Palmiers, sometimes called palm leaves, are made with puff pastry folded several times, then sliced, to create a distinctive heart-shaped coil design. Ginger syrup and spiced sugar make these crisp French cookies festive and fragrant.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 3 1/2 dozen
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Bring brown sugar, molasses, ginger, and water to a simmer in a saucepan, whisking until sugar has dissolved. Simmer until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour syrup into a bowl; let cool.
Step 2
Whisk granulated sugar, salt, and spices in a bowl. Lightly sprinkle some sugar mixture over a clean work surface; place puff pastry on top. Cut into two 10 by 7-inch pieces. Sprinkle generously with some sugar mixture; press into pastry with a rolling pin. Brush generously with syrup. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll from both long sides, meeting in the center; brush with syrup to seal. Sprinkle generously with sugar mixture. Wrap in plastic; freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
Step 3
Cut each piece of frozen dough crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Dip slices in sugar mixture. Space 2 inches apart on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Flatten with your palm. Freeze 30 minutes.
Step 4
Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake 10 minutes. Flip, and brush with syrup. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F. Bake until darkened, 10 minutes more. Let cool completely on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
How to Form Palmiers
Step 5
1. After rolling out the puff pastry to a rectangle and topping with sugar filling, roll up one side of pastry along the edges lengthwise, halfway to center; repeat with the other side.
Step 6
2. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
