These buttery crisp cinnamon & spice palmiers come together with pastry dough, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and orange zest. Shaping them is surprisingly easy and I walk you through each step in today’s thorough tutorial. If you’re short on time, you can absolutely use store-bought puff pastry, but if you can spare a couple hours for the dough to chill in the refrigerator, I urge you to try a simple homemade variation using rough puff pastry.
What Are Palmier Cookies?
Have you ever had palmiers before? They’re a delightful French pastry made from puff pastry dough and sugar. Variations can be made with cinnamon, spices, chocolate, or even savory herbs and other fillings. Palmier means palm tree in French and these fancy looking cookies can also be known as elephant ears, palm trees, shoe soles, palm hearts, or palm leaves. (Not to be confused with elephant ears made from fried dough—these are baked.) And it’s a treat with many names throughout different regions of the world!
Palmiers are typically enjoyed for breakfast, snack, or dessert. To make them at home, roll dough out with sugar or other toppings, and then roll or fold the two sides into the center to meet in the middle. Chill the shaped logs and then slice and bake. Flip over during bake time so the sugary coating can caramelize on both sides. You can make palmiers from scratch with real puff pastry or for a shortcut, you can reach for store-bought puff pastry. I like using this rough puff pastry because it’s not quite as laborious as authentic puff pastry, but it still has a homemade flavor and indulgence to it. It’s what I use when making homemade berry turnovers.
Rough puff makes a buttery and tasty base for cinnamon & spice palmiers!
Tell Me About These Cinnamon & Spice Palmiers
- Flavor: Enjoy sweet caramelized flavor on the exterior of each pastry cookie with a hint of spice from nutmeg and cardamom. I love adding orange zest this time of year because it’s a bright flavor that always pairs nicely with warm spices.
- Texture: Certainly noteworthy! The edges are light and crisp while the centers are melt-in-your-mouth soft. Dozens of buttery layers shatter and flake with each bite, making scrumptious crumbs all over your fingers and plate. (Baked puff pastry is always a beautiful mess!) Flipping the pastries over about halfway through bake time is the secret to their caramelized crisp edges.
- Ease: Homemade palmiers can be as easy as rolling and folding thawed store-bought puff pastry or, for a challenge, made with from-scratch butter laminated dough. But if you want to make the journey somewhere in the middle and still show off your baking skills, use rough puff pastry. It requires just over 2 hours of refrigeration and your hands are the best tool.
Using “Rough Puff” Pastry as the Dough
Rough puff pastry has become a popular method for making homemade dough because it produces bakery-style puff pastry with lots of flaky layers without the same time commitment that laminating dough (such as for croissants) requires. The trick is to work large pieces of cold butter into dry ingredients and then hydrate it all with ice cold water. Sometimes bakers grate butter into the mix or use a food processor. There’s many ways to make this dough.
I use a version of this dough to make homemade berry turnovers and created a separate rough puff pastry page with a video tutorial just in case you want it for other recipes that call for the dough—like butternut squash tart, mushroom puff pastry tarts, cranberry brie tarts, or today’s palmiers.
More About This Shortcut Pastry Dough
- 5 Ingredients: Flour, Salt, Sugar, Butter, and Water
- No Yeast, No Laminating: Unlike the breakfast pastries dough, this dough does not require any yeast and unlike croissants and traditional puff pastry, this dough does not require laminating with a separate layer of butter.
- Flatten & Fold Dough: Flatten dough after it’s made and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. After that 1st refrigeration, flatten and fold the dough like a business letter 6x. Chill in the refrigerator 1 more time for at least 15 minutes. After that, the dough is ready to use in these palmiers or other recipe.
This is the rough puff pastry dough:
Step-by-Step Photos: How to Make Cinnamon & Spice Palmiers
Let me show you how they come together so you have a better understanding before you begin. For this palmiers recipe, start with about 1 lb of pastry dough which is the full recipe of this rough puff pastry or 1 standard box (with 2 sheets) of store-bought puff pastry. Divide the rough puff pastry in half and roll out each half in a sugar and spice mixture.
Quick Success Tip: Yes, instead of flour, you’ll roll the dough out with sugar. That’s the secret to their caramelized edges—sugar worked directly in the exterior of the dough!
Working with 1 half at a time, roll dough out in the sugar & spice mixture into a 10-inch square:
Below, left: Mix more sugar & spices together and combine with orange zest. Below, right: Top with sugar/spice/zest mixture.
Roll each side inward towards the center. Some palmier cookie recipes fold the sides inward instead of rolling.
Repeat with 2nd piece of dough. Below, left: Wrap each “log” up and chill for 30 minutes. Without time in the refrigerator, the logs will be impossible to slice and the cookies will lose shape in the oven. Below, right: After refrigerating, slice into 3/8 inch thick slices which is just under 1/2 inch size.
