Spiced Sugar Palmiers

I always forget how short February is.  Twenty-eight days just doesn't seem right and so much has happened in this month that I haven't quite had time to process it all.  Every month is a new start, just like every year, every week, or even every day if you're optimistic.  We set these specific beginnings and ends to time to structure our lives and it helps us move on and make changes.  It does, for instance, they say that the most successful diets begin on a Monday.  New year, new you, and just like that, new month, new beginnings, you leave last month's worries behind but 28 days just isn't enough. 

A good thing this month was my flatmate's birthday party.  I made these palmiers along with some other canapes and really, palmiers are your best friend for parties.  They're cheap, they're stupidly easy and everybody loves them. 

Actually, let me extend that -- puff pastry is your best friend for parties.  Make cheese straws, make pinwheels, make vol-au-vents.   People love a bit of buttery, flaky pastry.

February ends this weekend.  I try to do 10 posts a month so okay, we'll see if I can manage two more posts before Sunday...  Maybe I can be ultra creative with my breakfast tomorrow. 

Anyway.  Easy palmiers, you can also make these ahead of time and just keep them in the freezer till you need them!

Makes over 30
Ingredients
1 200g block puff pastry
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp ground allspice
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground cardamom
Butter, melted 

Method
Mix sugar with the spices and set aside.

Roll out the puff pastry to about 5mm thick.  Brush lightly with melted butter and sprinkle on half the sugar.

Cut the dough in half so that you get two rectangles.  Starting from the two long ends, roll tightly into coils towards each other, so that they meet each other in the middle and form a log.  Wrap the log tightly in cling film and leave to firm up in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C.  Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Take your log out and slice crosswise into 1cm slices.  Lay flat on the parchment paper and brush with a bit more butter and sprinkle on remaining sugar.  Bake for about ten minutes, then flip them over with a spatula and bake for ten more minutes.