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Epicurious

Sweet Palmiers

3.8

(19)

Read ReviewsTriangle
Baked sugared palmiers on a parchmentlined baking sheet.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell

  • Active Time

    10 minutes

  • Total Time

    30 minutes

Classically found at French pastry shops, palmiers go by many names: elephant ears, French hearts, or palm leaves, to name a few. These delicate cookies may look fancy, but they’re a cinch to make at home, thanks to a few shortcuts. You’ll need just two ingredients: frozen puff pastry and granulated sugar.

This easy dessert recipe layers sheets of thawed, store-bought puff pastry with granulated sugar. Folding the dough over itself builds sweet, flaky layers, but the real magic of this palmiers recipe rests in the shaping of the dough. Folding the dough into what amounts to two spirals that meet in the middle gives these cookies their distinctive shape that, when baked, much resembles a heart. They’d be perfect for Valentine’s Day, but you don’t need an occasion to bake palmiers. As long as you’ve thought ahead to thaw the puff pastry, these buttery, crisp cookies can be ready in under 30 minutes; make them whenever you need dessert, fast.

Dipping the unbaked cookies in sugar helps them caramelize on the baking sheet, and flipping them halfway through cooking allows both sides to crisp beautifully. Feel free to customize this recipe: Mix the sugar with cinnamon or cardamom to make spiced palmiers, or rub the sugar with lemon zest for a citrusy touch. Enjoy these palmier cookies with a cup of tea or on their own for a sweet post-dinner bite.

Ingredients

48 palmiers

½ cup (8 Tbsp.) sugar, divided, plus more
1 17.3-oz. package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed overnight in the refrigerator

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place rack in middle of oven; preheat oven to 400°. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. sugar on a work surface and cover it with 1 sheet puff pastry (from 1 17.3-oz. package frozen puff pastry). Sprinkle another 2 Tbsp. sugar evenly over top of puff pastry. Using a rolling pin, roll pastry into a 10-inch square.

    Step 2

    Fold pastry from two opposite sides so that they the edges meet in the center. Repeat so that the folded edges meet in the center, on top of the first fold. Fold half the pastry over the other half. Cut pastry crosswise into ¼”-thick slices. Dip cut sides of each piece in more sugar (reusing any sugar left behind on work surface) and arrange, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheet.

    Step 3

    Bake palmiers in batches until golden on bottom, about 12 minutes. Turn over and bake until golden on second side, 5 to 7 minutes more; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Editor’s note: This recipe for palmiers was first printed in the August 2004 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for more of our best holiday cookie recipes →

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Reviews (19)

Back to TopTriangle

  • How to bake these so that they’re extra “Caramalizé” like in the Paris Paul shops? They are very much better when slightly burnt. Any suggestions are most welcome. Thank you

    • Dr. David H. Gelfand

    • Oakland, CA

    • 11/2/2023

  • We love these! I increased the sugar, added raspberry jam on the sheets before rolling them up. And slice them to about a inch. This recipe is a 10+!

    • lisadqueen

    • Portland, Oregon

    • 2/1/2018

  • Tried this recipe with Trader Joe puff pastry crust and it was fantastic, but TJs ran out of puff pastry for our second batch and we tried Pepperidge Farms and it was awful, so watch which puff pastry you use.

    • sfoulk

    • Newark, CA

    • 5/2/2015

  • oops. I meant "overcook" because of the tahini

    • Deena

    • 3/2/2014

  • want to make it better? spread a little tahini under the sugar, and maybe use one of the light brown sugars out there - make sure you don't undercook. with just sugar this is a bit boring.

    • Deena

    • Arlington VA

    • 3/2/2014

  • This was really an easy cookie recipe and so simple. My kids loved them and I made a few variations to them. One batch I added vanilla cinnamon sugar, and the next I added cinnamon and toasted pecans. I tried to bake them without turning them over, but they were better once I turned them over.

    • raebabe

    • Long Island, NY

    • 12/30/2008

  • I will add A LOT more sugar to this recipe next time. They should be sweeter and a little gooier! Great technique to learn though and a good do ahead.

    • Anonymous

    • Midlothian, Va

    • 9/18/2005

  • I'm not much of a baker which is exactly why I loved this recipe. It's really easy and really good. I add cinnamon and sugar between layers. Yum.

    • Anonymous

    • Richmond, VA

    • 11/3/2004

  • I had some leftover puff pastry, so I decided to try this recipe. Great results! I also rolled both sides to the center instead of folding, and I didn't roll out the pastry at all. After slicing, I made sure they were coated well with sugar, and sprinkled some more onto them before I put them into the oven. That way, there was plenty of sugar for them to caramelize in, and I did not need to flip them. I also let the baking sheet preheat in the oven, and arranged the palmiers on a large piece of foil, so that really saved on the cleaning time.

    • Anonymous

    • Iowa

    • 5/18/2004

  • This was a wonderful and simple pastry to make and everyone loved it. I did a variation, adding finely chopped almonds, cinnamon, and nutmeg, which gave it a great kick. I recomend this to anyone whose looking for a simple way to sweeten any day.

    • Sofia

    • San Juan, Puerto Rico

    • 1/26/2004

  • I was looking for a simple recipe for a cookie exchange that my non-baking cousin could do, and this is definitely it. It doesn't get any easier than this and they taste GREAT! They do burn easily, so I'll need to play with the cooking times like everyone else to get it right. I might even try to add some mini chocolate chips.

    • Anonymous

    • New Jersey

    • 9/30/2003

  • Too easy! The only con to being small is that I tend to eat too many. With my darker teflon-coated cookie sheets, I reduced the initial baking time to 8 minutes.

    • Houston

    • 9/3/2003

  • The idea is good, but I thought the cookies were too small and they burned very easily. I think I will have to play around with it till I get it right. any suggestions would be great.

    • Jennifer

    • New York, NY

    • 7/3/2003

  • I always keep puff pastry handy now so I can make fresh palmiers on a moments notice. These are also great when sprinkled with cinnamon prior to baking. However, one word of caution: be sure not to overwork the pastry or your cookies won't come out big and puffy.

    • Anonymous

    • Atlanta, GA

    • 12/23/2002

  • I use Turbinado sugar rather than granulated and I roll each end to the center rather than folding the pastry. Chilling is helpful. Plus I only bake on one side. Everyone loves these.

    • Anonymous

    • Syracuse, NY

    • 9/21/2002

TagsGourmetCookieDessertPastriesFrenchEuropeanPuff PastryNut Free5 Ingredients or FewerEasyBakingQuickChristmasNew Years

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