Orange Scented Elephant Ears

Whether you call them Palmiers or Elephant Ears, one thing is certain they are super simple to make and delish! Truthfully anyone can make these cookies, even those of you who swear you cannot bake. All you need is frozen puff pastry, sugar, and in this case orange zest.

To begin thaw out a sheet of frozen puff pastry. While the puff pastry is thawing take a tablespoon of orange zest and combine it with a 1/3 cup of granulated sugar.

Once the puff pastry is ready, lay a large piece of plastic wrap on your counter and roll the puff pastry out on it into a rectangle, sprinkle it evenly with sugar on the top and bottom as you go.

Then pour melted butter in the middle of the puff pastry and spread it around using an offset spatula. Then sprinkle the orange zested sugar over the butter.

Next, cut the puff pastry in half crosswise and roll the shorter end towards the middle.

Do the same with the opposite end and pinch the two rolls together. Wrap them in plastic wrap for about an hour until firm. Once they are firm place them on a cutting board, seam side down, and cut them into 1/2 inch thick slices and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake them in a 425 F preheated oven for about 12 minutes. Flip them when you have about 3 or 4 minutes left to the baking to ensure that they brown nicely on both sides. Once out of the oven transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

So, yes, these may take a little time to make with the thawing and refrigerating, but, they are completely doable and look quite fancy.

Orange Scented Elephant Ears

Servings: 22 cookies
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Ingredients:

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

Put 1/3 cup of the sugar in a small bowl with the orange zest and stir until blended, set aside.

Arrange a large piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Roll out the puff pastry on the plastic wrap into a 10 x 15-inch rectangle. Sprinkle both sides with the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar to prevent sticking – you won’t use the entire amount. Pour the melted butter into the center of the rectangle and using an offset spatula spread the butter evenly. Sprinkle the reserved orange zested sugar evenly over the butter.

Cut the dough in half crosswise (you’ll have two 10 x 7 1/2-inch rectangles.) Starting with one of the shorter ends, roll the puff pastry towards the center. Repeat with the opposite edge until the 2 rolls meet. Pinch the rolls so they stick together. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Wrap the rolls in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour until firm.

Preheat the oven to 425 F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Once firm, place the rolls on a cutting board, seam side down, and slice them into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange them on the prepared cookie sheets about 1 1/2-inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Turn over and bake for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until golden brown. Keep an eye on them because I baked them for a total of 12 minutes and ended up flipping them at about 9 minutes.

Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Serve immediately or cover and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Recipe from Fine Cooking