These easy savory palmiers are a super easy appetizer to make when expecting last minute company! Rolled puff pastry dough filled with a creamy Dijon spread, bacon and spicy cheddar cheese finished with maple syrup! Your guests will rave over these!
These savory palmiers are a delicious puff pastry appetizer that your guests will love! They are made with store-bought puff pastry dough which I always like to keep in my freezer for last minute appetizers.
I spread a creamy dijon sauce onto the puff pastry dough. Then I sprinkled some maple bacon and habanero cheese on top. Easy and packed with flavor!
What Are Palmiers?
Also called pig's ears or elephant ears, palmiers are a French pastry folded into a palm leaf shape. They are made using puff pastry dough and can be filled with a variety of ingredients. Palmiers can also be made into a sweet dessert instead of savory.
How To Make Savory Palmiers With Puff Pastry
Making palmiers is surprisingly easy. To get that distinctive shape, you need to fold your dough a specific way.
Start your palmiers with a rectangular or square sheet of puff pastry dough. Fill the dough with whatever ingredients you prefer, then fold.
Puff Pastry Dough
When making savory palmiers, the type of puff pastry you choose can significantly impact the final result. There are generally two main options available: store-bought frozen puff pastry and homemade puff pastry.
-
Store-Bought Frozen Puff Pastry:
- Convenience: This is the most common choice for making palmiers because it's convenient and saves time. You can find frozen puff pastry sheets or blocks in the freezer section of most grocery stores. These are typically made with a combination of flour, water, butter, and sometimes a few other ingredients.
- Consistency: Store-bought puff pastry is known for its consistent quality, making it a reliable option for home cooks. It's already rolled out and ready to use, which simplifies the preparation process.
- Variety: Many brands offer different types of frozen puff pastry, including regular, butter, and whole wheat varieties. Choose one that best suits your taste and dietary preferences. I love Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry sheets!
-
Homemade Puff Pastry:
- Control: Making puff pastry from scratch gives you complete control over the ingredients and allows you to adjust the butter-to-flour ratio for a custom flavor and texture. Homemade puff pastry is often considered superior in terms of taste and flakiness.
- Quality: Homemade puff pastry can be exceptionally high in quality, resulting in incredibly delicate, buttery layers that store-bought versions may not always achieve.
- Labor-Intensive: While homemade puff pastry offers superior quality, it is more time-consuming and requires skill and patience. You'll need to repeatedly fold and roll the dough to create those signature layers, which can be quite an undertaking.
Ultimately, the choice between store-bought and homemade puff pastry for palmiers depends on your available time, culinary expertise, and desired level of control over the ingredients.
Other Ingredients You Can Use
Puff pastry is so versatile you could really add ANYTHING inside your savory palmier. Just make sure the flavors go well together! Here are some other substitutions or alternatives you can use:
- Don't have or like bacon? Add ham, prosciutto or chicken instead!
- Vegetarian? Remove the bacon and just add more cheese!
- Add honey instead of maple syrup.
- Use ANY cheese you have on hand! Cheddar, Monterey jack, mozzarella, feta, Parmesan, etc.
- Use seasoning to kick up the flavor! I suggest garlic, onion, cayenne, chili powder, oregano, etc.
- Use fresh herbs inside! I suggest parsley, thyme, dill or cilantro.
Other popular puff pastry recipes:
Savory Palmiers
Ingredients
Method
- Cook bacon and chop up into small pieces. (You can do this all at once and very easily in the oven. Add your bacon to a wire rack and bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes.)
- Unfold both sheets of defrosted puff pastry dough and lay onto a nonstick surface like parchment paper or a silicone mat. (It sticks very easily to the counter.) You can do this one sheet at a time if you want.
- Add your Dijon and mayonnaise to a small bowl and mix together. Spread half of the Dijon mayo spread onto each sheet.
- Shred your cheese and top both sheets evenly with the cheese. Crumble your cooked bacon and sprinkle bacon pieces evenly over each sheet. Using a rolling pin or your hands, press down the bacon and cheese into the puff pastry dough so it sticks to the dough.
- Next, time to make the palmier shape! Carefully fold each pastry sheet IN HALF LENGTHWISE. (Take the right and left sides and folding them inward so they meet in the middle.) Repeat again folding the folded part in half lengthwise. Finish by "closing the sandwich". Fold the two folds so they close giving you the 'elephant ears'. (See photo above!)
- Let the folded dough chill in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
- Cut each folded dough into ½" slices and lay cut-side down onto a lightly greased or non-stick baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes.
- When palmiers come out of the oven, brush maple syrup generously onto each palmier. Serve immediately.
Ursula
Hi Aleka, Is there a point at which these can be frozen for another day?
Aleka Shunk
Yes puff pastry freezes very well!
Darcy
I think these sound fabulous and want to make them for a party, but curious if they can be served warm/room temp and not immediately? Thanks!
Aleka Shunk
Hi Darcy, Yes you definitely can serve them at room temperature! 🙂