If you have a fondness for sweets, you’ll love palmers, a light, crisp cookie that’s nothing short of addictive. Palmiers (Palm Trees in French) are sugar-dusted confections made with only three ingredients: puff pastry, egg and sugar. They crisp up beautifully in the oven and take little effort with ready-made frozen pastry.
If you have the patience and inclination to make your own, check out Homemade Puff Pastry.
Palmiers are easily adapted to savoury appetizers by replacing the sugar with Parmesan cheese, pesto, tapenade or sun-dried tomatoes. Sweet or savoury, they’re always a hit.
Makes 28 Cookies
■ 454 g, frozen rolled puff pastry sheets* (thawed)
■ 1 egg, lightly beaten
■ ¼ cup granulated sugar, plus more for dusting
*Each carton contains two puff pastry sheets (10 x 10 inch) pre-rolled. You’ll need only one sheet of pastry for this recipe.
If the 454 g rectangular cartons are not available, select a 397 g puff-pastry block instead. Roll into a rectangle 10 x 14 x 1/8-inch thick and follow the recipe accordingly (folding the dough along the 14-inch edges). Makes about 40 cookies.
Preheat oven 400°F.
Unfurl one (10 x 10-inch) sheet of dough onto parchment paper dusted with 2 Tbsp sugar. Sprinkle another 2 Tbsp sugar on top of the dough and gently press on the pastry, with your hands, to embed the sugar.
Fold in one edge of the pastry approximately 1¾ inches and the opposite edge in 1¾ inches.
Repeat each fold until the two edges meet in the middle.
Brush the beaten egg along both sides of the seam.
Fold the dough in half, along the seam, to create a cylinder.
Dust with additional sugar, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Cut the chilled dough into ⅓-inch-thick slices and transfer to parchment paper. Dust with additional sugar, cover with another sheet of parchment and gently flatten with a rolling pin.
Arrange on a parchment-lined baking tray, leaving an inch between each. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before baking.
To promote caramelization, lightly spritz the cookies with a bit of water just before baking. Fill a spray bottle with cold water or place a hand under a water faucet and flick the excess water from your fingertips directly over the pastries.
Bake in a preheated hot oven 6-7 minutes or until the edges are golden. Remove the baking tray, turn the cookies over with a spatula, and return to the oven for 4-5 additional minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.
Join The Discussion