Strawberry Palmiers
Buttery and crispy, Palmiers are French delicacies made of flaky puff pastry. Palmiers are little shaped cookies, sometimes called Elephant Ears, found in patisseries. The pastry is rolled in sugar, folded in layers and sliced into cookies. This process creates the incredible caramelization that occurs in the oven. Voila! Then you have a Palmiers!
Variations can often include cinnamon and chocolate.
Our Strawberry Palmiers are just right for Valentine’s Day or summer! Here we used freeze-dried strawberries because they are very flavorful and marry harmoniously with sugar.
The Strawberry Palmiers are made with only a few ingredients. All you need is granulated and decorator's sugars, freeze-dried strawberries, an egg and puff pastry. The technique is easy to master. Be sure to go step by step and keep the dough cold during the entire preparation process.
To make the Strawberry Palmiers, start with preparing the filling. Using a durable zip top bag, crush the freeze-dried strawberries to a powder form. Carefully add the granulated sugar and decorating sugar to the bag and combine. Next, make the cookies. Scatter granulated sugar on the counter and roll out the thawed pastry into a slightly larger approximately 10" square, lightly coating the backside in sugar.
Move the pastry onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the egg mixture on the pastry. Then place the sugar and strawberry filling on top of the egg washed dough and with a rolling pin. Roll and incorporate the filling so it adheres to the pastry. Fold the two sides of dough inward ¼ of the width on both ends once and then again towards the center so they meet in the middle, then apply the remaining egg wash. Carefully fold the dough into a 1 1/2" log. Sprinkle the tops with any remaining strawberry sugar mixture. Chill for 30 minutes.
Keeping the pastry cold helps create those incredible layers! At this point, if you would like to bake the cookies the next day, wrap the log in plastic, store in the refrigerator.
Working quickly, cut the refrigerated log into 1” slices with a pastry bench scraper or very sharp knife, shaping in rounds as you slice and place on the prepared baking sheets. Chill again for 30 minutes to help the cookies retain their trademark shape.
Bake the cold cookies for 13-15 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time and watching closely toward the end. Do not overbake.
Strawberry Palmiers are best suited for intermediate level bakers. You will need a rolling pin and sharp knife.
You can make savory Palmiers, too! They are great for appetizers or even side dishes. For herb and cheese Palmiers, simply use mixed herbs, shredded cheese, an egg and puff pastry. Just be sure to go step by step during the assembly and keep the dough cold during the entire preparation process.
Strawberry Palmiers
ingredients:
- 1 .026 oz. pouch of freeze-dried strawberries
- ¼ cup of granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, reserved
- 2 heaping tablespoons of red decorating sugar (about ½ of a 2.25 oz. bottle)
- 1 sheet of thawed puff pastry, Pepperidge Farm recommended
- 1 egg, mixed with 1 teaspoon of water
instructions:
How to cook Strawberry Palmiers
- In a quart sized durable zip top bag, crush the freeze-dried strawberries so they become a powder. Carefully add ¼ cup of granulated sugar and decorating sugar to the bag and combine.
- Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scatter the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar to the counter. Roll out the thawed pastry into a slightly larger approximately 10" square, lightly coating the backside in sugar. Move the pastry onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush ¾ of the egg mixture on the pastry. Place the sugar and strawberry filling on top of the egg washed dough and with a rolling pin. Roll and incorporate the filling so it adheres to the pastry.
- Fold the two sides of dough inward ¼ of the width on both ends once and then again towards the center so they meet in the middle, then apply the remaining egg wash. Carefully fold the dough into a 1 1/2" log. Sprinkle the tops with any remaining strawberry sugar mixture. Chill for 30 minutes. Keeping the pastry cold helps create those incredible layers! At this point, if you would like to bake the cookies the next day, wrap the log in plastic, store in the refrigerator.
- Working quickly, cut the refrigerated log into 1” slices with a pastry bench scraper or very sharp knife, shaping in rounds as you slice and place on the prepared baking sheets. Chill again for 30 minutes to help the cookies retain their trademark shape.
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Bake the cold cookies for 13-15 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time and watching closely toward the end. Do not overbake. With a spatula, move cookies to a cooling rack once out of the oven. Let cool completely to room temperature before eating. Store for 3 days in an airtight container.
NOTES:
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