Cinnamon and Chocolate Chip Palmiers

Palmiers are undoubtedly one of the easiest baked treats to make. You could go the sweet or savory route but either way be prepared to be bowled over by the deliciousness. These light, crispy, golden brown pastry bites are just irresistible.

In my vivid childhood memories there are foods/snacks that I most associate with my schooling years. Our school canteen was tucked away in a tiny corner on the premises. Because our moms made sure we had a homemade lunch so we would avoid binging on any junk food instead, our visits to the school canteen were quite infrequent. Hence, whenever we got a chance to go to the canteen, it would feel a little special. Our go to snacks used to be colorful Pepsi sticks (or so we used to call them), peppermint white and red candy that were shaped like cigarettes and deep fried mini samosas to name a few. One of my particularly favorite treats were these light, airy, heart shaped pastry cookies called ‘Little Hearts’. They were golden bites of buttery goodness. I just loved them. Of course it has been more than a decade since those days and I think I haven’t had those cookies in a few years now, I decided to relive those memories by making these palmiers.

I spruced up the palmiers with cinnamon and chocolate chips. The spiciness of the cinnamon and the gooey chocolate bits in between added quite a flair. I used just 1/4th cup of sugar for one pastry sheet and they came out with a subtle hint of sweetness which were perfect for our taste buds. But, if you prefer them much sweeter do use 1/3rd cup of sugar. The best thing about the palmiers are you can try a number of variations like nutella, jam, nut butters for the sweet tooth or pesto and tapenade for a savory twist.

Whether you have an instant sweet craving or have a sudden visit from friends and family make these palmiers as a quick fix alongside your evening coffee/tea or for a late night treat. You could make it fancier by serving these with some chocolate sauce.

Recipe

Prep time: 30 mins to thaw the puff pastry sheets + 15 mins for prep + 30 mins to refrigerate the dough before baking
Bake time: 10 to 12 mins
Makes about 15 or 16 palmiers

Ingredients:
– 1 puff pastry sheet
– 1/4th cup sugar
– 1n1/2 tsp cinnamon
– a handful of chocolate chips

1. To thaw the puff pastry sheets, remove from freezer and leave them out for 30 mins at room temperature or place it in the refrigerator overnight.
2. In a bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.
3. On a clean counter or a parchment paper, sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar and spread it out evenly. Un-fold the pastry sheet over the sugar. Spread the remaining cinnamon-sugar on the pastry sheet and with a rolling pin slowly and evenly roll out it out just extending it an inch or two more. This will help the cinnamon sugar coat the dough well.
4. Now, add a handful of chocolate chips (or more as you please) and pat them gently so that they are stuck to the dough and don’t fall off easily.
5. Starting from the longer edges, slowly fold the pastry sheet inwards on both sides. Repeat again for 2 or 3 times on each of the 2 sides. When you have folded them half way the pastry sheet, fold them over one another to make a log. Gently press the dough log together, and refrigerate this for about 20 to 30 mins. This helps in cutting out the palmiers easier.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F.
7. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut it into 1 inch pieces. Place these on a lined baking sheet. Pop these into the oven and bake for 10 mins. If it hasn’t browned well, leave it for 2 additional mins. You should see the palmiers all crispy and caramelized.

Serve these baked goodies warm alongside your favorite hot beverage.