How to Make Palmiers
Sprinkle sugar generously on a flat, clean work surface., Remove the pastry from the freezer and lay it out on the sugar surface, working quickly., Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to 1/4" thickness., Optionally, brush the top of the pastry...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Sprinkle sugar generously on a flat
The sugar will prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter as your roll it out, and will help coat the inside of the cookies with delicious sweetness.
You'll use roughly 1/3 of a cup here.
The type of sugar you use is up to you:
White Granulated Sugar will lead to a uniform, chewy consistency, as the small sugar grains melt quickly and evenly.
Course, Demerara, or Turbinado Sugar is bigger, leading to a crunchier cookie with noticeable sugar crystals.
Brown sugar' can be used as well, lending a noticeably sweeter, slightly molasses-like flavor. -
Step 2: clean work surface.
Puff Pastry dough is a light, flaky, and buttery dough that needs to stay cool to work properly.
If it gets too warm, the butter in the dough will start to melt, leading to wilted, weak pastries when cooked.
If the butter is cold, it forms a pocket in the dough while it cooks, creating the flaky texture when the butter finally melts out of this little air bubble.
Puff pastry can be bought at a store, and even pie crusts can be used in a pinch.
Making your own puff pastry will always lead to better results, though it takes skill and time.
Try out a "Blitz" Puff Pastry recipe below for a quicker, easier dough. , Work quickly but calmly, rolling to dough into a thin rectangle.
If the dough is sticking to the rolling pin, sprinkle some more sugar on top of the dough.
If you want petite palmiers, you can roll this sheet out to an 1/8" thickness instead., Brush the egg wash onto the top of the pastry, which will help them cook with a great golden-brown color and slight richness, as well as help the sugar stick and caramelize.
You don't want a thick coating
-- just a light brush of egg will do.
You should have a fair amount of it left over., Both the insides and outsides of your cookies want to be covered in sugar, as it will caramelize as it cooks into a delicious, crispy golden-brown cookie.
Be liberal with the sugar here
-- coating most of the pastry with a generous dusting., The final palmier will look like an old, stereotypical scroll.
Using your fingertips, roll up the two long sides of the pastry sheet towards each other.
You'll have a capital "B" shape if you did it well.
You want a nice, tight roll.
Start in the corner and work your way down bit by bit.
It can help to alternate rolling each side, instead of rolling one side all the way to the middle and then starting on the other side., Remember, you want the butter in the dough to be cold when the cookies hit the oven, otherwise, the cookies won't hold their shape and the dough will be dense and unappetizing., The sugar in the cookies will quickly stick to a hot baking sheet, so you must line the cookie sheet with parchment paper to ensure they don't crumble when removed. , Paint the top of the pastry roll with egg and then sprinkle some more of your sugar on top.
Again, be generous here.
More sugar is rarely missed in a good palmier., Using a sharp knife, cut your roll into little rounds.
You can choose whatever width you'd like for the cookies, all that is important is that they are roughly the same size, which will help them all cook in the same amount of time.
Try not to smush the cookies as you cut.
Use a sharp knife to slice gracefully through them. , Make sure they are at least 1/2" away from each other, or at least spaced enough so they don't touch.
Drizzle a little more sugar onto the tops, focusing on the little rolls, so that they crisp and caramelize over., You want both sides to be a glistening copper color.
The first side takes a little longer, usually 4-5 minutes, and the second side usually only needs another 2-3 before these guys are finished., Wire racks allow the entire cookie to cool evenly, which prevents steam from getting trapped and leading to damp, less-crunchy parts of the palmier.
After 2-3 minutes of cooling you can serve and enjoy! -
Step 3: Remove the pastry from the freezer and lay it out on the sugar surface
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Step 4: working quickly.
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Step 5: Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to 1/4" thickness.
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Step 6: Optionally
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Step 7: brush the top of the pastry with an egg wash. To make an egg wash
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Step 8: simply whip up a cracked egg with a fork
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Step 9: then add a tablespoon of water.
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Step 10: Coat the top of the pastry with sugar.
