipe should be relatively dry and feel solid.

This recipe tells you to roll out the butter into one long, thin layer instead of cutting it up into small chunks. The butter thickness needs to be about 1/18 of an inch and will sit in the fridge before incorporating it into the dough. The yummy part about this recipe is the pastry cream filling. You will also learn how to make the pastry cream and will pipe it straight into the cornetto after they are done baking.

Get the full recipe and directions from The Food in my Beard

4. Cornetti Breakfast Cakes

Cornetti-Breakfast-Cakes
Photo courtesy of Food to Love

These breakfast cakes are filled with an apricot, almond, chocolate, honey, and lemon paste. It is a great recipe if you want a sweet treat that doesn’t take quite as many steps to make it. For the dough, all you will need is a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients together. You do have to knead the dough, but only for a couple minutes. Then you let the dough rest in the fridge for 15 minutes before sectioning it out and rolling the dough into wedges.

Soon after you bake these breakfast cakes, the recipe says to roll them in caster sugar which is a finely granulated sugar. This sugar will stick to the dough if you quickly roll them in the sugar while they are still hot. The last step makes for a lovely presentation, but if you would rather not have the added sugar, you can choose to omit that step altogether.

Get the full recipe and directions from Food to Love

5. Rum Citrus Cornetti

Cornetti-fatti-in-casa-soffici-e-sfogliati-Ricetta-Cornetti
Photo courtesy of Tavolartegusto

To make the dough, this recipe calls for Manitoba flour. This kind of flour has a high gluten content which results in an elastic dough that is easy to work with. Manitoba flour can be hard to find in stock at your local grocery store, so you will probably have to buy this ingredient online. Each batch of this recipe will make about 20 cornetti.

The instructions tell you to refrigerate the dough for a bit then take it out and let it sit at room temperature before rolling it out. Be sure to roll it out thin into a rectangular shape. The measurement of the dough calls for it to be just ½ centimeter thick so make it as thin as possible before cutting them into triangles. Each triangle should also be stretched before it is rolled up. This can be a delicate process but you have to work quickly as you tightly roll each of them.

Get the full recipe and directions from Tavolartegusto

6. Ham and Cheese Crescenza

Ricetta-Cornetti-alla-crescenza
Photo courtesy of Donna Moderna

If you aren’t too keen on making your own dough, this recipe makes it simple for you. It calls for some fresh puff pastry dough sheets instead of a homemade dough. This is a great recipe for anyone who has busy mornings before heading to work. The filling consists of parmesan cheese, sliced ham, egg yolk, a bit of nutmeg, salt, ground black pepper, and fresh thyme.

When you go to bake these, line your baking sheets with parchment paper so that the crescenzas won’t stick. As usual, you will brush the outside of your pastries with egg wash. This recipe also calls for sesame seeds to be sprinkled on top before you bake the ham and cheese crescenza. We love this savory spin off of the traditional version.

Get the full recipe and directions from Donna Moderna

7. Salmon and Robiola Cheese Cornetti

Cornetti-salati
Photo courtesy of Giallo Zafferano

This recipe also uses puff pastry as the dough base. To get a puffier pastry, it says to cut one of the puff pastry sheets in half, then wet one side with water and add the other half directly on top of the first half of the puff pastry sheet. If you’ve never had robiola cheese, it is unique since it combines milk from cows, goats, and sheep giving it a distinct flavor profile.

Along with robiola cheese, the filling consists of sliced smoked salmon, parsley, basil, and black sesame seeds. Make sure you don’t overfill the cornetti as the filling will then melt out the sides as it cooks. These pastries taste best fresh, however, you can keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat them right before serving.

Get the full recipe and directions from Giallo Zafferano


Cornetti is one of our favorite pastry doughs because it is comprised of some of the most basic ingredients. The dough itself is very versatile since it can be used in either sweet or savory recipes. We hope you enjoyed this round-up of our favorites!

If you liked this post, you’ll probably also like our favorite Pastafrola Recipes post!

Best-Cornetti-Recipes

Leave a Comment