Easy Pesto Palmiers

Have you volunteered to bring something to a game day party? These Easy Pesto Palmiers only take 4 ingredients and will be a smash hit appetizer even before kickoff, and yet elegant enough for a special dinner party!

Easy Pesto Palmiers

Did your basil grow like crazy this summer?? Were you lucky enough to make a batch or two of pesto to store in the freezer? Then you’ll be thrilled with this easy peasy 4-ingredient pesto appetizer. Made with store-bought puff pastry, Parmesan and either store-bought or homemade pesto, these easy pesto palmiers are the perfect football party finger food, but also a fun appetizer to kick off a special meal.

Versatile Appetizer

Years ago, we brought these to a Christmas Eve open house. Of course, we would never show up empty-handed. I rolled up some pesto coated puff pastry and created these festive, not to mention super-simple, savory palmiers for the occasion. This quick and tasty appetizer is always a crowd-pleaser.  My only alteration from the original recipe was to roll up each side like a classic palmier versus just folding.

Fast forward a few years and we were headed to a Labor Day party. It was time to revive this recipe. Again, these were a huge hit! Both the men and women in attendance sang their praises. So I got to thinking that these would be marvelous for almost any occasion, even on game day!

Tips for Making Pesto Palmiers

• For easy appetizers, keep a box of all butter puff pastry in your freezer. I like to use Dufour brand, but it can be pricey. Trader Joe’s has a butter puff pastry that can often be found around the holidays.
• Summer pesto freezes well, too, so make a double batch when your garden basil is flourishing. But a good quality store-bought pesto works well, too. Just read the ingredients and if you see basil, olive oil and Parmesan listed, that’s a good sign.

• Put your frozen puff pastry in the fridge to defrost the night before you plan to make these savory palmiers.
• Puff pastry bakes up best when it’s cold, so after you shape your palmiers, pop them into the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes if they’ve warmed up while rolling them up.
• Puff pastry also puffs best when baked in a hot oven, so 375 degrees works well.

You’ll be the hostess with the mostess if you serve these hors d’oeuvres at your next gathering! These easy pesto palmiers are guaranteed to get rave reviews!

Recipe adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride (no longer an active blog)

More Football Party Foods:

I love making these Chocolate Football Cookies filled with buttercream and caramel to balance out the savory offerings. Plus these 20+ Best Game Day Recipes will also inspire your game day menu! Plus, check out this Sausage Cheese Dip from A Daily Dish of Life.

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Pesto Palmiers

A simple appetizer made of pesto and puff pastry!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Total Time 36 minutes

Yield 24

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2-3/4 cup pesto
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place puff pastry on sheet of parchment. Roll into a 12 x 12 square. Lift up puff pastry to dust the parchment under the pastry with Parmesan. Repeat on other side to make sure the bottom of the puff pastry is all coated with Parmesan.
3. Spread pesto within ½ inch of the puff pastry using spatula. With your spatula lightly draw a line across the center of the pesto, from top to bottom. Carefully roll up one side to the middle line, then the other. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 15 minutes.
4. Cut the dough into ¼ inch slices and place onto parchment lined baking sheet. Combine the water and egg to make an egg wash and brush over the palmiers.
5. Bake for 8 minutes; flip and bake for another 8 minutes. Best eaten freshly baked.

Yield: 12 palmiers or more, depending on size

Total time: 40 minutes

Notes

If you used Dufour brand puff pastry (the all butter brand I prefer), the sheet of pastry is larger than ordinary grocery store brands. I rolled it to approximately 12 x 15-inches, then cut it into two 12 x 7 1/2-inch pieces. I spread half the pesto on each of the puff pastry pieces and continued with the recipe.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

2 palmiers
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 163 Total Fat: 15g Saturated Fat: 3g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 11g Cholesterol: 24mg Sodium: 181mg Carbohydrates: 3g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 0g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 4g