Easy French Palmier Cookies. A.K.A. ELEPHANT EARS! These are very easy light, crispy, flaky cookies, made up of simply 3 ingredients. Quick to make and very flexible with flavors. A classic elegant French cookie recipe
French Palmier Cookies or biscuits are so delicious! A.K.A. ELEPHANT EARS! Traditionally, they are made with just sugar and served with a coffee.
Table of Contents 📋 hide
1) What is a Palmier in French?
2) What is a Pastry Sheet?
3) How Do You Make Puff Pastry?
4) How long can you keep Palmiers?
5) How are palmiers made?
6) Prep Time
7) Cook Time
8) Serves
9) Ingredients
10) Instructions
11) Recipe Card
12) Easy French Palmier Cookies
13) Delicious Sweet Recipes Using Pastry
What is a Palmier in French?
A palmier translated from French simply means 'palm tree', pig's ear or elephant ear. It's a French pastry, shaped in to a palm leaf or butterfly as you can see from the photos.
For this recipe, we've used some ready-rolled puff pastry. However, you can also use flaky or rough puff pastry to achieve the same effect of the puff layers and you will get a light, flaky, crunchy, buttery cookie.
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What is a Pastry Sheet?
For those of you who aren't sure what a puff pastry sheet is, they're found in the fresh and frozen section of your supermarket. You can buy them like in the photo below, where it is ready rolled, or you can buy the pastry in block form where you will need to roll the pastry out using a rolling pin to your desired thickness.
The pastry sheet as seen below is made up of layer upon layers of buttery puff pastry. Once baked, you get a wonderfully flaky, puff texture which makes the pastry light and airy. You can use it for sweet and savory dishes, for example, savory vol au vents, or sweet blueberry cream cheesecake bars.It's very versatile and for me, it saves time making it yourself.
How Do You Make Puff Pastry?
Making your own puff pastry can be very time-consuming.
We have a lovely quick and easy recipe that will give you the same results as puff pastry, so if you have time and want to make the pastry from scratch, we recommend you use our quick and easy flaky pastry recipe.
I've always remembered eating these from my childhood, and couldn't get enough of them. To be honest, my greed for these cookies hasn't changed!
I could still quite easily eat my way through the whole batch. I think the crispness and flakiness of the buttery puff pastry in contrast to the crunchy sugar granules is a delicious combination.
I've tried this recipe out using all kinds of ingredients from sweet to savory, so feel free to play around with it. The method of rolling will always be the same. Just be creative with what you use.
For example, you could sprinkle Parmesan Cheese and some finely chopped herbs, perhaps sneak some tiny bacon bits in there too before rolling on your French Palmier Cookies!
Or you could do as the Puerto Rican's do and drizzle honey over the tops!
For a sweet version, I've made up a very easy ground hazelnut and Nutella paste... yes I KNOW!! I couldn't help myself! I spread that paste all over the pastry then rolled. Oh my goodness!
So think about the kinds of things you like, perhaps peanut butter, Marmite, cheese, so long as it is nothing soggy which would stop the pastry from going crispy, then you must give it a go and experiment.
I've also made these French Palmier cookies using almonds. So good! and we have a great recipe for sesame seeds and brown sugar palmiers. Oh my word! They're amazing so be sure to check those out too!
However, the recipe below is delicious simply as it is. I didn't add cinnamon in my cookies, however, with the Christmas season coming up soon, I've added that option for you in the recipe if you want to add.
How long can you keep Palmiers?
Palmiers can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 - 3 days. After that, the cookies will go soft and lose their crispy texture.
If you wanted to freeze them, that is also possible, however, we advise you crisp them up in the oven again for 5 minutes at a high temperature, around 400 F or 200 C.
Alternatively, you could make the palmier cookies and arrange on a baking sheet, then quick freeze them (RAW) on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to airtight plastic bags and return to the freezer. You can then bake from frozen at the same temperature for around 20 minutes.
How are palmiers made?
In our recipe below, we show you how to make, roll and shape these palmier cookies so they're elegant and delicious! I've added a quick video in Step 4 to show you how it's done so be sure to take a look!
Most of all, enjoy your Classic French Palmier Cookies and tell us in the comments below what you did! We'd love to hear what inventions you came up with!
Prep Time
20 minutes (includes chilling)
Cook Time
12 minutes
Serves
24 Cookies
Ingredients
1 Package Frozen Ready Rolled PUFF Pastry. (contains 2 sheets)
3 ½ Tablespoons or 50 g butter, melted
½ Cup or 100 g Granulated or Demerara Sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
1. Take the puff pastry from the freezer and allow to fully defrost IN the packaging.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F or 200 C.
3. Unroll the pastry and flatten it on the plastic wrapper.
Sprinkle sugar (and cinnamon if using) evenly all over the pastry and take a rolling pin and LIGHTLY roll over the sugar so as to press it gently into the pastry.
Be careful not to roll hard so you keep the shape of the pastry. The photo below shows a filling of sugar and ground almonds
4. Take one side and tightly roll the pastry toward the middle. Stop when you get to the middle. Then take the other side of the pastry and roll toward the middle.
Wrap the pastry in the plastic sheet you were using underneath and pop in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up. Repeat with the other sheet of pastry.
See the video below for how to make and shape the palmier cookies.
5. Take the pastry from the fridge and cut into ¼ inch thick slices.
Place flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet, a couple of inches apart so they can grow in the oven!
