Savory Palmiers with Parmesan and Black Pepper

Real Talk: Yes, rolling up the pastry at both long ends into a log and making fancy palmiers is sure to impress your guests, but if you’re truly in a pinch before party time, you can roll up the log like a cinnamon roll before cutting up into pieces. But only if you’re really that behind!

Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface just to smooth out any creases. If you’re using a package of pastry that has 2 sheets, simply stack the sheets and roll out to a rectangle between ¼"–⅛" thick. Brush surface with egg wash (which is just a beaten egg that will make the dough a beautiful color after baking) and sprinkle cheese evenly over, followed by pepper.

Okay, here comes the fun part: With 1 long side facing you, fold both long sides in toward the center line so the edges meet in the middle (do not overlap); press down gently to flatten. Brush exposed pastry with egg wash. Now roll the sides you just folded lengthwise toward the center to form a double-spiral log with a seam running down the middle. Squeeze all along length of log to adhere. Roll whole log away from you 90° so seam is facing away from you. Trim about ½” off 1 end to clean up the edge, then slice log crosswise into ½”-thick pieces (you should have about 15).

You’re almost done! Transfer pieces cut side up to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 2" apart. Brush outside edges of pastry with egg wash, avoiding cut sides on top. Chill until pastry is firm, 10–15 minutes.

Bake palmiers 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue to bake until puffed and golden all over, 20–30 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Do Ahead: Palmiers can be baked 8 hours ahead. Let cool, then cover with plastic and let sit at room temperature until ready to serve.