Viet-Spiced Petit Palmiers

Step 1

In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Taste and make sure the spice flavor is strong. If not, add spice by 1/4 teaspoon.

Step 2

Sprinkle about 1/2 tablespoon of the spice sugar on your work surface. Unfold the puff pastry onto your work surface. Sprinkle a little more of the spice sugar on top to prevent sticking.

Step 3

Gently and roll the pastry out into a rectangle that is about 1/8 inch thick; mine usually measures roughly 11 by 9 inches. As needed, move the puff pastry and flip it over on the work surface to make sure it is not sticking.

Step 4

Sprinkle about one third of the remaining spice sugar on top of the puff pastry. Working lengthwise, use a ruler and back of a knife to gently mark the center of the puff pastry. Fold over each of the long sides of the rectangle towards the center, leaving a 1/4 inch gap. Sprinkle another third of spice sugar on top of the dough. Gently roll the rolling pin over the top to make sure the sugar adheres. Fold in the two side together to form a flat log.

Step 5

Use the remaining sugar to coat the entire pastry log. Aim to use all (or nearly all) the sugar because it will melt, caramelized, and create a sweet crispy cookie. Place the log on a piece of parchment (or reuse the plastic that came with the pastry) and then transfer to a baking sheet. Freeze for 20 minutes, until firm enough to slice neatly.

Step 6

Meantime, line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400F. Use a bench scraper or similar tool to gather and scrape up any excess sugar from your work surface; reserve the sugar in a small bowl, if you like.

Step 7

Transfer the chilled dough to your work surface. Use a knife to trim the ends of the dough log so that it is clean. Working with half of the log at a time, cut the dough into ¼-inch-thick slices. Transfer the sliced U-shaped dough pieces to a baking sheet line with parchment paper. Arrange the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart. They will expand during baking. Repeat with the other half of the dough log.

Step 8

Let the cut dough sit for about 10 minutes to come to room temperature before baking.

Step 9

Mist or lightly brush water on the top of the cookies. Put 1 to 2 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar in a fine mesh strainer and generously dust the cookie tops. Bake one baking sheet of cookies at a time for 8 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown, then remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use a spatula to flip each cookie over. Lower the oven heat to 375F. Rebake the cookies for 7 to 12 minutes, until they are golden brown with no light streaks in the middle. (You may have to remove some early browned ones and let them cool on a rack.) Increase the oven heat to 400F to bake the remaining cookies. Let the cookies cool completely to crisp up before eating.