Palmier Cookies

This posting is not for the faint of heart. To make these palmier cookies, you will need butter,* sugar, more butter, and then even more sugar. Leave me a note in the comments if you are up for the challenge and I'll post the recipe, which is from Modern Baker. You could also use store-bought puff pastry, but what fun would that be?!

I should also admit that I acutally made these about a month ago and froze the second half of the dough prior to baking, which is one of my all-time favorite baking tips. The actual preparation of the dough is a little fussy, but the premise of Modern Baker is baking in the twenty-first century. The recipes are supposed to be modern interpretations of traditional classics, though less complex than your great grandmother Rose's recipe would be. Saving half of the dough before baking (anything) is a great way to recreate the goods in less time the next time you make it, in addition to leaving you more time to be creative with how you use the dough the next time you make it. With this second baking, I added more sugar in between puff pastry folds and it really made a difference. I also under-cooked mine just slightly because I enjoy a softer dough beneath that gooey caramelized sugar. The recipe suggests that you could substitute the sugar for a fine grated cheese like parmesan for a savory snack; which I cannot wait to do the next time we have dinner guests. But these are mmm mmm good just as they are. Enjoy your weekend! xN

*I grew up in upsate New York where there was lots of land and unpasteurized dairy products, meaning inculded in our very healthy diet was full-fat butter. My mom likes to tell family, friends, my boyfriend, strangers... about the time she found a threee-year-old me on top of the kitchen table, smearing fistfulls of butter into my mouth. Gross, I know. Point being, I do not believe in margarine, especially not for baking. If you go to the trouble of baking, you should enjoy the full taste experience. Everything in moderation people. Sorry if my story grossed you out. Hopefully you are not eating as you read this.