Palmier cookies are buttery, flakey and sugar-filled French pastries. Don’t be intimidated by their pedigree—while a good number of French dessert recipes take some skill to bake, this two-ingredient palmier cookie recipe can be whipped up last minute and still leave a seriously good impression on your guests.
Our palmier cookies recipe is so easy to make that we bet you won’t even break a sweat. Simply roll out one sheet of store-bought puff pastry, sprinkle it with sugar, roll the two sides toward each other, cut and bake. That’s it! Before you know it, you’ll be serving patisserie-level French pastries out of your home kitchen. Bonus? There will be leftover sheets of puff pastry in the box to make other delicate puff pastry dessert recipes.
Ingredients for Palmier Cookies
- Puff pastry dough: Making puff pastry from scratch is a true labor of love. Some days, there just isn’t enough time for that. The good news? Grocery stores sell premade, unbaked puff pastry in the frozen aisle.
- Sugar: You’ll need 1 cup granulated sugar to roll out, fill and coat the palmier cookies.
Directions
Step 1: Roll out the puff pastry
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Sprinkle a clean surface with 1/4 cup sugar. Unfold the puff pastry sheet on the sugared surface. Sprinkle the puff pastry with 2 tablespoons sugar. Take out your rolling pin and roll the puff pastry into a 14×10-inch rectangle.
Step 2: Sprinkle the puff pastry with sugar
Sprinkle the puff pastry with an extra 1/2 cup sugar to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Lightly press the sugar into the pastry.
Step 3: Roll up the pastry
With a knife, very lightly score a line crosswise across the middle of the puffy pastry. Starting at a short side, roll up the pastry jelly-roll style, stopping at the score mark in the middle. Starting at the opposite end, roll up the pastry jelly-roll style to the score mark. The two ends should be rolled up to each other, meeting in the middle.
Step 4: Freeze and cut
Freeze the rolled-up pastry until firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Take the pastry out of the freezer and, with a very sharp chef’s knife, cut the pastry into 3/8-inch slices.
Step 5: Bake with a bit more sugar
Place the pastries cut side up 2 inches apart from one another on parchment-lined baking sheets. Lightly sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar evenly over the pastries. Bake them for 8 minutes. Turn the pastries over and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake the pastries until they’re golden brown and glazed, about three minutes longer.
Remove the palmier cookies to wire racks to cool completely to room temperature. Store any leftovers in airtight containers.
Recipe Variations
- Create more flavor: Add some depth to the flavor of the palmier cookies recipe and stir together a cinnamon-sugar mix for inside the cookies. Even mini chocolate chips are a welcome inclusion.
- Prep your own puff pastry: Yes, you can make puff pastry from scratch! It’s not exactly easy to pull off, but you’ll earn a nod of approval from any pro baker. Plus, homemade always tastes better.
- Make them savory: No need to stick to a sugar-filled palmier cookies recipe if you’re more of a savory person. These candied bacon palmiers, mushroom palmiers, and gruyere and crab palmiers make the perfect appetizers.
How to Store Palmier Cookies
Store leftover palmier cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. They will be a little stale as the days go on, so it’s best to try and eat each palmier cookie as fresh as possible.
Can you make a palmier cookies recipe ahead of time?
Yes, you can roll up, cut and store the palmier cookies, unbaked, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Place sheets of waxed paper or parchment in between each layer if you’re stacking them in the container.
Palmier Cookie Tips
How do you eat a palmier?
A palmier cookie is lovely with sweetened whipped cream and fresh raspberries or strawberries, or with a scoop of a high-quality vanilla ice cream. They’re often enjoyed alongside coffee or French hot chocolate too.
What’s the difference between a croissant and a palmier cookie?
Croissants and palmier cookies have slightly different doughs. They both use a laminated dough; however, to make croissants, you must use yeast in the laminated dough, whereas palmier cookies use a puff pastry dough that has zero leavening agents. That means a croissant will puff up and have a soft texture, while a palmier cookie will puff up only slightly (thanks to the reaction from the butter and steam through its lamination) and have a crispy, flakier texture.
