Perfectly crisp, sweet, and crunchy palmier cookie recipe made with lots of love. With only 3 ingredients, this simple palmier cookie recipe can quickly bring back some nostalgic memories from your childhood.
The holiday season means time with family and friends and, of course, indulging in your favorite treats! Jason and I make our annual Christmas visit to see my family in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is always a delight. One evening my brother Blandon and I reminisced on some of our favorite sweets growing up, and he asked if I knew a palmier cookie recipe, also called elephant ear cookies.
Luckily for him, I made palmier cookies from scratch during culinary school. Because of the Christmas holiday, I didn’t have time to make the puff pastry from scratch. Here is my instant gratification palmier cookie recipe.
The key to working with puff pastry is to make sure that if frozen, the dough is completely defrosted (overnight in the refrigerator if possible). If the dough starts to get sticky or soft, pop the dough back in the fridge to allow the butter in the dough to chill so it’s easier to work with. If the butter is allowed to melt into the dough, you won’t get the proper “puffed” texture.
After rolling out the dough slightly to even out the surface, sprinkle about ¼ cup of the cinnamon-sugar mixture to evenly coat the surface of the dough.
Gently roll the rolling pin over the cinnamon-sugar mixture to adhere as much of the sugar into the dough as possible. Carefully flip the dough over and repeat the process on the other side. Roll out the dough to approximately a 13 inch by 13-inch square. Rolling out the dough will yield a crisper cookie.
The key to the palmier heart cookie shape is evenly folding over each edge to the center of the dough, two folds to the center from each side. Chill the dough for 15 minutes so the butter can solidify and make cutting easier.
Slice the cookies into ⅜ inch pieces. You can also make cinnamon and sugar straws by cutting them into ¾ inch pieces, then twisting them before baking them off.
Dip each side of the cookie into the reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture, shaking off the excess sugar.
Place the cookies on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan, at least 2 inches apart to allow for the cookies to expand. To create a more defined heart shape, separate the tops of the cookies to make “bunny ears”.
After baking the cookies at 400°F for 12 minutes, quickly flip the cookies over. The cookies will not be completely hardened, but this will help continue to caramelize, and they will become crispier as it bakes for 4-7 additional minutes.
When I made these at my brother’s house, the electric oven required an extra 6-7 minutes after flipping, whereas my gas oven at home only needed 5-6 minutes. Keep a close eye on the cookies. The sugars will continue to caramelize very quickly once it starts to turn golden brown!
After removing from the oven, immediately place each cookie on a cooling rack to stop the cooking process. With only three ingredients, this simple, delicious palmier cookie recipe quickly brought back some nostalgic memories from my childhood. I enjoy the cinnamon flavor in the palmier cookie because it reminds me of churros, however, feel free to omit the cinnamon if you enjoy a simple yet elegant cookie instead!
Make sure the puff pastry is completely defrosted before you use it. Otherwise, the dough will still have ice crystals and the cookie will not be as crunchy. The extra moisture may also seep out from the cookie during baking, creating caramel “puddles” around your cookie.
Perfectly crisp, sweet and crunchy palmier cookie recipe made with lots of love. A big thanks to my brother Blandon for inspiring this recipe for one of our favorite childhood cookies!
Recipe Science
Why is puff pastry baked at such high temperatures?
Since puff pastry is not leavened with yeast or chemical leavening agents, the pastry relies on high temperatures to allow for the moisture in the butter and dough to turn into steam, enabling the pastry separate and rise into hundreds of delicate and beautiful layers of flaky pastry. The sugar caramelizes at 320°F and burns at 375°F. Keep a close eye on the color of the surface of the cookies once you flip them over and take them out when they just turn golden brown. Be careful, the sugars can quickly go from caramelized to burned!
Palmier Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 package puff pastry sheets, thaw according to package, 17.3 ounces, 2 sheets (Pepperidge Farm®)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.
- Unfold 1 defrosted pastry sheet on a piece of parchment paper (the puff pastry should be refrigerator temperature, and completely defrosted). With a rolling pin, roll out the puff pastry sheet in both directions to create a slightly flatter and even surface.
- Evenly cover the surface of the puff pastry with ¼ cup of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Using the rolling pin, roll over the sugar surface; this helps the mixture adhere to the puff pastry.
- Carefully flip the pastry over (the excess sugar mixture will come off), and repeat the step on the other side, gently rolling the sugar into the surface of the dough. You want an even covering of the sugar mixture on both sides of the pastry. Roll the dough out to approximately a 13” by 13” square.
- Fold the long sides of the puff pastry towards the center so they go halfway to the middle. Fold them again so the two folds meet exactly at the middle of the dough. Then fold 1 half over the other half to resemble a closed book; this will result in 6 layers.
- Chill the dough for 15 minutes to allow the butter in the puff pastry to harden slightly before cutting and prevent melting into the dough. Repeat the process with the second sheet of puff pastry.
- Slice the dough into 3/8-inch slices. This should yield approximately 24 cookies per puff pastry sheet.
- Dip each side of the sliced dough into the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place the cookies cut-side up, 2-inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. For a more heart-shaped cookie, slightly separate the tops of the cookie dough to resemble bunny ears.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then turn over with a spatula and bake another 4 minutes, or until lightly caramelized on the surface (this may require 5 to 7 minutes depending on your oven).
- Make sure to check after each additional minute because caramelization will occur quickly. The cookies are done baking when both sides feel hard on the surface (they will continue to harden as they cool), you want the texture to be crunchy and crispy. Immediately transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Store the cookies in an airtight container.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Missy says
Lol you have a brother named BLANDON?! Not Brandon?! Hahaha
Jessica Gavin says
Sure do!
