Ooh la la! Simple and elegant and easy to make with store bought puff pastry. Palmiers are a staple of any French patisserie. Buttery, not-too-sweet and you can customize them—swap out straight up sugar for cinnamon sugar or skip the sweet altogether and use Parmesan instead for a savory affair.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry, thawed but cold
- 1/3 cup demerara sugar
Directions
- Thaw puff pastry until pliable but still cool, either overnight in the fridge or on the counter for about 30 minutes. Roll dough to smooth seams, about 1/8–1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle 2-3 Tbsp sugar evenly over the surface and lightly press it in with a rolling pin.
- Fold the left and right sides inward to meet in the middle, sprinkle with 2-3 more Tbsp sugar, and lightly press again. Fold the dough in half like a book, forming a long, flat shape with folds inside. Sprinkle remaining sugar on outside. Chill the dough on a baking sheet, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425°. Slice chilled dough into 3/4″-inch-wide cookies and place them cut-side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced apart about 1 ½ inches to allow for puffing. Sprinkle with more sugar if desired.
- Bake for 18–20 minutes until dark golden. Flip them over if the bottoms begin to darken too much. Cool briefly on the baking sheet, then fully on a rack. Palmiers will crisp as they cool and are best eaten the same day, though they can be stored in an airtight container for several days.