These easy Palmier cookies are made with three simple ingredients that creates a delightful treat. The edges of the cookies are light and crisp, while the center melts in-your-mouth soft. These Easy Palmier Cookies are simple and great to make for the holidays!

Palmier Cookies

Palmier means palm tree in French, and these fancy-looking cookies may also be known as elephant ears, shoe soles, palm hearts, or palm leaves. These cookies are light, airy, and CRUNCHY! Anytime you need something quick, easy, and impressive, make these French Palmier cookies.

Tips to Take into Consideration:

Puff Pastry—To make this recipe as simple as possible, I decided to use store-bought pastry sheets. You can find puff pastry in the frozen food section, often near the desserts and pie crusts.

Ensure the pastry sheet is fully defrosted, ideally overnight in the refrigerator. If the dough becomes sticky, chill it again to keep the butter firm.

Sugar—You’ll need standard granulated sugar. You may add coarse, raw sugar on top for extra crunch and a richer caramel flavor, but it’s optional. I opted to sprinkle some peppermint dust.
Baking mat or Parchment Paper—Since you’ll be working with melted sugar, you’ll want to have parchment paper for easy clean-up and to help prevent the cookies on the bottom from over-browning.

Ingredients:

The ingredients are very simple: store-bought puff pastry, granulated sugar: used to sprinkle on the pastry sheet to give it sweetness, and caramelization. The ground cinnamon gives the palmiers a warm, comforting flavor.

Ingredient Substitutions

Spices: Add allspice, nutmeg, ginger, or pumpkin pie spice mix.
Coatings: Drizzle or dip the palmiers in white, milk, or dark chocolate for extra decadence.

How to make these delicious Palmier cookies:

The first step is to place a piece of parchment paper over the counter and add half of the sugar and cinnamon to coat the surface evenly.

Then, place the pastry sheet on top and gently press over the sheet to ensure the sugar and cinnamon stick to the dough evenly.

Next, carefully flip the dough over and repeat the process on the other side, adding the rest of the sugar and cinnamon. The fine sugar granules will melt into the puff pastry as it bakes, creating a crisp finish with a hint of warmth from the cinnamon.

Preheat the oven to 400°F/204°C.

Use a sharp paring knife to cut the pastry into ½-inch-wide slices and place them on the lined baking sheet. I sprinkle some of them with peppermint dust.

Separate the tops of the cookies to create a more defined heart shape (optional).

Bake the palmiers for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Then, use a metal spatula to flip the cookies carefully and bake for another 2 minutes.

Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. You can melt some chocolate and cover the cookies completely or half as I did.

Enjoy!

More Easy Baking Recipes

Below you will find a convenient printable recipe card. ↓
Give this recipe a try, and then leave a comment below to let me know how it turns out. I hope that your family enjoys it as much as we do!