Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice Palmiers
Makes about 48 medium palmiers
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
- 1 sheet (about ½ lb) puff pastry dough (available in frozen food aisle), thawed
- good quality dark chocolate, melted (optional)
Special Equipment
- dough scraper
- rolling pin
- Silpat or parchment paper
- baking sheet
How-to
- Combine sugar with the spices and salt and dust the counter with a quarter of the mixture
- Cut the puff pastry square in half lengthwise, and place one half on top of the sugar. Sprinkle another quarter of the sugar on top
- With a rolling pin, thin out and elongate the rectangle until it’s about ⅛" thick, continuing to sprinkle with sugar. Keep turning and rolling and moving the dough to incorporate as much sugar as possible. Your finished rectangle should be about 6" x 15"
- Place the dough in front of you horizontally. Fold the top edge to the center, then fold the bottom edge to meet in the center to form a longer, skinnier rectangle. Next, fold the dough in half the opposite direction (horizontally) to bring the shorter sides together
- Using the side of your hand, make a deep indentation down the horizontal center of the dough and fold in half again. Repeat with second rectangle and remaining sugar
- Wrap the dough logs in plastic and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes until firm (you can do this part ahead and freeze for several weeks – defrost on the counter for ½ hour before using). If you won’t be using the dough log right away, freeze the dough to prevent the sugar pulling the moisture out of the dough
- Preheat oven to 425º. Place a rack in the middle of the oven
- Using a sharp knife, cut the chilled log into ¼" thick slices and arrange cut-side-up on a parchment paper or silpat-lined baking sheet, 1" apart. Bake on middle rack about 8-10 minutes or until the sugar begins to caramelize and the bottoms of the palmiers are golden brown
- Using a metal off-set spatula, turn the palmiers over and continue baking about 2-3 minutes longer. Cool completely
- If desired, dip the edges in the melted chocolate, allow to set, then serve
- Can be used for ice cream sandwiches or filled with buttercream. Place in an airtight container and store for up to 1 week