Why do my palmiers unroll in the oven?

This is the second year in that I've attempted to make palmiers from scratch. Everything seems to go well until I pop them in the oven, when they start to unroll. They taste great, but they look pretty rough. I've tried freezing the shaped palmiers and popping them in the oven directly from the freezer, and I've also tried shaping the cookies, then mashing them with the heel of my hand to get the layers to stick together a bit, but they still unroll. Any thoughts as to what might be happening?

petitbleu
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9 Comments

Droplet
Droplet December 8, 2014
Petitbleu, do you make them with puff pastry or Danish dough? I'd suggest trying a finer grain of sugar so it melts more quickly in the oven and glues them together. Also, try rolling the dough itself thinner and making a larger number of rotations versus relying on the puff to create the layers. I love these little cookies :)
 
petitbleu
petitbleu December 9, 2014
I used puff pastry. The superfine sugar idea is a new one to me, but I actually have some in my pantry right now, so it's worth a try. One year, I did make some palmiers that were brushed with a sugar syrup, then sprinkled with granulated sugar. If I'm remembering correctly, those held together really well. Maybe that's the trick.
 
boulangere
boulangere December 7, 2014
Oh good! I'm making several at work this week. Trade photos?
 
Liza's K.
Liza's K. December 8, 2014
From last year... btw, mine don't unroll, but they burn. By the time the sugar is melted enough and they are golden, it's too late. This year, I need to remember to take them out of the oven just before as they continue to cook a bit on the hot sheet.
 
boulangere
boulangere December 7, 2014
Definitely brush the flat sheet of puff pastry with a beaten egg before sprinkling with sugar. After the first roll of each half to the center, also brush those 2 surfaces with beaten egg.
 
petitbleu
petitbleu December 7, 2014
Thank you, Cynthia! I'm ready to get back in the ring with these palmiers.
 
Christymathatas
Christymathatas March 13, 2023
I tried the beaten egg and they still unrolled and weren't as crispy.
 
amysarah
amysarah December 7, 2014
They do tend to unroll a little. You can try brushing the puff pastry with a little beaten egg (or egg yolk) before rolling, then roll tight and sprinkle the sugar over them, as usual. (I've done this with savory palmiers, but can't see why it wouldn't help with sugar ones too.)
 
petitbleu
petitbleu December 7, 2014
Thanks! I'll definitely try that next time.
 
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