I have been loving the incredible food documentaries and shows that have been coming out on Netflix in the past few years. From ‘Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat’ to ‘Chef’s Table’ with their stunning visual story-telling and cinematography, it’s easy to get drawn in even if you’re not a cook or a foodie. And while I’m not usually a fan of reality tv cooking shows, ‘The Great British Bakeoff’ has officially stolen my heart. Annnd all my free time.
The Great British Bakeoff centers around 12 amateur bakers who try to impress the judges with their baking skills, with one getting eliminated each week. Pretty typical for a cooking competition, right? The reason why I love this show, however, is because everyone is so nice. By the end of the season, you’ll find that the contestants have become friends and you’ll often see them helping one another during a time crunch and being supportive of any losses. And without any drama, the viewers can really focus on the talents and creativity of each of the contestants. It’s so well done it’ll have you rooting for everyone and full of feel-good positivity, all while taking in spoonfuls of the cake from the bakery you had to google because your sweet tooth craving kicked in!
In true crazy, superfan form, I rushed out and purchased (read: Amazon Primed this ASAP) The Great British Bakeoff’s most recent cookbook, which features recipes from the contestants and judges. We’ve since tried a few of them, but my favorite so far are these Chocolate Palmiers.
The name “palmiers” is French for palm tree, in reference to the shape of these cookies. These crispy pastries are subtly sweet with chocolate on the inside wrapped in a flaky, buttery puff pastry. They look impressive, yet are SO simple to make, with only 5 ingredients that you probably already have at home!
Chocolate Palmiers
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/8 cup cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- puff pastry sheet I used Dufour’s Puff Pastry which is about 14 oz
- 1 egg beaten
- parchment paper
- a spray bottle of water
Instructions
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Mix the powdered sugar and cocoa together in a small bowl. Set aside.
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Scatter half of the granulated sugar on your worktop, place the pastry over the top and roll it out into a rectangle. approximately 10×12 inches.
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Brush the pastry with a little of the beaten egg. Then, hold a fine sieve over the pastry and tip in the icing sugar and cocoa mixture. Using the sieve, sprinkle it over the pastry, then spray with water, to help the sugar stick.
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With the short end of the pastry facing you, take one long edge in each hand and gently roll the long edges inwards until they meet in the middle. Seal the join with a little beaten egg. Wrap thew rolled pastry in baking paper and then place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
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Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Remove the pastry roll from the fridge. Cut 1/2 inch-thick slices all along the length and play the slices cut sides up, on the prepared sheets, leaving space for expansion between each slice. Brush the slices with the remaining egg and sprinkle, with the remaining granulated sugar.
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Bake the slices for 10-15 minutes, then remove from the oven and turn them over, and cook the other side for about 5-7 minutes, until crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
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