Palmiers
Whether you call them palmiers (à la francaise), elephant ears, butterflies, pig's ears, Prussians, or angel wings, they are all the same: flat heart-shaped sheets of coiled puff pastry coated thickly with a crunchy glaze. The best are crisp and lightly caramelized, tasting of nothing but pure butter, browned wheat, and golden sugar. Forming the cookies isn't hard, but making the puff pastry does take some time: An elastic dough is wrapped tightly around a thin sheet of butter and folded time and time again, which exponentially develops alternating layers of dough and butter. When baked, the moisture in the butter converts into steam, causing the layers of dough to puff and separate into flaky sheets. That said, as long as you chill the dough between turns and follow the directions, the long process isn't difficult.
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