Palmiers or elephant ears is a pastry rolled in lots of sugar. They derive from the French word for palm tree, as some believe the pastry resembles the leaves.

Palmiers are typically made with puff pastry. But as many baking buds know, no one has time for that! These pie palmiers are much easier, faster, and crispier than your typical palmier.

These palmiers are made with cinnamon sugar; however, you can use virtually anything! From chocolate to cheese, palmiers can take many forms.

Supplies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup/ 1 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup ice water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup dark/light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 large egg

1 tsp whole milk

Supplies:

Bench scraper

Plastic wrap

Rolling pin

Ruler

Bench flour (All-purpose flour, 1/4 cup for dusting)

Pastry brush

Parchment paper

Baking sheet pan

Step 1: Make Rough Puff Pie Dough

Slice butter into thin slabs.
Add flours, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Add thinly sliced butter and coat them with flour.
Place any larger slices of butter between your palms and flatten to make each butter piece a similar size.
Slowly drizzle in water just until the dough comes together. Butter pieces may be visible in the dough, but that is important.
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Step 2: Roll, Fold, and Rest Dough (multiple Times)

Take the dough out of the fridge and generously coat it with flour.
Roll out to a 12 inch by 10-inch rectangle and then fold the dough in half twice, creating quarters.
Roll the dough back out to a 12 by 10-inch rectangle and fold the dough over itself again. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 after refrigerating, but only folding once and not rerolling after. This creates 256 layers!
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before use. Make cinnamon sugar and egg wash while the dough is resting.

Step 3: Mix Cinnamon Sugar

Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Mix together thoroughly and set aside.

Step 4: Make Egg Wash

Add egg and milk to a bowl.
Whisk together until no streaky egg remains and set aside.

Step 5: Assemble the Palmiers

Roll out dough into a 12 by 10-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick, and even out the corners.
Brush with egg wash over the entire dough.
Evenly cover the dough with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, leaving 1-2 Tbsp of the mixture if possible.
Find the midline of the dough, with the long side facing you, and roll one side towards it.
Take the other side of the dough and roll it to the midline as well.
Brush with egg wash over the length where the rolls meet and hold together for 30 seconds for them to stick together. The log should resemble elephant ears.
Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 20-30 minutes.

Step 6: Prepare Pans and Preheat Oven

Preheat the oven to 375 F while the dough is freezing.
Prepare 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Step 7: Slice and Bake Palmiers

Take the log out of the freezer and cut it into 1/2 inch thick slices.
If the individual rolls unravel, carefully unroll it and reroll into the elephant ears shape.
Place each cookie 1/2-1 inch apart and sprinkle any remaining cinnamon sugar if desired.
Press down on each palmier slightly.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.