11 Delicious Classic French Desserts

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4 French Desserts
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Bring the magic of a Parisian patisserie into your kitchen by creating any or all of these classic French desserts. With the simple instructions from each recipe, you'll learn time-honored French techniques and create some rich and sophisticated desserts and pastries like croissants, creme brulee and soufflés. Bon apetit!

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Crepe filled with strawberry and banana slices.
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2. Traditional Crepes

Thin and delicate crepes are like French pancakes that you can stuff with sweet or savory filling. Crepes traditionally use wheat or buckwheat flour, but this version simplifies the process by using pancake mix for crepes. With a myriad of filling options, crepes are perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Crepe cake
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3. Nutella Crepe Cake

Blow your guests away with an elegant, sweet and light Nutella crepe cake. Whipped Nutella frosting holds this delicate cake together and adds to its delightful fluffiness. The most time-consuming portion of this recipe is in making the crepes, but you can always buy ready-made crepes from the freezer section at the grocery store. Either way, you'll end up with a beautiful, sophisticated and delicious cake.

Image Credit: Jennifer Farley
Classic croissants on a grey dish.
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4. Classic Croissant

Reward your family and yourself after a long, hard week with classic croissants from scratch. If working in the kitchen relaxes you after a stressful day, this recipe is just for you. Due to the time it takes to pre-ferment and chill the risen dough, it requires a few days to prepare these croissants. But fear not! Each step is broken down with easy instructions so even a novice cook can make mouthwatering, rich, buttery and flaky croissants at home.

Plate with almond croissant.
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5. Almond Croissant

Traditional almond croissants, or croissant aux amandes, are made out of day-old or stale croissants -- so this is the perfect way to use up any leftover classic croissants. A sweet and buttery frangipane cream filling, a dusting of powdered sugar and a few brushes of brandy syrup make this a divine and indulgent delight.

Chocolate soufflé in a ramekin.
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6. Chocolate Soufflé

Competitive cooking shows would have you believe that soufflés are incredibly difficult to make. Although timing is very important in the execution of this dessert, the process is actually very simple. Follow this guide on how to make chocolate soufflé for a light, fluffy and superbly decadent dessert.

Two creme brulees in white ramekins.
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7. Creme Brulée

Four ingredients is all you need for an irresistibly creamy and rich creme brulee. The beauty of this dessert lies in the textural difference between the smooth custard underneath a layer of brittle, caramelized sugar. Try to use real vanilla beans for a deep vanilla flavor.

Two chocolate croissants on a plate.
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8. Pain au Chocolat

You can make chocolate croissants, or pain au chocolat, from scratch or by using ready-made puff pastry. Either option will result in a sinfully decadent treat. Dark chocolate provides a lush, complex and bittersweet finish to this delightfully flaky and buttery pastry.

A pile of chocolate macarons.
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9. Chocolate Macarons

Sophisticated and utterly charming chocolate macarons are surprisingly easy to make at home. The textural contrast between the crisp, chewy chocolate-and-almond meringue cookies and the luscious dark chocolate ganache will make you giddy for this classic French confection. The hardest part will be waiting for the macarons to chill before serving.

Four white ramekins filled with butterscotch pots de creme.
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10. Butterscotch Pots de Creme

Butterscotch pots de creme present a beautifully silky cross between pudding and custard. Humble ingredients compose this creamy, rich and ultra-decadent dessert that is ready to serve with 12 simple steps. Finish it off with a dollop of tart creme fraiche and a sprinkle of sea salt to balance the sweetness of the butterscotch.


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