Arrange on lined baking sheet:
Bake in a hot oven for 8 minutes, then flip over:
The remaining bake time depends on your oven and the dough of your cookies, but another 10-12 minutes is usually standard for this particular recipe using rough puff pastry. Good rule of thumb: simply bake until they’re golden brown.
Do you have a favorite recipe for palmiers? I also love this chocolate and orange palmiers recipe from Clotilde.
Sally’s Cookie Palooza
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page including:
- Chocolate Crinkles
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Butter Cookies
And here are 75+ Christmas cookies with all my best success guides & tips.
Cinnamon Spice Palmiers
- Prep Time: 1 hour (add 3 hours for homemade dough)
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes (add 3 hours for homemade dough)
- Yield: 36-40
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Description
These light & crisp pastry cookies come together with puff pastry dough, sugar, spices, and a hint of orange zest. For a quick and easy variation, use store-bought puff pastry or try homemade rough puff pastry dough.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 lb homemade rough puff pastry or store-bought frozen & thawed puff pastry (2 sheets)
Sugar Spice Mixture for Rolling & Filling
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoons orange zest (optional)
Instructions
- Dough: Prepare homemade rough puff pastry dough through 2nd refrigeration. If using store-bought frozen puff pastry, make sure it’s thawed.
- Sugar Spice Mixture: Combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Evenly divide mixture into 2 bowls. Stir orange zest into half. The 1st half without the orange zest will be used for rolling out the dough in the next step. The 2nd half with the orange zest will be used for filling the rolled out dough in step 4.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of the 1st sugar and spice mixture (the one without the orange) onto a large work surface. Coat rolling pin with mixture as best you can. Remove dough from the refrigerator and, if using homemade rough puff pastry, cut in half. If using thawed store-bought puff pastry, which is typically two 9-inch square sheets of dough, work with 1 sheet at a time and unfold the sheet you’ll work with first. Place 2nd half of dough back in the refrigerator. Always best to keep dough cold before working with it. Roll dough into a 10-inch square, sprinkling more sugar spice mixture onto the dough as much as necessary to prevent the rolling pin from sticking. Do your best to keep the edges straight and do your best to smooth out the creases if using store-bought dough. Use a bench scraper, sharp knife, or pizza cutter to cut uneven edges if necessary.
- Filling & shaping: Sprinkle half of the 2nd half of sugar spice mixture (the one with the orange zest) evenly on top. Run rolling pin over the sugar spice filling to press it down into the dough as best you can. Cut a tiny slit in the very center of the bottom edge of the square. This is a visual mark for you so you know where the center is. Slowly and tightly roll the left edge into the center. Slowly and tightly roll the right edge into the center. Carefully wrap “log” tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 with 2nd half of dough. Save any excess sugar spice mixture left on your work surface to sprinkle on cookies before baking. Chill “logs” for 30 minutes or up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2-3 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Remove logs from the refrigerator and unwrap. Slice off the rounded ends so each end is straight and even. Slice each log into 3/8 inch (just under 1/2 inch) thick slices. If the logs or cookies unravel as you shape the cookies, which is bound to happen, re-roll back together. You’ll have around 36-40 evenly sliced cookies. Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets and sprinkle any leftover excess sugar spice evenly mixture on top of each.
- Bake, rotate, finish baking: Bake for 8-9 minutes. Cookies will be beginning to puff up/expand in the oven. Remove from the oven and flip each over. If cookies have lost shape, use a fork or spoon to roll/tighten back together. Continue baking for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. (Note: If using store-bought puff pastry, the time may be closer to 8 extra minutes instead of 10-12. Just bake until golden brown.)
- Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Or enjoy the cookies warm.
- Cover and store leftover pastry cookies for up to 1 week at room temperature.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: If using homemade dough, see the detailed dough recipe instructions for make-ahead and freezing details. You can essentially prep the dough 48 hours in advance or freeze up to 1 month. The shaped logs can be refrigerated for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. See end of step 5. You can also freeze the logs for up to 1 month. Thaw logs in the refrigerator before continuing with step 6. (Note: I find there aren’t quite as many flaky layers in the baked cookies after freezing/thawing the logs and the sugar coating may become wet as it thaws.)
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Citrus Zester | Glass Mixing Bowl | Rolling Pin | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Plain Cinnamon Sugar: You can skip the nutmeg, cardamom, and orange zest for plain cinnamon sugar palmiers.
I tried this recipe as part of the baking challenge. I love trying new cookie recipes, and this was definitely different from anything I’ve made before. I did find out cardamom wasn’t in my cupboard, or at my local grocery store too late to hunt some down. I subbed it for allspice without any issues.
I made these for the challenge using Sally’s rough puff dough and I was so impressed! I thought for sure I would mess them up, but they turned out beautifully– so flaky and buttery with just the right spice. Delicious!
