Brown Sugar Palmiers with Cardamom & Orange
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read the disclosure policy to learn more.
Thank you for supporting this blog!
Originating in France, palmiers are sweet, crunchy cookies made from puff pastry and sugar. They’re traditionally made with caster sugar, but in this recipe for brown sugar palmiers I’ve used dark brown sugar, ground cardamom, and fresh orange zest for a uniquely spiced, autumn-inspired twist on a classic French pastry.
Why Did I Create This Recipe?
I first learned to make traditional French palmiers during Basic Pâtisserie at Le Cordon Bleu London. As he conducted the demonstration, the chef instructor told us stories of his childhood in France, and how his mother always made palmiers for him as an after-school snack. It was the first time I ever tasted palmiers (I’m pretty sure it was also the first time I’d ever even heard of them…) but quickly fell in love with this crispy, sugary treat, and haven’t stopped making them since. I love palmiers because they are easy to make, and difficult to mess up. While most recipes require you to be careful to not destroy the layers in a sheet of puff pastry, for palmiers it really doesn’t matter. Smashing the pastry is part of the fun.
Key Ingredients
- Butter – You’ll need plenty of butter for greasing the tray and spatula. Unsalted and salted butter are both fine; feel free to use whichever you happen to have on hand. And be generous! I usually take a big pat of butter and rub it against the tray until it’s evenly distributed in thick, glorious streaks. Copious amounts of butter prevent the sugary pastry from sticking to the tray as the palmiers bake. This is not a recipe where you can go easy on the butter; it just won’t work.
- Brown Sugar – In France, palmiers are traditionally made with caster sugar; some American recipes replace the caster with granulated. For this autumn-inspired twist, I tested my palmiers with dark brown sugar, because I wanted to recreate the fall-ish flavors of caramel and molasses. Other dark, moist sugars will also work.
- Ground Cardamom – You’ll need two teaspoons of ground cardamom. Save the rest! It’s great for making ruby and cardamom blondies, or this flourless orange almond cake. Don’t purchase whole cardamom pods for this recipe—unless you to have time to process them in a spice grinder, save the pods for making simmer pots.
- Orange – You’ll need the zest of one navel orange. I recommend zesting on a Microplane rather than a box grater. While a box grater works great (pun intended!) for a block of cheese, the pieces of citrus zest it produces will be too large to blend smoothly into the brown sugar topping.
- Puff Pastry – I almost always start with store-bought puff pastry (one of the things the same French chef mentioned above taught me is that even fancy bakeries sometimes start with store-bought!) but feel free to use homemade puff pastry if you enjoy making your own. You can also make palmiers by re-rolling puff pastry scraps left over from other recipes, as I’ve done with these puff pastry cheese twists. I like to bake palmiers whenever I have a partial block or half-empty box of puff pastry—not enough to save, but too much to throw away? Make palmiers!
Tips and Tricks
- Allow time to thaw if using frozen pastry. There are generally two kinds of pre-made puff pastry available: A rolled version sold in the refrigerated section, and sheets or blocks that come frozen. I’ve found that the refrigerated version is more common in the UK, while US stores tend to carry the frozen sheets. Either product will work, but if using frozen pastry, allow time thaw it according to the directions on the package.
- Remove your palmiers from the baking tray immediately. If you allow the cookies to cool on the tray, even for a few minutes, the sugar will adhere to the tray and make it impossible to remove the palmiers. The whole experience will end in frustration as you try in vain to scrape each palmier from the tray with a knife. (I learned this lesson the hard way!) To avoid catastrophe, use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack while they’re still hot from the oven.
- Experiment with other spices. I used ground cardamom for this version, but feel free to play around with other autumn-inspired spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger, or even homemade mixed spice.
Brown Sugar Palmiers with Cardamom and Orange
- Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield14 3-inch palmiers 1x
Brown sugar, cardamom, and orange palmiers. A fun twist on a classic French pastry!
Ingredients
Butter, for greasing tray and spatula
150 grams dark brown sugar (3/4 cup)
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
Zest of 1 orange
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed according to package directions if frozen
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400° F / 205° C. Generously butter a half sheet rimmed baking tray. Freeze until ready to use.
In a small bowl, use a fork to combine dark brown sugar, ground cardamom, and orange zest.
Dust the countertop or a silicone rolling mat with half of the brown sugar mixture. Unroll puff pastry over top.
With a rolling pin, roll pastry to approximately 12 x 14 inches. Use a sharp chef’s knife to trim the edges to create an even rectangle.
With a pastry brush, lightly brush puff pastry with water. Sprinkle with remaining brown sugar mixture.
With a rolling pin, roll brown sugar mixture into the pastry.
With the back of a knife, lightly mark the pastry widthwise to divide it into 6 equal parts, each measuring about 2 1/3 inches wide.
Using the markings as a guide, fold the pastry inward, then fold it over itself again. Finally fold inward again, as though you’re closing a book. When finished, you should have one thick strip of pastry, about 2 1/3 inches wide and 14 inches long. (For a closer look at the folding process, watch the video in the post above.)
Place strip on prepared tray. Freeze for 10 minutes.
With a sharp chef’s knife, slice into 1-inch pieces. You should have 14 pieces total.
Arrange on prepared tray, cut sides up, allowing 2-3 inches in between each palmier.
With the palm of your hand, flatten each slice to create the classic heart shape. Freeze 10 minutes more.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. With a buttered flat metal spatula, flip and bake for 10-12 minutes more, or until caramelized, flaky, and deeply golden brown.
Immediately remove palmiers from tray. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftover palmiers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
Notes
See the video above to watch me demonstrate the process of rolling and folding palmiers.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Freezing Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Biscuits and Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: French Pâtisserie
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Palmiers are best enjoyed on the day they’re made. If you do need to save them overnight, store the biscuits in an airtight container. They won’t spoil, but they’ll definitely soften and lose their characteristic crunch and flakiness by day two.
To freeze: Freeze baked and cooled palmiers in an airtight container, separated by sheets of parchment. Thaw at room temperature.
Other Puff Pastry Recipes You Might Enjoy
Strawberry Puff Pastry Hearts
Fig, Goat Cheese, and Onion Galette
Lattice Puff Pastry With Caramelized Onion
Puff Pastry Twists
Anchovy Sticks with Puff Pastry
Blackberry Pear Mille-Feuille
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
