Another 3-ingredient cookie that you will find irresistible! These palmiers cookies are also known as elephant ear cookies, but I adore their heart-shape, so I call them heart cookies. Buttery puff pastry, rolled up while being enrobed in sugar produces these flaky, caramelized little cookies. Don't miss the pumpkin spice variation for fall, too!
What are Palmiers?
These three-ingredient puff pastry cookies will knock your socks off. They take the best part about French pastries, the buttery, flaky crust (aka puff pastry), and coat it in sugar and bake until golden brown. We're essentially making cookies from pastry crust, and it's exactly as delicious as it sounds.
The sugar on the bottom of palmiers caramelizes in the oven and gives the cookies a caramel flavor. The actual cookie is light, crisp and buttery all at once. It's the perfect cookie, and they couldn't be easier to make!
What do Palmiers taste like?
Palmiers taste like a rich butter cookie that is flaky instead of dense, with notes of caramel from the sugar on the bottom of the cookies.
Why you'll love this Palmier Recipe
If you have a box of puff pastry, granulated sugar, and salt, you can have this amazing cookie recipe! It couldn't be easier, but I'm going to share step by step photos and a video, so you know exactly how to fold them to make them puffy and heart-shaped. These cookies are so cute for Valentine's Day, because don't they look like little hearts? But they're also called elephant ear cookies, because they resemble cute elephant faces.
Whatever you call these cookies, you will want to print and save this recipe, because if you bake it once, you'll definitely be making it again.
Palmier ingredients
- Puff Pastry. The absolute best thing to use for palmiers is a pre-made roll of all-butter puff pastry crust. Check the ingredients; some puff pastry brands use oil and other strange ingredients. Try to find an all-butter one. However, if you can only find the Pepperidge Farm version, it will definitely still work here. While I do have a recipe for homemade puff pastry, I haven't tested it in this recipe yet, and I really recommend the pre-made frozen one for ease. Usually, each box comes with two rolls of puff pastry. We'll be using one today. Remove it from the freezer and let it rest on the counter for 30 minutes before using. (Or, you could defrost overnight in the fridge). It should be pliable and somewhat easy to unfold and roll out after 30 minutes. If your room is too cold, it might take longer to defrost. If the dough is cracking or splitting, stop--it is too cold. Let it warm up and then proceed.
- Sugar. We need white granulated sugar for this recipe.
- Salt. Please don't skip the salt! It balances the flavors of the sugar and butter so well.
Variations:
- Sugar - I have tested this recipe with coarse demerara sugar, and it's lovely. Use the same amount, and be sure to bake the cookies on a piece of parchment paper or silicone mat so they don't stick too much.
- Spices - In the fall, I add ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, and they are so good!
How to make Palmiers
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and salt until evenly blended. On a surface for rolling, sprinkle a little less than half of the sugar mixture. Unroll the puff pastry sheet, and place it on top of the sugar. Roll it out to a 13x13-inch square.
Sprinkle another handful of sugar on top. Use a rolling pin to press the sugar into the dough. Take the right and left edge of the dough in half, inwards towards the center, like a book (towards the center).
Sprinkle more sugar on top. Fold both sides inward again (towards the center).
Finally, fold the entire dough in half like a book by folding and stacking the left side over the right side. This will make a log shape. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and gently press into the dough. Place the dough on the parchment lined baking sheet and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450-degrees F. Slice the cookies into ¾-inch slices and space them at least 3 inches a part on the baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for 6 minutes, flip them with a metal spatula quickly, and then bake them for another 3-5 minutes, until they’re golden brown and caramelized on both sides. Let the palmiers rest on the sheet for a few minutes, but then let them cool completely on a wire rack. They will crisp as they cool.
How to fold Palmiers
Starting with the rectangle on the counter in front of you (with the long edge closest to you and the short edges on the sides), bring each side in to the center, like a book. Repeat, folding the dough on top of itself. Repeat again one final time, to make a log. You will sprinkle sugar before and after all of these folds.