Easy, haven’t tried a rough pastry recipe before and this one was super easy and turned out great!
I made these because I make both recipes in the monthly challenge. I didn’t think I would like them but they are delicious. I also love watching the dough come together. It requires some stiff rolling but is magical. Thanks for inspiring me to try new recipes
I made these as part of the baking challenge and they were so tasty! I added crushed pistachios to the filling and it added a lovely nuttiness and crunch. Delish!
I don’t know what happened to mine … they didn’t rise were tiny and the cardamon flavor was overpowering. I did use the store bought dough so perhaps that was the issue.
It was my first failed attempt with any of Sally’s recipes
Hi Denise, it sounds like it may be an issue with the store bought dough. If you wish to try again, perhaps you can try with a different brand (or even try making your own puff pastry). You can also omit the cardamom, or you can skip the nutmeg, cardamom, and orange zest for plain cinnamon sugar palmiers. Thanks for giving these a try!
This recipe turned out wonderfully! I made these another time with a different recipe and they did not turn out well. I always try to use your recipes when I can and when I do they always turn out amazing!
The cinnamon palmiers was easy and simple to make. Definitely Sally’s instructions helped for a novice baker.
Always wanted to make this and they came out very tasty!
These are a fun, unique cookie and are really good! I made the homemade puff pastry and let it chill for 4 hrs, then 15 min, then assembled the cookies and chilled the logs overnight. I didn’t have cardamom so I used 1/4 t allspice. I found they only needed about 7-8 min per side, and they burned very quickly if you went past that. They were hard to flip and reshape, but they turned out once I realized they needed taken out early. I will try them again and slice them slightly thicker (I just eyeballed it this time).
Used store bought puff pastry – flavor was good and recipe simple, but texture wasn’t my favorite.
Rough puff pastry is something I have always wanted to try, so this was a phenomenal recipe for exploring that. The caramelization of the sugar combined with the flaky layers was eyes-rolling-back-in-the-head amazing. I cannot handle how delicious these were.
Made a half batch with the Rough Puff Pastry recipe and they turned out great! The spices and orange zest are a really nice combination, and both the pastry and cookie recipes were easy to follow.
I wouldn’t have thought to make these if they hadn’t been on the alternate recipe list for the baking challenge, but they’re definitely a sneaky sweet that grows on you. Didn’t think we’d love them, yet somehow half the tray still managed to disappear overnight… I had 2 small sheets of store bought puff pastry left over from making the mille feuille ( the box I bought came in 6 thick rectangles instead of the usual 2 long sheets) and this was a perfectly simple way to use them up. No special ingredients or tools needed, quick to put together, and minimal mess. This would be a great beginner friendly recipe for when you want a cookie that looks and tastes a little fancier, but is actually pretty fool-proof to make. Loved the addition of the orange peel and will likely try the chocolate orange version in the future!
can I use caster sugar in place of granulated sugar
That should be fine here, Sophie.
These cookies are delicious! The recipe was so easy to follow and I was so proud to see the layers in my homemade rough puff pastry once it was baked. Thank you for teaching me a new skill!
Turned out perfect. Tasted like a very expensive bakery delicacy! Impossible to keep from over-indulging.
The rough pastry dough was so easy to make and so delicious. I loved these crispy, flaky cookies.
Loved it.
LOVE this. Puff pastry was a 2024 bucket list item to try again and you made it possible! These little palmiers are delicious and crispy. This will be my rough puff go to recipe from now on. Thank you.
This recipe came out great! Loved the hint of orange flavour from the rind
I rarely bake with puffy pastry, but this was so much fun! My kids LOVED the cookies and I will definitely make these again. Great instructions! I’m inspired to try creating my own savory version too.
This was my first time working with homemade puff pastry and found the instructions and visuals helpful.
The cardamom and orange addition to the sugar was sublime and I’m planning to use the leftover topping as the base of my next set of sugar cookies.
I have always wanted to make these, thank you for the great step-by-step recipe!
I used store bought puff pastry for the first attempt, next time will definitely try the homemade rough puff pastry recipe.
Surprisingly doable—and delicious! Perfect to bring to a tea party today.
Delicious. Beats the bakery any day.
I did it! First time making rough pastry.
They turned out great!
Very tasty but in baking process sugar got very crispy! I also thought they would expand more!
Your instructions are very easy to follow thankyou! Looking forward to next challenge ❤️
It was my first time making rough puff pastry and I found it intriguing. I will definitely try it again, but was disappointed with the baking process. The sugar all melted and formed crispy bits that were super crunchy. I’ve had so much luck with Sally’s recipes in the past that I have the confidence to shake it off, put it in the lose column and try another fun culinary adventure.
Great recipe. I filled them with frangipan and topped with cinnamon and sugar. Amazing..
This is a great recipe; very flavorful and a hit with the neighborhood!