This recipe for Palmier Cookies (otherwise known as Palmiers) is a classic French pastry that only calls for using 3 ingredients.
Palmiers
What are French Palmiers? They’re pastries shaped like palm leaves or butterflies, and are made from puff pastry, butter, and sugar. They are also known as elephant ears. Palmiers can also be savory (see my spinach palmiers recipe!) In a bakery, you might find giant sweet palmiers. Here, we’re showing you how to make smaller palmier “cookies.”
This simple recipe comes from a cookbook by Mardi Michels: In the French Kitchen with Kids- easy, everyday dishes for the whole family to make and enjoy. This book has been endorsed by several fabulous cookbook authors. It’s really lovely, and it has plenty of photos and easy-to-follow instructions.
Here are a few recipes from the book that we’d like to make:
- Quick Croissants
- Cheesy Pasta Bake with Ham
- Yogurt Cake
- Steak Frites
- Crispy Fish with Lemon Zest
- Upside Down Apple Tartlets
- Choux Puff Tower
- Simple Brioche Dough
🛒 Ingredients Needed:
- puff pastry
- water
- granulated white sugar
✏️ How to make Palmier Cookies:
The full, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. Place a piece of parchment paper about 10×10-inches on a work surface.
- Use a pastry brush to lightly rush the water over the surface of the pastry.
- Sprinkle half of the sugar evenly over the surface of the pastry. Use a rolling pin to lightly press the sugar into the dough.
- Fold the left and right sides of the pastry inwards so they meet in the center. Sprinkle the remainder of the sugar over the pastry and use the rolling pin to lightly press this sugar into the dough.
- Fold the left and right side of the pastry inwards again, so they meet in the center again, and then fold the pastry in half lengthwise.
- Wrap this pastry log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Remove the pastry log from the fridge and place it on a cutting board. Using a very sharp knife, cut the log into about 20 slices, each one ½-inch wide. Lay the slices flat on the baking tray about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on each cookie.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, then flip them over and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, until they are golden and crispy. Keep an eye on them in the final minutes of baking as they can go from perfect to scorched in a matter of seconds!
❤️ What I Love About This Recipe:
- The sugars in the palmiers caramelize during baking, which results in a sweet cookie with a crisp texture. Yum!
- They are so easy to make!
- They’re impressive little treats to display at a party.
Recipes Using Puff Pastry:
Palmier Cookies
Ingredients
- One 8-ounce sheet store-bought Puff Pastry (thawed, but chilled)
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- granulated white sugar, for baking
Instructions
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. Place a piece of parchment paper about 10×10-inches on a work surface.
- Use a pastry brush to lightly rush the water over the surface of the pastry.
- Sprinkle half of the sugar evenly over the surface of the pastry. Use a rolling pin to lightly press the sugar into the dough.
- Fold the left and right sides of the pastry inwards so they meet in the center. Sprinkle the remainder of the sugar over the pastry and use the rolling pin to lightly press this sugar into the dough.
- Fold the left and right side of the pastry inwards again, so they meet in the center again, and then fold the pastry in half lengthwise.
- Wrap this pastry log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Remove the pastry log from the fridge and place it on a cutting board. Using a very sharp knife, cut the log into about 20 slices, each one ½-inch wide. Lay the slices flat on the baking tray about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on each cookie.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, then flip them over and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, until they are golden and crispy. Keep an eye on them in the final minutes of baking as they can go from perfect to scorched in a matter of seconds!