Dessert: Spiced Palmiers

Recipe by /contributors/bon-appetit-test-kitchen These buttery, heart-shaped French cookies are great for dunking into hot cocoa—or serving with coffee.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health benefits of Spiced Palmiers

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 14-ounce package frozen puff pastry (such as Dufour), thawed
All-purpose flour (for dusting)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix sugar and spices in a small bowl. Unfold pastry on a lightly floured work surface into a 14x10" rectangle, rolling out if needed. Brush lightly with butter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup spiced sugar over. Cut in half lengthwise.
Fold both long sides of 1 pastry strip so that outer edges meet in the center of strip. Brush with more butter; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons spiced sugar. Fold in half lengthwise, forming a 14"-long log about 1" wide. Repeat with remaining pastry strip.
Place logs on prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. DO AHEAD: Palmier dough can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Store airtight in freezer. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before continuing.
Preheat oven to 425 °F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut each log crosswise into 1/4" slices. Lay slices flat on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1" apart.
Bake palmiers until golden on bottom, about 8 minutes. Using a thin metal spatula, turn palmiers over. Brush lightly with butter; sprinkle with more spiced sugar. Bake until sugar is bubbly and pastry is golden brown, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer palmiers to a wire rack; let cool. DO AHEAD: Palmiers can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

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