Horns

These old-fashioned butter horn pastries start with a rich yeast dough made from a full cup of butter, cream, and flour. The dough is more like a buttery cookie than bread, barely leavened with just a teaspoon of yeast. That brief 10 to 15 minute rise gives them a light, flaky texture without the chew of a traditional roll.

Each piece gets shaped into a horn or crescent, pressed with an indentation in the center, and filled with orange marmalade before a sprinkle of sugar goes on top. The marmalade melts into the little well as they bake, creating a sticky, citrusy pocket in each pastry.

The low baking temperature is deliberate. All that butter means these burn easily at higher heat. The gentle 325°F (165°C) oven bakes them slowly to a “delicate light brown” as the recipe says. They should look barely golden, not deeply browned. That’s the line between tender and tough with this much butter in the dough.

Kitchen Tips

• Dissolve the yeast in warm water (about 110°F/43°C), not hot. Too hot kills the yeast and you’ll get zero rise.
• Cream the butter until genuinely fluffy before adding the yeast mixture and cream. This aerates the dough.
• Keep the dough portions small, about a level teaspoon each. These are petite pastries, not dinner rolls.
• Let them rest in a warm, draft-free spot for the full 15 minutes. They won’t double in size like bread dough, but they should look noticeably puffier.

Variations

• Fill with raspberry or apricot jam instead of marmalade for a different fruit flavor.
• Add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon to the sugar sprinkled on top for a warm spice note.
• Drizzle with a simple powdered sugar glaze after cooling for a more finished look.