Linda says
Hi. Due to the horrific conditions in the bay AREA CA I want LARGE PALMIERS. Whole Foods are no longer in business due to laziness and is NOT a store and I stopped going there Jan-20.
Do I role pastry at short end to get LRG palmiers? Do not want any small.
Jessica Gavin says
I think if you want large palmiers, you could fold in for the short side, but I would still do the same amount of folds, they will just be wider when baked. Give more space on the baking sheet for expansion. I haven’t tried making the larger size so I’d love to hear your feedback!
Christine says
Hi there from Australia. I remember these as a young teenager in the 1960’s however they had passion fruit icing and I don’t recall the cinnamon sugar. Do you think they would work without the cinnamon sugar? then iced when old
Jessica Gavin says
I recommend at least adding the sugar so that the cookies caramelize. It will just taste like savory and crispy puff pastry without the sweetener. You can add the icing after it cools. Let me know how it goes!
Lisa says
This was my first time making these. Your detailed instructions, photos & tips led me to complete success! They are crispy and chewy and heavenly not to mention easy and quick. The ease & quickness of the recipe will help me so much in creating my annual treats. These will now be a proud part of my annual christmas cookie trays for family & friends. Thanks so much for this recipe and for sharing it with us all!
Jessica Gavin says
Great job, Lisa! It’s such a great sweet trip, especially with the holidays coming up! Happy baking 🙂
Nicki says
Hi Jessica – being stuck at home due to Covid-19 and needed something sweet. I came across your recipe and made them this morning and added pecans. So good! Only problem is that I live alone – how many calories do you think 48 have if I eat them all? LOL! Will give some to the neighbours to help keep the calories down. Thanks for sharing!
Jessica Gavin says
Haha, great job Nicki! Did you add chopped pecans? I need to try that! You’re so sweet to share with others.
latchme motana says
Hi can I substitute the puff pastry with crescent rolls?
Cara says
I made these but my palmiers didn’t “grow” as much. 🙁 it looks tasty tho. Do you think it’s the puff pastry I used that’s the problem or I did something wrong?
Jessica Gavin says
I would say it could be the brand or age of the dough. Or if when you cut it some of the layers stook together. I use Pepperidge farm puff pastry.
LeeCopper says
Hi Jessica, just one question. we don’t get puff pastries where i stay. can you please tell me how to do with plain flour. or from the scratch. Thank you so much
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Lee! It’s pretty challenging to make because it’s a lamination technique, a whole day process. Is there any way to order the puff pastry online?
Laura Tan says
Hi, what type of sugars do you suggest to use?
Char says
I add pecans to the unrolled crust. Oh my goodness!!!! Just like the baked elephant ears we would get from a local bakery over 50 years ago. These have become a favorite of mine.
Jessica Gavin says
I LOVE the idea of adding pecans to the cookies Char! I will definitely try that. It’s a childhood favorite of mine too 🙂
Lynn says
Where does the butter come in? In step 2 of the create section, it mentions letting the butter harden, there is no mention of butter in the ingredients.
Jessica Gavin says
Great question Lynn! There is no additional butter in the recipe to add, the instructions just mention allowing the butter already in the puff pastry to harden before cutting.
gill says
How do I make my palmiers bigger
Ronilla says
wow ! Thanks a lot Jessica. It looks so easy. I am surely going to try these pastries. I am sure they will turn out good.
Till then i must tick off one more ‘ dos ‘ from my bucket list.
Hannah Smathers says
I am 16 and just made this for my French party tomorrow. It was an easy to follow and fun. The illustrations really help make sure I was doing it correctly. Great recipe!!!
Jessica Gavin says
You are a rock star Hannah! That you for giving the recipe a try, I hope everyone enjoy’s the cookies 🙂 I’m so happy to hear that the photos were helpful, and you had fun! Keep baking!
Elle says
Hi! I have a busy week of filling in orders, how long can I store this for? I need it for Christmas Eve… Will it sit in the fridge well for a few days? Thanks in advance! Merry Christmas!
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Elle! You can store these for up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature. I would not put them in the fridge or they will taste stale and the sugars won’t be as crisp.
john says
phyllo dough and puff pastry are two different types of pastry dough. This recipe calls for puff pastry. Phyllo dough is completely different
Jessica Gavin says
You are absolutely right John! 🙂
Diane Lubanski says
Hi. I have a question. When you roll out the dough, do you use all of the sheets that are in the one sleeve of pepperidge farms phylo dough at once? It feels like a lot of sheets. Thanks!
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Diane- Just one sheet at a time. So you will be able to make 2 batches. Great question!
Mary r says
OuR bookclub liked them very Much, kids and adults, and they were fun to make.
Beth says
Hi there, just wanted to tell you I made these for a cookie exchange last night and they turned out beautifully. Had to mess around a little bit with the times but that’s just because everyone’s oven is different but they turned out scrumptious and lovely. Thank you for the step by step guide. I’m excited to put these in my holiday go to recipes.
Jo-Ellen says
I made these for a cookie exchange and didn’t change a thing. They came out perfectly! Thank you for the clear instructions & great pictures- they really helped!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you Jo-Ellen for trying the palmier recipe! It’s one of my childhood favorites, so happy it worked for you!
Kate Burns says
Great Recipe! I grew up on “Elephant Ears” when we actually had “real bakeries” in Connecticut back in the day. Always get them at La Patisserie” when I’m in Paris.
I used one sheet of puff pastry last night to top my chicken pot pie…and knew exactly how to use the leftover sheet. They are so easy to make and such a classic.
Many Thanks!!