Historically, the palmier probably dates back to the turn of the 20th century, so it’s relatively young in the scheme of the culinary world. In French, palmier means “palm,” and that is what this pastry resembles visually. But palmiers appear around the world with various names and in slightly different forms. In the States, some folks call them “elephant ears.” In Germany, it’s “pig’s ears.” French Jews, I’ve read, serve them for Purim—they’re said to resemble the biblical villain Haman’s ears. In China, they’re called “butterfly pastries.” In Switzerland, they go by the name “hearts of France.” In Spain, they finish them with chocolate, coconut, or both; in Puerto Rico, with honey.
Palmiers are made from what bakers would call a “laminated dough,” similar in style to croissant dough, but without the yeast that makes a croissant rise. You get a whole lot of crunch and almost no soft interior. Amy Emberling, co-managing partner of the Bakehouse, says,
They are like croissants and French baguettes and strudel to me—baking miracles. There are only a few ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, salt, a touch of lemon, and plain old water. Nothing unusual. Yet through some precise techniques, it’s possible to make these buttery, flaky, crisp, really delightful cookies.
Our palmiers approximate what you’d get if you took the best parts of a croissant’s buttery, flaky, crunchy crust, then added plenty of sugar, shrank the surface area, and baked it. Crunchy sweetness. Compelling caramelization of sugar. A whole bunch of butter. There’s no frosting to obscure its simple elegance.
The obvious thing to do with a palmier is to simply eat one. They’re also great with a cup of coffee or dipped into hot chocolate. You can also crumble some over gelato, or pudding, or rice pudding. Whatever you do with them, know that Bakehouse Palmiers are crumbly, crunchy, caramelized, butter-laden awesomeness.