Palmiers
Palmiers are a delectable example of what the French call Petite Four Sec, which refers to bite-sized cookies, macarons, plain cakes (madeleines, for example), and puff pastries. Properly made Palmiers are buttery, crisp, slightly caramelized, and a lovely sweet to pass around the dinner table with coffee and tea.
Making Palmiers at home is pretty straightforward; puff pastry is rolled in sugar to a rectangle, the bottom and top are then folded toward each other incrementally in 2-inch sections until they meet in the middle. The resulting long strip is refrigerated until firm and quarter-inch slices are cut from it, then placed on a heavy-duty baking sheet and baked until golden.
The unbaked dough strip may be kept frozen for weeks, allowing you to slice off and bake a few Palmiers for a quick dessert at the last moment. Depending on where each Palmier is on the baking sheet, some will always be slightly more caramelized than others, allowing guests to choose their preference.
Palmiers, under many different names, from bakeries are often very disappointing. If you’ve had that experience, you will be delightfully surprised at how good these are.
Palmiers
| Yield: 48 | # of servings: 16 |
Ingredients:
16 oz Puff Pastry or 1 box frozen, all-butter puff pastry
1 cup (7 oz / 198 g) sugar(see note below)
Special tools and equipment:
- Heavy bottomed cookie sheet, or small sheet pan, lined parchment paper or a silpat.
Pre-recipe preparations:
- Clear a large work area on your counter or kitchen island
Directions
Forming the Palmier rectangle:
- Spread a thin layer of sugar over the work surface, place puff pastry on the sugar, and coat the top of the pastry with a thin layer of sugar.
- Using a heavy rolling pin, roll out the puff pastry to a 17†(height) by 14†(length), ⅛†thick, adding more sugar on the counter and pastry to stop the dough from sticking, in much the same way flour is usually used.
- Using a pastry or pizza wheel, or knife trip the edges to create a straight edged rectangle. Spread the rectangle with a final dusting of sugar.
- Starting from the top, fold the pastry down 2â€, and do the same from the bottom (see pictures below).
- Make a second and third 2†fold from the top and the bottom. At this point the top and the bottom should have met in the middle, with a ¼â€ space between them.
- Fold the top over the bottom to make a long rectangular strip.
- With a sharp knife cut long rectangle in half across the length, making it easier to handle.
- Wrap well with plastic film and refrigerate until firm. Either or both Palmier logs may be frozen at this point.
Slicing and baking:
- Preheat oven to 400 °F
- Using a sharp knife, slice the rectangle into ¼â€ thick pieces and place, them ½â€ apart on a parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheet.
- Bake until they just start to brown, between 10 to 12 minutes.
- Using a small spatula flip them over and bake until nicely caramelized, about 4 additional minutes.
- Remove to a cooling rack and let thoroughly cool.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Baking Notes:
The one cup of sugar in the recipe is an approximation, there is no specific amount of sugar used in the recipe.
