Last Updated June 1st, 2020 at 08:55 am by Lisa
Valentine’s Day French Palmier Cookies have easy step by step instructions. Bake a batch of these flaky little crisp French cookies in heart shapes!
Make plates for those you love or for your Valentine’s Day celebration. And I will share the secret that will make you want to bake them today…
Are French Palmier Cookies hard to make? Well, once you know the secret these little French cookies might become your go-to fast cookie recipe.
Shhhhh here is the secret: with a box of puff pastry in the freezer, you only need a few other things you probably already have….white granulated sugar, chocolate chips, color sugar sprinkles to add pizzazz, a rolling-pin, baking sheets, and a cutting board.
You can make these anytime and they pair perfectly with coffee or tea, as a sweet treat any time of day. Try to eat just one, impossible!
Time to take the mystery out of these fancy little French cookies.
First, a little history.
A palmier (French for “palm tree”), or elephant ear is a French pastry in a palm leaf shape or a butterfly shape, sometimes called palm leaves, cœur de France, French hearts, shoe-soles, jalebi or glasses.
Palmiers are made from puff pastry, a dough similar to the dough used for croissants, but without the yeast. Puff pastry is made by the layering of dough and butter, rolled and folded over and over to create hundreds of flaky layers. The puff pastry is rolled out, coated with sugar, and then the two sides are rolled up together so that they meet in the middle, making a roll that is then cut into about 3/8-1/2″ slices and baked. In the Puerto Rican version, it is topped with honey. In Mexico, they are known as Orejas (ears).
A few bits of wisdom and tips on puff pastry. The truth is, you can make your own puff pastry. I made it in professional cooking school once (with a French Chef’s help) but it is a difficult and lengthy process. So why would you make it when it’s so easy to buy?
Valentine’s Day Heart French Palmier Cookies are happening right here and now.
Ingredients for your Valentine’s Day Heart French Palmier Cookies:
The brand I use is Pepperidge Farm, but any brand will do just fine.
You can thaw the puff pastry overnight in the refrigerator, or take out of the box and paper wrapper and rest for 40 minutes.
It should still be cold to the touch. Then unfold the puff pastry and lay flat.
Next sprinkle 1/2 cup of granulated sugar on the board and place the sheet of puff pastry on the board. Sprinkle the other 1/2 cup of sugar on top of puff pastry sheet and roll the sugar in with your rolling-pin.
Try to keep your puff pastry sheet about the same size, you are just smoothing out the folds and pressing the sugar into the dough.
How to Make Classic French Palmier Cookies:
First, let’s make classic French Palmiers! Then we will get creative with sugar and melted chocolate to create our Valentine’s Day French Heart Palmier Cookies. By the way, the rolling-pin in the picture below belonged to my Mother Corinne.
The sound of how it rolls reminds me of many times I heard her baking with it in our kitchen growing up. She was a passionate home cook as well as a professional cooking instructor. She would love these palmier cookies, and to know that her rolling-pin was part of the creative process. Love you Mom.
The idea here is to press a lot of sugar into the puff pastry dough. The more sugar, the more crunchy and carmelized your palmier will bake.
Important Tip: To get the classic folded Palmier shape, chill the puff pastry after rolling up, and slicing. This helps it keep its shape during baking. I use a small baking sheet and pop in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes just before baking.
Fold the puff pastry sheet in towards the center once.
And again for second time.
And a third time until you have several layers of dough.
Next, slice into 3/8″ slices and set on a baking sheet with either parchment paper or sit pat mats a few inches apart.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
How to Make Valentine’s Day Heart Palmier Cookies:
For Valentine’s Day, try different color sugar sprinkles add the bright fun colors. I used granulated sugar and different colored sugar sprinkles in the puff pastry. Then I rolled the edges in before slicing which make them have a different look than the traditional French Palmiers we all know and love.
Have fun and play around with different sugars and mix different colors. Each palmier cookie will be a special treat for your Valentine that they will…
L-O-V-E!!!
Palmiers will get a crunchier as they cool, and are the best to eat the same day. You can store them in an airtight container, but they will go soft in a couple of days.
For a fun Valentine’s Day idea, melt chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, dip in half the palmier and sprinkle with color sugars, sprinkles, or candies. How fun are these French heart cookies?
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
XOXOX
Lisa
More Valentine’s Day Recipes
A romantic delicious dinner for Valentine’s Day is Baked Lobster Ravioli with Lemon Butter Cream Sauce….this recipe is so popular and heart-shaped!
and for dessert, try this Cherry Chocolate Chunk Heart Hand Pies Recipe…
Valentine’s Day Heart French Palmier Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box puff pastry Pepperidge Farm
- 2 cups sugar
- Optional: Assorted colored sugars candies, sprinkles, and white chocolate chips (melted chocolate)
Instructions
Palmier Cookie Prep
- Thaw puff pastry sheet at room temperature 40 minutes or until it unfolds easily.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll Out Puff Pastry
- Sprinkle 1/2 cup of white granulated sugar evenly on the counter or wooden board.
- Open sheet and lay flat on work surface. Evenly sprinkle 1/2 cup of sugar on top puff pastry sheet.
- Use rolling-pin, roll the puff pastry sheet until it's about 13 x 13 inches square. The sugar will press into the puff pastry on top and bottom.
- At this point, you can sprinkle colored sugar on one or both sides before folding or rolling up. Rolling creates a scroll look and the flat traditional fold creates the classic palmier shape.
Choose Palmier Shape
- Traditional Palmiers: Fold towards the center halfway to the middle, fold again until you have several layers, turn on side to slice into 3/8 inch slices.
- Heart Shape Palmiers: After sprinkling color sugar, tightly roll the dough from each side until it meets in the middle. Slice the dough into 1/2 inch slices, slightly pinch together the bottom of the heart shaped dough point to create a heart.
Bake Palmiers
- To Bake: Place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with Silpat mats or parchment paper.
- Bake the cookies 400 for 20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.
- Optional: Dip 1/2 cookie into melted chocolate and sprinkle with sugar sprinkles or candies.
Lisa! This is my first time working with puff pastry and I am feeling pretty good about the results. These were actually kind of Zen to make and I think the reason is because you provided all those helpful, reassuring photos. What a treat these were to make. We had zero problem eating these within a day, so no problems with them getting soft! LOL
Lisa, these are so cute and so fun to make!! I made them for my sweetie on Valentine’s Day and he loved them. (Okay, WE loved them!)