How long to cook Palmiers
Palmiers only take about 10 minutes in the oven, but they need to be flipped half-way through their cook time to create a golden brown crust on both sides.
How to serve Palmiers - What goes well with Palmiers?
I take these palmiers to almost any potluck or event that needs dessert. They're my favorite thing to serve on New Year's Eve with a glass of champagne, because the butteriness of the cookie goes so well with buttery French champagne.
How to store Palmiers
Luckily, you can make these ahead of time! They need to be stored in a completely air-tight container. I don't recommend a plastic bag, because it will touch the tops of the cookies. Place these cookies in a single layer in a food storage container, and they will last for 2-3 days. Do not refrigerate.
How long do Palmiers stay fresh?
If stored properly (at room temperature in an air-tight container), palmiers stay fresh for 2-3 days.
How to freeze baked palmiers
You can bake these palmiers ahead of time and freeze them, but do not defrost them before cooking. The day you want to serve them, place the frozen cookies on a lined baking sheet, and immediately into a hot oven for about 5 minutes. Remove them and they will crisp as they cool.
Palmiers Recipe FAQs
Palmiers have lots of names: elephant ears, butterfly cookies, pig ear cookies, palm cookies and heart cookies.
Palmiers hail from France, the birthplace of puff pastry, of course.
Let's sound it out: pal-mee-aye.
In a word, sugar! And yeast! Croissants have the same style of folded butter dough, but they contain yeast. They are folded, shaped, and proofed before baking without any additional sugar added. Palmiers do not contain yeast, and are coated in sugar and rolled up without any proofing or resting period. Palmiers are much sweeter than croissants, and they are much smaller, too. Croissants are breakfast or lunch food, while palmier cookies are considered treats or desserts.
Palmier Recipe
Palmier cookies, also known as elephant ears or butterfly cookies, have just 3 ingredients: puff pastry, sugar, and salt.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Thaw the puff pastry overnight in the fridge, or on the counter at room temperature for 30 minutes. It should be pliable and soft before using, not cracking around the edges.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and salt until evenly blended.
- On a surface for rolling, sprinkle a little less than half of the sugar mixture. Unroll the puff pastry sheet, and place it on top of the sugar. Roll it out to a 13x13-inch square.
- Sprinkle another handful of the sugar mixture on top of the square. Use a rolling pin to press the sugar into the dough.
- Start the folds: Take the right and left edge of the dough in half, inwards towards the center, like a book (towards the center).
- Sprinkle more sugar on top. Fold the outside edges inward again, towards the center.
- Finally, fold the entire dough in half like a book by folding and stacking the left side over the right side. This will make a log. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and gently press into the dough. There will be some excess sugar on the board.
- Place the dough on the parchment lined baking sheet and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450-degrees F.
- After the 30 minutes, slice the cookies into ¾-inch slices and space them at least 3 inches a part on a baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 6 minutes, flip them with a metal spatula quickly, and then bake them for another 3-5 minutes, until they’re golden brown and caramelized on both sides.
- Let the palmiers rest on the sheet for a few minutes, but then let them cool completely on a wire rack. They will crisp as they cool.
Notes
Puff Pastry: Try to find a puff pastry brand that contains only butter. If you can only find the Pepperidge Farm version with oil, it is fine--it will work here, too.
Variations:
Sugar - I have tested this recipe with coarse demerara sugar, and it's lovely. Use the same amount, and be sure to bake the cookies on a piece of parchment paper or silicone mat so they don't stick too much.
Spices - In the fall, I add ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, and they are so good!
Storage/Make-Ahead:
Store these cookies at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 2-3 days. Do not store in the fridge. You can freeze already baked cookies. To serve frozen cookies, place them in a hot oven directly from the freezer to crisp up.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 58Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 71mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 0gSugar: 12gProtein: 0g
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