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Step 11: Roll the two long ends towards each other
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Step 12: meeting in the middle.
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Step 13: Cover the roll with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
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Step 14: Preheat the oven to 450ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Step 15: Remove the roll from the fridge and douse with egg wash and more sugar.
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Step 16: Slice the pastry roll across the width
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Step 17: making roughly 1/2" cookies.
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Step 18: Brush the tops of the cookies with a bit more sugar and lay them down on the lined baking sheet.
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Step 19: Cook the palmiers for 4-5 minutes
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Step 20: then flip and cook until golden brown.
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Step 21: Cool the cookies on a wire rack for perfect crunchiness.
Detailed Guide
The sugar will prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter as your roll it out, and will help coat the inside of the cookies with delicious sweetness.
You'll use roughly 1/3 of a cup here.
The type of sugar you use is up to you:
White Granulated Sugar will lead to a uniform, chewy consistency, as the small sugar grains melt quickly and evenly.
Course, Demerara, or Turbinado Sugar is bigger, leading to a crunchier cookie with noticeable sugar crystals.
Brown sugar' can be used as well, lending a noticeably sweeter, slightly molasses-like flavor.
Puff Pastry dough is a light, flaky, and buttery dough that needs to stay cool to work properly.
If it gets too warm, the butter in the dough will start to melt, leading to wilted, weak pastries when cooked.
If the butter is cold, it forms a pocket in the dough while it cooks, creating the flaky texture when the butter finally melts out of this little air bubble.
Puff pastry can be bought at a store, and even pie crusts can be used in a pinch.
Making your own puff pastry will always lead to better results, though it takes skill and time.
Try out a "Blitz" Puff Pastry recipe below for a quicker, easier dough. , Work quickly but calmly, rolling to dough into a thin rectangle.
If the dough is sticking to the rolling pin, sprinkle some more sugar on top of the dough.
If you want petite palmiers, you can roll this sheet out to an 1/8" thickness instead., Brush the egg wash onto the top of the pastry, which will help them cook with a great golden-brown color and slight richness, as well as help the sugar stick and caramelize.
You don't want a thick coating
-- just a light brush of egg will do.
You should have a fair amount of it left over., Both the insides and outsides of your cookies want to be covered in sugar, as it will caramelize as it cooks into a delicious, crispy golden-brown cookie.
Be liberal with the sugar here
-- coating most of the pastry with a generous dusting., The final palmier will look like an old, stereotypical scroll.
Using your fingertips, roll up the two long sides of the pastry sheet towards each other.
You'll have a capital "B" shape if you did it well.
You want a nice, tight roll.
Start in the corner and work your way down bit by bit.
It can help to alternate rolling each side, instead of rolling one side all the way to the middle and then starting on the other side., Remember, you want the butter in the dough to be cold when the cookies hit the oven, otherwise, the cookies won't hold their shape and the dough will be dense and unappetizing., The sugar in the cookies will quickly stick to a hot baking sheet, so you must line the cookie sheet with parchment paper to ensure they don't crumble when removed. , Paint the top of the pastry roll with egg and then sprinkle some more of your sugar on top.
Again, be generous here.
More sugar is rarely missed in a good palmier., Using a sharp knife, cut your roll into little rounds.
You can choose whatever width you'd like for the cookies, all that is important is that they are roughly the same size, which will help them all cook in the same amount of time.
Try not to smush the cookies as you cut.
Use a sharp knife to slice gracefully through them. , Make sure they are at least 1/2" away from each other, or at least spaced enough so they don't touch.
Drizzle a little more sugar onto the tops, focusing on the little rolls, so that they crisp and caramelize over., You want both sides to be a glistening copper color.
The first side takes a little longer, usually 4-5 minutes, and the second side usually only needs another 2-3 before these guys are finished., Wire racks allow the entire cookie to cool evenly, which prevents steam from getting trapped and leading to damp, less-crunchy parts of the palmier.
After 2-3 minutes of cooling you can serve and enjoy!
About the Author
Charles Hughes
Specializes in breaking down complex practical skills topics into simple steps.
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