March 6: Cinnamon Palmiers

Palmiers are either the easiest cookie to make, or the most difficult, depending on whether you make or buy your puff pastry.

Making puff pastry (or any laminated dough for that matter) from scratch takes approximately 3 hours if you're rushing (which you shouldn't), and is so labour-intensive that--as our chef told us in class--if you make one per week for a year you'll shred the tendons in your wrists from all that rolling. It does, however, yield better-than-you've-ever-tasted results.

Because of how difficult it is to make scratch puff, most people and bakeries buy it pre-made. Tenderflake makes an all-right puff pastry, however it's not made from 100% butter and can leave a waxy mouth feel. This yucky coating in your mouth you notice after you've eaten a turnover from the grocery store is caused by the fact that shortening melts at a higher temperature than that of your body, so "melt in your mouth" does not apply. Science!

I make most everything from scratch. To me, boxed mixes are an abomination; refrigerated dough is the lazy man's fast-track to mediocre cookies, and don't even get me started on those muffin shakers (ew). However, my mother did not raise a fool; I like my tendons just the way they are, thankyouverymuch, and purchase my puff unless I'm commissioned for something special. That having been said, commercial puff is actually fine to use to make palmiers because you slice the dough so thinly and it bakes to such a crispness that you don't get much waxy mouth feel, if any at all.

Palmier is French for palm tree, and these cookies are so named because they look similar to a palm tree's leaves. In the US they are more commonly referred to as "elephant ears." They're so easy to make (if you buy your puff) that you don't really even need a recipe; just roll out your puff, spread with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon (optional) and sugar, roll, slice and bake.

Les palmiers manifique sur la natte Silpat du knock-off (par Fox Run pour dix dollars achetés de Kitchen Stuff Plus).

C'est bon, non?

These crispy, buttery, crunchy treats do not last long (in all senses...they only keep for a day or two, but will be gobbled up long before that), so they are best prepared a few hours before needed. It should be noted that palmiers are traditionally made without spices, just sugar, however if you're using a commercial puff you lose the butter flavour of home-made, so it's good to add spice to give the cookie a better flavour.

You may find the recipe for Cinnamon Palmiers on my Recipes page.

To order these "Cookies for a Cause" please click this link to donate at my Daily Bread Food Bank fundraising page.