Palmiers

Fine sugar works best here because it dissolves and caramelizes evenly during baking. Coarse or raw sugar stays grainy and can leave hard, sandy spots, while powdered sugar melts too fast and burns before the pastry is golden. If you only have granulated sugar, pulse it briefly in a blender to get closer to a fine texture.

This usually means the folds were too loose or the dough was too warm when sliced. Press each fold lightly as you go, as the recipe says, and don't skip the 15-20 minutes in the fridge - cold dough holds its shape and slices cleanly instead of squashing. Placing the slices cut side down with space in between also helps them open evenly rather than flopping over.

Yes - the folded roll is the perfect make-ahead point. Wrap it well and keep it in the fridge longer than the 15-20 minutes stated, then slice and bake when you want them fresh. You can also freeze the roll and slice it straight from frozen; add a few minutes of baking time and watch for the golden, caramelized colour.

Let them cool completely on a rack first, since the caramelized sugar is soft and sticky while hot and will glue them together. Store them in an airtight tin at room temperature, not in the fridge, where the humidity softens them. If they lose their snap, a few minutes in a hot oven brings the crispness back.

The three big ones are too little sugar, slices that are too thick, and pulling them out too early. Sugar is what creates the caramel crust, so be generous on the work surface and on top at every fold, as the recipe repeats. Keep the slices at about 1 cm - thicker pieces stay doughy in the middle - and bake until they are genuinely golden brown and caramelized, since pale palmiers turn out soft rather than crisp.