Easy Palmiers Recipe (Palmeritas or Elephant Ear Cookies)
This Easy Palmiers recipe, made with just 2 ingredients, is one of my family’s all-time favorite treats! Perfect to share with family and friends during “Cafecito“ time.
Servings 32 cookies
Calories 108kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar (see notes)
- ½ cup (100 g) demerara sugar
- 14 - 17 oz (500 g) puff pastry, defrosted (about 2 sheets)
Instructions
Thaw the Puff Pastry:
- First, you need to thaw the puff pastry. The best way to thaw puff pastry is to place it in the refrigerator overnight. If you forgot to do it and are short on time, you can also place it on the counter to thaw for about 30 minutes. Once the pastry is bendable but still cool, it's ready to use.
Make the Cookies:
- If using a mix of sugars, combine sugars in a small bowl.
- Pour ¼ cup of the sugar onto a flat surface.
- Unfold a puff pastry sheet onto the sugar.
- Pour ¼ cup of the sugar mixture on top, spreading it evenly on the puff pastry. With your hands or a rolling pin, press down the dough until the sugar is pressed into the puff pastry on top and bottom.
- Starting from one of the long edges, roll the pastry up tightly to the center, then repeat from the other side. Repeat with the other puff pastry sheet.
- Cut the pastry roll into 3/8-inch slices. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Freeze for 15 - 20 minutes.
Bake:
- Meanwhile, the Palmiers are in the freezer, preheat oven to 400º F (200º C).
- Bake the cookies for 6 – 8 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. Remove from the oven and transfer to a colling rack to cool.
Video
Notes
Sugar: I love to mix a few different sugars together to make this recipe. My favorite mix is demerara and granulated sugar, but you can use only granulated sugar if that is what you have handy.
Thaw Puff Pastry: The best way to thaw puff pastry is to place it in the refrigerator overnight. If you forgot to do it and are short on time, you can also place it on the counter to thaw for about 30 minutes. Once the pastry is bendable but still cool, it's ready to use.
Store: Palmiers are best eaten the day they're baked if you have some leftovers store them for a day or two in an airtight container at room temperature.
Freeze: You can only freeze unbaked palmiers. To do so, form and cut as instructed in the recipe. Then place them on a baking sheet and freeze until hard, about 30 minutes. And then, transfer them to a freezer bag and freeze them for up to 2 months. When ready to eat them, bake them from frozen; you do not need to thaw them.
My 5 Top Tips for Working With Puff Pastry
- Keep the dough in the freezer until ready to use.
- Thaw your frozen puff pastry in the fridge overnight.
- If you see any cracks or holes, use your fingers to squeeze the pastry back together gently.
- Puff pastry is kind of delicate, so do NOT roll out too hard, or it won't puff as much. To prevent sticking, roll the puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin.
- Chill the pastry again before baking to help the butter re-solidify and get an even better result.
Nutrition
Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 9mg | Sugar: 6g | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.4mg