Palmiers and Cinnamon Palmiers

I made these for my mom's birthday after watching Ina Garten make them on her show. They are really easy and use puff pastry-- which is both something my mom likes and something my sister can eat. Ina's recipe is vegan as long as you use vegan puff pastry like Pepperidge Farms (the "good" ones may have butter in them). I also made a non-vegan version that involved butter and cinnamon--but with vegan margarine it could be vegan too. The left on in the picture is the non-vegan one and it didn't keep its scrolls as tight. Both were very tasty.

Palmiers

2 cups granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine the sugar and kosher salt. Pour 1 cup of the sugar/salt mixture on a flat surface such as wooden board or marble. Unfold each sheet of puff pastry onto the sugar and pour 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture on top, spreading it evenly on the puff pastry. This is not about sprinkling, it's about an even covering of sugar. With a rolling pin, roll the dough until it's 13 by 13-inches square and the sugar is pressed into the puff pastry on top and bottom. Fold the sides of the square towards the center so they go halfway to the middle. Fold them again so the two folds meet exactly at the middle of the dough. Then fold 1 half over the other half as though closing a book. You will have 6 layers. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch slices and place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place the second sheet of pastry on the sugared board, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar mixture, and continue as above. (There will be quite a bit of sugar left over on the board.) Slice and arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment.

Bake the cookies for 6 minutes until caramelized and brown on the bottom, then turn with a spatula and bake another 3 to 5 minutes, until caramelized on the other side. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.


Source: Ina Garten

Cinnamon Palmiers



1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 lb puff pastry (1 sheet store bought)
1 egg, beaten

Preheat an oven to 400F.
Stir together the sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter until it forms a paste.

Roll the pastry dough into a large rectangle, about 15-inches by 12-inches. Using a pastry brush or spoon, spread the cinnamon sugar paste in a thin, even layer over the dough. Starting at the long ends of the rectangle, loosely roll each side inward until they meet in the middle. To hold difficult pastry together, brush it with the egg, if needed.

Slice the pastry crosswise into 1/4-inch palmiers – they’ll look like little scrolls - and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 12-15 minutes, until they puff and turn golden brown. Remove them from the baking sheet and serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: about.com