A Quick Easy: Palmiers

Also known as elephant ears, palmiers, made with sheets of sheets of puff pastry, are perfect for those who are afraid of making pastry or just want a quick cookie.

I always get the Pepperidge Farm puff pastry because its the most readily available and relatively inexpensive at around $4.00 a box. Each box comes with two sheets.

Roll out defrosted dough on a floured surface. The more you roll your dough out, the smaller your cookies will be. Traditionally these cookies are bigger, but I like to add more sugar to create a really caramelized cookie, which is also very rich. I roll the dough out pretty thin, to make a smaller cookie. Using a knife, trim irregular edges to make a rectangle.



Mix:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Divide sugar in half and one half per sheet. Pat the sugar to embed into the dough. Using a knife, score the middle of the dough on two parallel sides. With an unmarked edge, begin rolling and roll dough to score mark. Roll opposite side to central score mark until two rolls are together. Using a pastry brush, brush some milk between where two rolls come together and press so they stick together. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least an hour.

Remove from fridge, and using a knife, cut into slices into approx. 1/2" slices. Lay slices out on a tray a couple inches apart. Pour 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp of sugar on each cookie. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place trays in freezer while oven preheats. Bake cookies for about 8 minutes. Remove trays from oven and flip over. Bake for another 8 minutes or until cookies are nice and caramelized.



These are cookies are easy to make, rich in flavor and look gorgeous. I love them.

Margie's Russian Tea Cakes

People love this crunchy almond cookie covered in layers of soft sugar. Also known as snowballs, and Mexican wedding cookies, these scrumptious treats have many names to suit every occasion. Last year, my Mom gave me my Aunt Margie's recipe so I could fill a request for our Christmas party, during which these were the first to go. Since they were such a hit, I'm making them again this year.



Margie's Russian Tea Cakes

• 1 c. butter
• 1/2 c. confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/4 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 c. finely chopped nuts (I usually use almonds, but pecans or walnuts also work)

Using a mixer, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix.

Add the dry ingredients and nuts. Mix using your hands until you have a solid dough. It is important to mix with your hands for the dough to get the right consistency of crumbly yet compact. Chill dough for 1 hour.

Roll into 1" balls and bake for 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees.



When you take them out of the oven, roll immediately in a bowl of confectioners sugar. The sugar may appear to melt a bit, which is fine. Allow to cool on a wire rack. After the cookies are cool, roll again in confectioners sugar. This double rolling technique gives a soft fluffy exterior to compliment the hard crunchy interior.