These date walnut palmiers have only 4 ingredients and take no time to make. Low on sugar but full of delicious flavor. A perfect tea-time snack.
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Did you know that January is hot tea month? As a Brit, I am from one of the biggest tea-drinking countries in the world. However some of my most memorable tea-drinking memories are actually from Morocco. I visited Morocco with my parents as a child and while there were some challenges (like navigating the souk/market), a few things still really stick in my mind.
Most of all, the smells, the food, the architecture and drinking mint tea.
I particularly remember tea being part of the rug-buying experience. Vendors would bring you into their store and sit you down with a glass of mint tea while they showed you as many rugs as possible before you either bought one or managed to extract yourself politely (or otherwise). Strangely, I don't particularly remember what if anything we ate with the tea, but I know these date walnut palmiers would go perfectly.
A French tradition in Morocco
Palmiers were introduced to Morocco when it was a French colony and are still very popular. Dates and walnuts are popular in Moroccan cooking as well, so I figured making date walnut palmiers would be a very fitting variation on the theme, bringing together local flavors that also pair perfectly with mint tea. To try to recreate the experience at home, without the rug sales talk, Bigelow's Peppermint or Mint Medley teas make the perfect choice.
How we tea proudly
While I admit I do love my coffee to kick-start my morning, tea for me is my drink of choice later in the day. When I lived in London, we would rarely have a team meeting at work that didn't involve a stop to buy tea first. Both there and here, offering or accepting a cup of tea when meeting friends goes hand in hand with enjoying time with them. Around the world, tea is second only to water as the most consumed drink and it's becoming more popular, and trendy, here in the US as well.
See how to make palmiers in this short video:
They might look fancy, but palmiers are incredibly easy to make. First you whizz up some dates and walnuts in the food processor for the filling. Flatten out a sheet of puff pasty then crumble over the date-walnut mixture. Sprinkle on some sugar, roll it up, cut in slices then bake. You need to make sure you leave room for them to expand as they bake, but otherwise there's not much to note.
These date walnut palmiers make the perfect accompaniment to a warm, comforting cup of tea. Gently crisp, buttery and with a delicious sweet and slightly nutty filling. Plus so easy to make. Perfect for sharing with friends and family, and creating a few more memories. Why not start with sharing some of your own tea memories? How do you tea proudly?
Try these other nutty treats:
- Baklava - layers of crisp pastry with a nut filling and honey syrup holding it all together
- Persian walnut cookies - easy to make and naturally gluten free
- German hazelnut cookies
- Umm Ali - an Egyptian dessert similar to bread pudding
- Plus get more snack recipes, both sweet and savory, in the archives.
Date walnut palmiers
Ingredients
- ¼ cup date pieces 35g
- ¼ cup walnut pieces 30g
- 1 sheet puff pastry (defrosted if frozen)
- 2 tablespoon cane sugar (or brown)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F/220C.
- Pulse the date and walnut pieces together until they are broken into crumbs.
- Lay the puff pastry flat on a clean surface, lightly floured if the pastry is a little sticky, and flatten any folds.
- Sprinkle over the date-walnut mixture and distribute evenly. It won't cover, but you do want to avoid large clumps. If there are any larger pieces of date, break them up as you go.
- Sprinkle over most of the sugar in a thin layer.
- Fold the pastry in from two opposite sides to halfway to the middle. Then fold each side again to the middle, with a slight gap left. Fold one half on top of the other so you end up with 6 layers in all.
- Ideally, transfer to a baking sheet and chill for 20min or so to help the pastry firm up before slicing but you can also cut immediately if relatively firm. Cut slices around ½in/1.25cm thick. Carefully transfer the slices to a lined baking sheet, cut side up, with plenty of space between as they will expand as they cook. Sprinkle over any leftover sugar in any folds that look a little short on filling.
- Bake for approx 15min until golden brown. The dates/sugar may go relatively dark but you don't want them to burn so do watch towards the end. Reduce the temp if they are getting dark but the pastry hasn't browned yet. Allow to cool then enjoy. They'll keep for a couple days in a sealed container, though they will lose a little crispness.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Carlee
Oooh, these would be perfect with a cup of tea! What a pretty treat too!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Carlee, I agree, they're pretty though without too much effort. And perfect with tea!
Betsy @ Desserts Required
I love the simplicity of this recipe and that it produces such tasty treats. I'm not sure which tea I would enjoy first with them but I can understand why you made these to accompany your afternoon tea!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Betsy, these are so wonderfully easy but so tasty too.
Nettie
I have to have my Earl Grey every afternoon, would love a couple Date Walnut Palmiers, looks delicious! Nettie
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Nettie, earl grey is a favorite too, and these would go perfectly!
Courtney Buteau
I really enjoyed your story about your time spent in Morocco. Makes me realize I need to travel more! Your Date Walnut Palmiers look delicious, thank you for sharing! #client
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Courtney, travel is always good in my mind, but if not possible then eating treats from other places, like these, is a close second 🙂