Go Back
–+ servings
Print Recipe
5 from 6 votes

French Palmiers

Dazzle your unexpected holiday guests with freshly baked French Palmiers (pronounced pahl me ay). The French Palmiers can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer. From your freezer, they bake in around 10 minutes. After cooling for around 5 minutes, they are ready to serve with a steaming cup of coffee of hot chocolate. You and your guests will love their crispy taste with just a hint of sweetness.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Time in Freezer1 hour
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Bread, Cookies
Cuisine: French
Servings: 25 Palmiers
Calories: 77kcal

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup (5.25 ounces) granulated sugar, divided
  • Pinch of Kosher salt
  • 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry, thawed

Instructions

  • Combine sugar and salt. 
  • Spread ½ cup of sugar/salt on a work surface, approximately 14-inches square. (See Note 1)
  • Unfold puff pastry on sugar. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup of sugar/salt on surface of puff pastry.
  • Roll puff pastry to approximately 13-inches x 13-inches, pressing sugar into both sides as you roll. Trim sides to make square.
  • Fold opposite sides of puff pastry towards the center so that they go half way to the center. Fold them again so that the two folds meet in the middle. Finally fold one half over the other half. 
  • Slice the dough into ⅜-inch slices. Place slices, cut side up, on a parchment lined baking sheet, and place in freezer. (See Notes 2,3, and 4) 
  • When ready to bake Palmiers, preheat oven to 425° F.
  • Place frozen Palmiers on parchment lined baking sheet, leaving at least 2-inches between Palmiers.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes, or until the sugar has begun to caramelize and the bottom is brown. (See Note 5)
  • Turn the Palmiers with a spatula and bake for 3 to 4 additional minutes until golden brown and caramelized on the other side. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
  • Yield: 24 or 25 Palmiers. (See Note 6)

Notes

  1. I use parchment paper here to facilitate cleanup. However, you could spread the sugar on the counter-top or other surface.
  2. If you want larger Palmiers, cut the pieces ½-inch thick.
  3. Because of the sugar coating all sides of the dough, the layers of the cut Palmiers won't stick together very well. This really isn't a problem - just hold the layers together when transferring the cut Palmiers to the parchment lined baking sheet.
  4. When unbaked Palmiers are frozen, transfer to a ziploc bag until ready to bake.
  5. Watch carefully as the Palmiers bake. The sugar can go from beautifully caramelized to burned very quickly.
  6. Store baked Palmiers in an air-tight container. Otherwise, caramelized sugar coating the Palmiers can become sticky.

Nutrition

Calories: 77kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 5mg | Sugar: 6g | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.3mg