Palmiers - French Pastry

This is a recipe we found last school year when my daughter had to cook a french dessert and take it to school for French class. We looked for something easy that everyone would like. This is basically sugar and pastry, how can you go wrong? This is a flaky little cookie that is baked at a high temperature and the sugar caramelizes. She just recently made these cookies again and it took just minutes to prepare the cookies and cut them out. When you cut the cookie they will be pretty tightly rolled. Leave them tight, and as they cook they will spread out. I have seen these with Cinnamon Sugar and also as a savory appetizer with sun-dried tomatoes and Brie cheese. By the way if your smoke detector is close to your kitchen, it may go off! I think it is due to the heat when you have to flip the cookies over, truly there is no smoke! Our detector went off with each batch!

First thaw the puff pastry, then spread sugar out on counter.

Press the pastry flat on top of the sugar and

work the sugar into both sides of the pastry.

Start to fold in the pastry toward the center from the left

and right side of the dough. Keep folding each side

in until they meet in the middle.

Then fold it over itself.

There should be six layers.

Slice into 3/8 inch wedges and place on a cookie

sheet with parchment paper. The paper is

a MUST! Make sure they are spaced out.

They will spread.

The cookies do need to be flipped half way
though baking. Look how delicious!

Palmiers

By Ina Garten

2 cups sugar

1/8 tsp Kosher Salt

1 sheets puff pastry, thawed

Preheat over to 450 degrees F.

Combine the sugar and kosher salt. Pour 1 cup of the sugar/salt mixture on a flat surface such as wooden board or marble. Unfold the puff pastry onto the sugar and pour 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture on top, spreading it evenly on the puff pastry. This is not about sprinkling, it's about an even covering of sugar. With a rolling pin, roll the dough until it's 13 by 13-inches square and the sugar is pressed into the puff pastry on top and bottom. Fold the sides of the square 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 as though closing a book. You will have 6 layers. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch slices and place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place the second sheet of pastry on the sugared board, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar mixture, and continue as above. (There will be quite a bit of sugar left over on the board.) Slice and arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment.
Bake the cookies for 6 minutes until caramelized and brown on the bottom, then turn with a spatula and bake another 3 to 5 minutes, until caramelized on the other side. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

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Enjoy!