Category: Recipes

Sparkling Sweetheart Palmier Cookies

Sparkling Sweetheart Palmier Cookies

Crisp, delicate French palmier cookies, also known as elephant ears, are the perfect ladylike pastries to enjoy with hot cocoa, tea or coffee. There’s certainly no shortage of palmier recipes out there, but if you’re in the mood for simplicity, this is the recipe for you! This version is very easy to make and only requires two ingredients. Puff pastry dough and sparkling sugar, that’s it! Pretty stress-free, right? Since Valentine’s Day is coming soon, I formed the palmiers into hearts, rather than the traditional palm shape. I used some pale pink sparkling sugar that I had on hand, but feel free to use any color you like.

Sparkling Sweetheart Palmier Cookies

These palmier cookies are as delicious as they are lovely. Wouldn’t they be the perfect addition to a bridal or baby shower sweets table? I also envision them as a simple, but elegant Valentine’s Day breakfast or a sweet, homemade Valentine’s Day gift wrapped in tissue paper and ribbon. Most people love receiving sweet treats, I know I do! (Hint…hint…Hubby if you’re reading this!) I hope this simple recipe provides you with a bit of inspiration. I’ll be sharing more heart-shaped inspiration in the days ahead, so stop by again soon!

Sparkling Sweetheart Palmier Cookies

Print Recipe
 Sparkling Sweetheart Palmier Cookies
Sweet, crisp, flaky puff pastry cookies.
Course Dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 30 minutes
Servings
palmiers
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 30 minutes
Servings
palmiers
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sparkling sugar on your work surface. Place 1 puff pastry sheet on the sugared surface. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons of sparkling sugar. Roll gently with a rolling pin, pressing sugar into the dough.
    Sparkling Sweetheart Palmier Tutorial
  2. Roll the short ends of the puff pastry sheet in towards the center, jelly roll style, leaving a 1-inch gap in the center. Repeat steps with the remaining puff pastry sheet.
  3. Transfer puff pastry rolls to a tray. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  5. Slice each roll into 1/2-inch slices. Place the slices 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets, cut side down, forming into heart shapes. Sprinkle any remaining sparkling sugar over the hearts.
    Sparkling Sweetheart Palmiers Tutorial
  6. Bake until 15-17 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool before serving.
Recipe Notes

Palmiers are best served the day they are made. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days.

Cocoa Meringue Brownies

One of my favorite things to top desserts with are meringue cookies. They’re as light as air and they look so pretty and whimsical! The color and flavor combinations are endless, so you can really have some fun getting creative. I decided to whip some up, especially for placing on top of my favorite brownies. They take even the most humble brownies to a new level. You can use your favorite brownie recipe or even a boxed brownie mix. I won’t judge! I like to make the meringues a day or two ahead since they take quite a while to bake in the oven. While they bake, a subtle chocolate scent will waft through your kitchen, reminding you of the smell of hot cocoa. They even taste like hot cocoa! You can make your brownies a few hours ahead or the night before. I cut mine into rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cutter. I cut 12 rounds of this size from a 13 x 9-inch batch of brownies. Right before serving, spoon some thick, glossy chocolate ganache on the brownies, then top them with your pretty meringues! To make these little bits of chocolate heaven, you’ll need:

  • 1 batch Cocoa Meringues (recipe below)
  • 1 batch of your favorite brownies
  • 1 batch chocolate ganache (see notes)
Print Recipe
 Cocoa Meringues
Pretty, light and crispy treats that taste like hot cocoa!
Course Dessert
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Passive Time 2 hours
Servings
batch
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Passive Time 2 hours
Servings
batch
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 200ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  3. Place egg whites in a large bowl. Whip egg whites with the whip attachment of an electric mixer, at medium speed, until foamy.
  4. Add cream of tartar and salt to the egg whites. Whip at medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
  5. Gradually add granulated sugar and continue whipping, at medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form.
  6. Stop mixer. Sprinkle powdered sugar and cocoa mixture over egg whites and whip at low speed until until incorporated, about 10 seconds.
  7. *This step is optional. Place a large, disposable pastry bag, fitted with a round piping tip, into a tall drinking glass. (I used a Wilton tip #12.) Fold the top third of the bag over the glass, forming a cuff. Using a small, clean paintbrush, paint thin, vertical stripes of food coloring on the inside of the bag, from the piping tip to the edge of the fold.
  8. Spoon egg white mixture into the pastry bag. Pipe small kisses, 1 inch apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. (I made mine about 3/4-inch to 1-inch in diameter. If you'd like larger kisses, use a larger size piping tip.)
  9. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off oven and leave meringues in oven to cool and continue drying out for an additional 2 hours. Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes

To make the chocolate ganache, I used a ratio of two parts semi-sweet chocolate to one part heavy cream. (Weighing the ingredients will give you the most accurate ratio.) Place 8 ounces of chopped semi-sweet chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the cream just to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, making sure to cover it completely. Let sit for 2 minutes, then stir gently until smooth.

Easy Caramel Sauce

Print Recipe
 Easy Caramel Sauce
Course Dessert
Keyword caramel sauce, condiments
Servings
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Keyword caramel sauce, condiments
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Combine the caramel candies and the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently until melted and smooth. Stir in the salt.

Homemade Caramel Sauce

Print Recipe
 Homemade Caramel Sauce
Course Dessert
Keyword caramel sauce, condiments
Servings
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Keyword caramel sauce, condiments
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a medium-size stainless steel saucepan, stir the sugar and cream of tartar together with 2 tablespoons (30ml) of water. Turn the heat on to medium and cook, without stirring, until the mixture melts. Swirl the pan gently to move the sugar around to prevent burning as it cooks. When the sugar is melted and has turned deep golden, turn off the heat and whisk in the butter. The butter will bubble. Keep whisking until melted, smooth and well combined. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream until smooth. Pass the caramel through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Stir in the vanilla and salt. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
Recipe Notes

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a couple of weeks.