Learn how to make classic French Palmiers with puff pastry and a cinnamon-sugar filling! These flaky, crunchy, sweet little heart shaped treats are incredibly easy and always a crowd-pleaser.
Palmier Cookies - also known as Palmiers, Pig's Ears, Elephant Ears, or Palm Trees - are heart-shaped French pastries made from delicate layers of puff pastry and sugar. They can be enjoyed for breakfast, as an afternoon snack with coffee, or served as a simple, elegant dessert. Traditional versions are sweet, filled with sugar or cinnamon sugar, but there are also delicious savory variations.
And while the nickname "Pig's Ears" might sound odd at first, there's nothing unusual about the ingredients - the name simply refers to their curled shape.
Cinnamon Palmiers are everything you want in a pastry bite: airy, flaky, crispy, buttery, and lightly caramelized. They're the kind of treat you can definitely buy at any supermarket, but once you realize how incredibly easy they are to make at home, you'll never need to buy them again.
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Ingredients
- Puff Pastry: The easiest and quickest way is to use a store-bought puff pastry that has already been rolled out into a rectangle. I chose a vegan puff pastry as I prefer vegan palmier cookies. You can even make your own following this homemade puff pastry recipe.
- Sugar: I recommend white sugar, but it will also work with brown sugar.
- Cinnamon: The cinnamon flavor makes French palmier cookies even better!
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make
- Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Place the rolled-out puff pastry sheet on parchment paper and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar. Fold in both sides towards the middle. → If you don’t use a store-bought rolled-out puff pastry sheet, roll it out into a rectangle on a lightly floured work surface using a rolling pin.
- Sprinkle exposed puff pastry with cinnamon sugar.
- Fold in both sides towards the middle once again and sprinkle exposed puff pastry with cinnamon sugar.
- Fold in one side over the other and sprinkle all around with remaining cinnamon sugar.
- Wrap the puff pastry log in the parchment paper and freeze for 30 minutes. → The puff pastry log is much easier to slice into thin cookies when solid.
- Preheat the oven to 430°C (220°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut the cold puff pastry log into approx ¼-inch (5mm) thick slices with a sharp knife.
- Place sliced cookies about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through until golden brown.
- Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely or enjoy slightly warm.
Make-Ahead & Storage Instructions
Prepare it ahead of time: You can store the sugar-coated puff pastry log (after step 6) for up to a few days in the freezer, but make sure to wrap it entirely in plastic wrap. Allow the frozen puff pastry log to thaw briefly at room temperature until it is easy to cut. Then, continue with step 7.
Store cinnamon palmier cookies in a cookie tin or airtight container at room temperature. They keep fresh for a good week.
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📖 Recipe
French Palmier Cookies
email me this recipe 💌
Plus, enjoy weekly doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry, rolled out into a rectangle
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Place the rolled-out puff pastry sheet on parchment paper and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar. Fold in both sides towards the middle.
- Sprinkle exposed puff pastry halves with cinnamon sugar.
- Fold in both sides towards the middle once again and sprinkle exposed puff pastry with cinnamon sugar.
- Fold in one side over the other and sprinkle all around with remaining cinnamon sugar.
- Wrap the puff pastry log in the parchment paper and freeze for 30 minutes. → The puff pastry log is much easier to slice into thin cookies when solid.
- Preheat the oven to 430°F (220°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut the cold puff pastry log into approx ¼-inch (5mm) thick slices with a sharp knife. Place sliced cookies about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through until golden brown.
- Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely or enjoy slightly warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi! I love palmiers but didn’t buy any for a long time. Now I’m going to bake some myself for Easter. I’d like to know the approximate size of the puff pastry sheet you used. I want my palmiers to be about the same size as the store-bought ones. Yours look like that.
That’s great! It’s a regular puff pastry sheet from the supermarket, approx. 42×26 cm | 16.5×10 inches.