Just 4 ingredients to make these light and crisp Nutella Puff Pastry Palmiers. Features buttery puff pastry with a chocolate hazelnut swirl. The sugar caramelizes in the oven to create a crunchy, lacy bottom. Enjoy with tea, coffee, or on their own. Freezer-friendly.
If you want an impressive dessert with minimal effort, make these Nutella Puff Pastry Palmiers. They combine buttery puff pastry and Nutella. And best of all...you only need 4 ingredients!
These puff pastry cookies get baked at a high temperature. So they bake quickly. And, the sugar caramelizes into a crisp and lacy coating. These bite-sized treats are irresistible. In fact, it's hard to stop at just one!
If you love chocolate and hazelnuts like us, check out our recipes for: Hazelnut Praline Bars, Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie, and Vegan Whiskey Hazelnut Ice Cream.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Irresistible: These cookies are buttery, flaky, and crunchy from caramelized sugar. Our version has chocolate hazelnut Nutella swirled throughout. It's a truly incredible combo!
- Easy to make (just 4 ingredients!): You'll be surprised at how easy Palmiers are to make. All you need is store-bought puff pastry, Nutella, sugar, and salt.
- Freezer-friendly: You can easily store sliced cookie dough and/or baked cookies in the freezer. This way you can have fresh cookies ready in minutes!
Ingredients (and substitutes)
You only need 4 ingredients to make these Nutella Puff Pastry Palmiers:
- Puff Pastry: Store-bought puff pastry is a big time saver. Choose a puff pastry made of butter (rather than vegetable oils) for the best flavor. Puff pastry needs to be thawed before using it. So budget time to defrost it in the fridge or on the counter.
- Nutella: Chocolate hazelnut spread pairs perfectly with buttery puff pastry. This recipe calls for a very thin layer of Nutella. This way, you get the chocolate hazelnut flavor without it being too sweet.
- Sugar: A coarse sugar (like Demerara or Turbinado) adds extra crunch to these puff pastry cookies. But, you could use granulated sugar or cane sugar instead. See below for our in-depth sugar comparisons from recipe testing.
- Salt: A bit of salt helps balance out the sweetness from the sugar and Nutella. Don't skip it—it truly does make a difference!
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Looking for more cookie recipes? Check out our recipes for Earl Grey Shortbread, Salted Chocolate Pretzel Cookies, and Ginger Molasses Cookies.
Best sugar for Palmiers
We tested 4 different types of sugar for our chocolate Palmiers recipe. The short answer is: they all work, so you can't really go wrong! But there are slight differences depending on the sugar you use.
- Demerara: A type of cane sugar that has large sugar granules and a light golden-brown color. This is our favorite sugar to use in this recipe because it adds a lot of crunch. And, since Demerara contains less molasses than Turbinado sugar, it's milder flavor really lets the Nutella shine through.
- Turbinado: A type of cane sugar that has more molasses, so it's darker and has a more robust flavor. Its granules are a bit smaller than Demerara, but the difference is minor. Turbinado is also a good choice for these cookies. It adds crunch, but due to the slightly more noticeable flavor, we rated it just below Demerara.
- Cane sugar: Regular cane sugar has slightly larger granules than granulated sugar. It's also less processed, so it has a slightly golden hue. The cookies made with cane sugar were very similar to the granulated sugar ones. However, the cane sugar added a bit more crunch.
- Granulated sugar: A classic ingredient for palmiers. The sugar granules don't add much crunch on their own. But, the sugar will still caramelize in the oven to form a crunchy, lacy bottom on the cookie. If you don't feel like using one of the "fancy" sugars above, you can definitely use granulated sugar for this recipe.
How to make (step-by-step photos)
These Nutella Puff Pastry cookies are surprisingly easy to make. Here's how:
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Tips
- Be a puff pastry pro: Puff pastry needs to be thawed before rolling. For best results, thaw overnight in fridge. Otherwise, thaw on the counter for 2 hours. Once it's thawed, work quickly so the puff pastry doesn't get too warm.
- Straighten the edges: The puff pastry may not be perfectly square after rolling. You can use a bench scraper or the dull side of a knife to even it out. (Watch our Recipe Video for how to do this).
- Don't make the Nutella too hot: Warm Nutella is easier to spread over the sugar-coated pastry. But, if you make the Nutella too hot, it'll warm up the puff pastry too much. Microwave the Nutella only until it drizzles off a spoon.
