Shortcut Palmiers

Make this simple, crispy pastry at home with three ingredients and one supermarket shortcut. 

Shortcut Palmiers
Photo: Caitlin Bensel
Active Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
35 mins
Yield:
16 cookies

Palmiers, sometimes called palm leaves, are flaky, crispy pastries made from puff pastry. When you start with store-bought puff pastry, they really couldn't be easier or faster to make. Though they look fancy, and will always impress the technique is quite simple: you'll roll opposite ends of the puff pastry sheet towards each other to make a swirled heart shape in the center. Slice the log into thin cookies, then brush with egg wash for a golden crackle after baking. To spice things up, sprinkle a little ground cinnamon or cardamom into the sugar. Palmiers are wonderful served with coffee or tea for an afternoon treat.

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ tablespoons turbinado sugar, divided

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3-oz. pkg.), thawed

  • 1 large egg white

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Unfold puff pastry sheet on sugar. Smooth folds with your fingers and press down to adhere sugar to dough. Sprinkle top of pastry with 1 tablespoon sugar.

  2. Tightly roll short sides of pastry inward to meet in the middle. Transfer rolled pastry to a cutting board. Trim and discard ends. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place on rinsed, dried baking sheet lined with parchment paper, gently reshaping palmiers with your fingers as needed.

  3. Whisk egg white and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Brush palmiers with egg wash. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Bake until golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Palmiers are best served the day they're made.

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