Pistachio palmiers are a type of sweet pastry made from puff pastry dough and chopped pistachios. The dough is rolled out and sprinkled with sugar and chopped pistachios, then folded and rolled again to create multiple layers. It is then sliced and baked until golden and crisp. The resulting pastries are flaky, sweet, and nutty, making them a popular treat for tea time or as an after-dinner dessert. They are also often served with coffee or as a garnish for ice cream. The word "palmier" is French for "palm tree," and the pastries are named for their palm-leaf shape.
Sometimes these cookies are called Elephant Ears or Pigs Ears and French Jews like to make these cookies for Purim attributing their shape to Haman’s misshapen appendage. Ears are often associated with the villain Haman because Medieval Europe had a ritual of cutting off a villain’s ear prior to execution.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons divided
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
- Egg wash 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/3 cup pistachios roasted and chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Zest of half an orange
Nutritional Facts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Sprinkle a surface with ¼ cup of sugar; unfold puff pastry sheet on surface. Roll into a 14x10-inch rectangle.
- rush with egg wash. Sprinkle with brown sugar, then pistachio, then cinnamon and then the orange zest. Lightly press into pastry.
- Starting at a short side, roll up jelly-roll style, stopping at the middle. Starting at the other side, roll up other side. Freeze until firm, 20-30 minutes. Cut into 3/8-in. slices.
- Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake for 8 minutes. Turn pastries over and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until golden brown and glazed, about 6 minutes longer. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