- Don't skip the chilling step: It's easier to get clean cookie slices once the dough is chilled. It only needs 15 minutes in the freezer. Avoid freezing for longer because then the dough will be too hard to cut.
- Freeze cookies for longer storage: Don't feel like baking all the cookies at once? You can freeze the sliced dough. Or, freeze the baked cookies once cooled and reheat before eating. (Read the Recipe Card for full details).
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📖 Recipe
Nutella Puff Pastry Palmiers
Just 4 ingredients to make these light and crisp Nutella Puff Pastry Palmiers. Features buttery puff pastry with a chocolate hazelnut swirl. The sugar caramelizes in the oven to create a crunchy, lacy bottom. Enjoy with tea, coffee, or on their own. Freezer-friendly.
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup demerara sugar (or turbinado, cane, or granulated sugar, see note 1)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 sheet thawed puff pastry (½ lb, see note 2)
- ½ cup Nutella
Instructions
- Mix sugar: Combine ½ cup demerara sugar and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt in a small bowl.
- Roll dough: For each puff pastry sheet (see note 3)—On a clean surface, sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the sugar mixture to form a 11-inch (28 cm) square. Gently lay 1 sheet thawed puff pastry on top. Sprinkle another 3 tablespoons of the sugar mixture on top of the pastry sheet. Use a rolling pin to gently roll pastry into a 11-inch (28 cm) square, pressing the sugar in as you roll. (You can use a bench scraper or knife to straighten edges if needed).
- Warm Nutella: Microwave ½ cup Nutella in 20 second intervals (stirring in between), until warm and spreadable. (The Nutella should drizzle off a spoon, but not be steaming hot.)
- Spread and roll: Spread the Nutella over the puff pastry, leaving a ¼-inch (0.6 cm) border. Roll one side inward towards the center of the pastry. Then, repeat with the other side until they meet to form a log.
- Freeze and preheat: Transfer log onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes. (Log should be firm but not frozen through). Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 450℉ (230℃).
- Slice and bake: Cut log into ½-inch (1.25 cm) thick slices. Dip each slice into the remaining sugar to coat all sides. (You should have 2 tablespoons sugar left, but top up with more if needed). Arrange cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, 2-inches (5 cm) apart. Bake until cookies are golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes (see note 4). Let cool completely.
Notes
- Sugar: We tested 4 types of sugar—Demerara, Turbinado, Cane, Granulated—and any of them can be used. Demerara has large sugar granules, which makes for a crunchy texture. Turbinado makes for a similarly crunchy texture. However, it contains more molasses than Demerara, so it has a slightly more intense flavor (and darker color). Standard cane sugar has smaller granules than Demerara and Turbinado...but larger than granulated sugar. It has a mild flavor (similar to granulated), but with slightly more texture. Granulated sugar makes for a pretty palmier...the sugar itself won't be as crunchy, but still delicious!
- Puff pastry: A box of store-bought puff pastry usually has two individually wrapped sheets. This recipe calls for one sheet. Defrost only what you plan to use right away, following the manufacturer's directions (typically overnight in fridge or about 2 hours on counter). Choose butter puff pastry for best results. Some store-bought puff pastries use other oils instead of butter, and these don't tend to have as rich flavor.
- Scaling up the recipe: If you're doubling the recipe, unroll one sheet of puff pastry at a time. Keep the other sheet wrapped in the fridge, to prevent the dough from getting too warm. Each sheet should be rolled into one 11-inch (28 cm) square with 3 tablespoons of sugar underneath and 3 tablespoons of sugar on top. Repeat for the second sheet, if needed.
- Baking palmiers: If you need to bake off multiple baking sheets, we recommend doing them one at a time on the center rack. Given the high oven temperature, this can minimize risk of burning the cookies and/or parchment, especially if your oven has hot spots.
- Storage tips: Once baked palmiers are fully cooled, you can freeze them for longer storage (up to 3 months). When ready to enjoy, pop them in a 300°F oven until warm and crisp again, about 6 to 9 minutes. Let cool before eating. Alternatively, you can freeze sliced unbaked dough and bake off cookies as you need them (make sure to coat with sugar before arranging and baking at 450℉ (230℃)).
Nutrition
Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 55mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 0.3IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
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