Cinnamon palmiers {only 3 ingredients}

Cinnamon palmiers are one of the easiest cookies to make. These puff pastry cookies are crunchy, buttery, and sweet. The cinnamon sugar caramelizes all the way between the layers. So good! And these cookies are simple to make yourself. You only need 3 ingredients!

Baking cookies is one of my favorite pastime activities (with a dot on one, of course, is tasting the homebaked cookies). And these delicious cinnamon palmiers are easy to prepare, you only need 3 ingredients and some folding techniques. Just bake in the oven and you can already serve them (Experience tip: let it cool down before taking the first bite because the caramelized sugar is super hot ;-()

Easy cookie recipe

You can see that I love baking cookies on my blog. I've got numerous delicious cookie recipes here. Our family favorites are the walnut cookies (my hubby can't resist those), the double chocolate walnut cookies (which I have to hide from my kids), and the world peace cookies (one of my favorites).

And while these recipes are tasty, they do take some time and ingredients. But these cinnamon palmiers are really ready in no time.

Sprinkle the puff pastry with cinnamon sugar. Fold the dough a number of times and bake it in the oven for 20 minutes (and yes, this recipe is that easy).

Elephant ear cookies

These French cookies are also known under the name elephant ear cookies, and when you see their form you probably know how they got that name. I made the sweet versions, but if you use pesto or tomato sauce you can make a savory appetizer.

I've adapted this recipe from Elsar blog, a Dutch foodie blog.

• Puff pastry - You need about ⅔ a pound of puff pastry. And the easiest way to prepare these cookies is when you buy the puff pastry on a roll. This roll is 16 x 10 inches (40 x 24 cm). If you can't buy a roll of puff pastry then you can use puff pastry sheets and form a dough of this height and width. Press the seams with your fingers so they'll stick.
• Sugar and cinnamon - The flavoring of this cookie. The sugar will melt and caramelizes. The cinnamon is a warming spice. You could also use gingerbread spices or some grated lemon peel (for a fresh flavor).

🔪 How to prepare cinnamon palmiers?

A printable recipe can be found at the bottom of this blog.

Step 1 - Prepare cinnamon sugar - Mix the sugar with the ground cinnamon. Brush the top of the puff pastry with some water. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on your working bench and press the wet puff pastry into the sugar.

Remove the plastic foil from the back of your pastry. Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top. With a rolling pin press the sugar lightly into the dough.

Step 3 - Fold the cinnamon palmiers

1. Fold the puff pastry to the middle and back again. Mark the center of the puff pastry by pressing with your fingers. Fold ⅓ of the dough on the right half to the middle.
2. Take the dough on the left side and fold this half ⅓ to the middle.
3. Fold both sides so the edges meet in the middle.
4. Fold the left half onto the right half. Wrap the puff pastry (you can use plastic foil or baking paper) and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to get cold (if you're in a hurry, put it into the freezer and wait for 15 minutes).

Step 3 - Slice the palmiers. Now the puff pastry is cool, you can cut it better. Slice into strips of ½ inch (1 cm) thick.

Step 4 - bake the cookies until golden brown.

1. Line a baking plate with baking paper. Put the cinnamon palmiers on top. Make sure you've got enough distance in between because they will expand. Keep about 2 inches distance in between. I could bake about 8 to 10 cookies on one baking plate.
2. Bake the cookies for 20 minutes at 430 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius). Turn the baking plate halftime (so the cookies are baked evenly). Take them out of the oven and let them cool down for at least 5 minutes.

Savory palmiers

Palmiers are most known as sweet cookies. But did you know you can vary with the topping and make a great savory appetizer? Let me give you some ideas:

1. Fill the puff pastry with grated Emmentaler, caramelized onions, and finely chopped bacon.
2. Brush the puff pastry with pesto and sprinkle with grated mozzarella and finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
3. Roast garlic and mix with olive oil, and finely chopped rosemary and thyme. Flavor with salt and pepper and brush onto the puff pastry.

Do you also love baking cookies? Then you can find some of my favorite recipe here. Because besides cinnamon palmiers there's enough to bake in cookie land!

📖 Recipe