Brush the tops lightly with the melted butter and another light sprinkling of sugar. Bake for approximately 12 - 15 minutes or until the cookies puff up and turn golden brown. Keep an eye on them because they will burn very easily!
6. When done, use a fish slice or similar and transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
These will store, once cooled, in an airtight container for a few days. They are delicious eaten as they are, or as I do, with a scoop of ice cream!
Don't forget, check out our easy recipe if you'd like to learn how to make pie dough.
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our post. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Recipe Card
Easy French Palmier Cookies
Yield: 24
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Easy French Palmier Cookies. A.K.A. ELEPHANT EARS! These are a very easy light, crispy, flaky cookie, made up of simply 3 ingredients. Quick to make and very flexible with flavors. A classic elegant French cookie recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Package Frozen Ready Rolled PUFF Pastry., contains 2 sheets
- 3 ½ Tablespoons or 50 g butter, melted
- ½ Cup or 100 g Granulated or Demerara Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon, optional
Instructions
- Take the puff pastry from the freezer and allow to fully defrost IN the packaging.
- Preheat oven to 400 F or 200 C.
- Unroll the pastry and flatten it on the plastic wrapper. Sprinkle sugar (and cinnamon if using) evenly all over the pastry and take a rolling pin and LIGHTLY roll over the sugar so as to press it gently in to the pastry. Be careful not to roll hard so you keep the shape of the pastry.
- Take one side and tightly roll the pastry toward the middle. Stop when you get to the middle. Then take the other side of the pastry and roll toward the middle. Wrap the pastry in the plastic sheet you were using underneath and pop in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up. Repeat with the other sheet of pastry.
- Take the pastry from the fridge and cut in to ¼ inch thick slices. Place flat on a parchment lined baking sheet a couple of inches apart so they can grow in the oven! Brush the tops lightly with the melted butter and another light sprinkling of sugar. Bake for approximately 12 - 15 minutes or until the cookies puff up and turn golden brown. Keep an eye on them because they will burn very easily!
- When done, use a fish slice or similar and transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
- These will store, once cooled, in an air tight container for a few days. They are delicious eaten as they are, or as I do, with a scoop of ice cream!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24Serving Size: 24 Servings
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 75Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 50mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 0g
Delicious Sweet Recipes Using Pastry
Here's a selection of delicious sweet recipes using pastry
French Fruit Tart With Pastry Cream
French Fruit Tart With Pastry Cream is a wonderful homemade sweet French pastry (Pâte Sablée) tart case, filled with silky smooth creme patissiere and then decorated with a variety of fresh fruits. A French patisserie classic dessert and a showstopper for parties!
Mini Almond Pastries
Mini Almond Pastries.
These Mini Almond Pastries have a deliciously smooth, sweet, almond paste filling and are wrapped in crispy, light puff pastry. Quick and easy to make, and perfect for a tea time treat.
Sesame Brown Sugar French Palmier Cookies
Easy Sesame Brown Sugar French Palmier Cookies, AKA Elephant Ears. These are a very easy to make crispy puff pastry cookie, filled with sesame seeds and brown sugar. Great for the holidays!
Blueberry Crescent Roll Cheesecake Bars
Blueberry Crescent Roll Cheesecake Bars. An incredibly easy recipe with cream cheese and blueberry filling sandwiched between layers of pastry.
How To Make French Pastry (Pâte Sablée)
How To Make French Pastry (Pâte Sablée), easy step by step guide on making this sweet, buttery crisp tart shell. A classic famous sweet pastry dough recipe
Easy Honey Baklava
Baklava is a Middle Eastern classic sweet treat, filled with a variety of nuts, honey, citrus, and spices, between layers of crunchy phyllo pastry. Ideal for serving at parties, or to have as a snack. An easy and simple recipe for the best baklava!
Cherry Cream Cheese Crescent Roll Bars
Cherry Crescent Roll Cheesecake Bars. A.K.A Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars. An incredibly quick, easy recipe with cream cheese and cherries sandwiched between layers of flaky buttery golden pastry. Popular cream cheese crescent roll dessert
Easy Vanilla Slices
Easy Vanilla Slices. Creamy custard sandwiched between sheets of crispy puff pastry make for a nice chilled treat perfect for any occasion.
Light and Crispy Apple and Custard Strudel
Delicious Apple and Custard Strudel, serve warm on their own or add a blob of whipped cream!
Easy Apple Spiced Turnovers
Easy Apple Spiced Turnovers. Crispy puff pastry packed with apples coated in cinnamon. Delicious eaten warm or chilled with a blob of ice cream too! Easy recipe, budget friendly and freezable.
Almond Pastries
Almond Pastries. A very quick and easy recipe. Delicious almond filling wrapped in a buttery flaky pastry.
Cherry Custard Pastries
Easy Cherry Custard Pastries are perfect for serving at a tea party, or just to have for yourself! Easy to make and fun for kids to help too.
Mini Caramel Apple Pastries
Mini Caramel Apple Pastries. Delightful mini pastries filled with caramel and apples and oh so easy to make!
Apple and Cranberry Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Bars
Apple and Cranberry Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Bars. An incredibly easy recipe with fantastic flavors!
Strawberry Crescent Roll Cheesecake Bars
Strawberry Crescent Roll Cheesecake Bars. An incredibly easy and fuss free recipe with cream cheese and strawberry filling sandwiched between layers of pastry. This tastes amazing!
