You Have to Try These Delicious French Pastries At least Once

When it comes to matters of the stomach, no one does it better than the French people. Renowned worldwide for the cuisine, France knows how to take things up a notch, especially when it comes to desserts. Here are some classic French pastries you must try at least once in life:

Macarons

AppleZoomZoom/shutterstock: French macarons, anyone?

Macarons are the ultimate French pastry! With a flaky almond meringue exterior and yummy buttercream or ganache on the inside, these adorable looking sweets have won hearts worldwide.

There is some disparity about the origin of macarons, with some claiming that it came from Italy. Still, France remains the number one producer of them today. For exquisite flavors, try Ladurée or Pierre Hermé.

Eclair

nelea33/shutterstock: French Eclairs have certainly evolved

Formerly known as the ‘Duchess’s Bread,’ the eclair has evolved quite a bit from a simple finger-shaped puff pastry rolled in almonds. Today, one can enjoy eclairs stuffed with coffee, vanilla, lemon, strawberry, and classic chocolate, which never gets old.

While you can find an eclair in literally every French pastry shop, we recommend trying them at L’Éclair de génie.

Mille-Feuille

Lanav/shutterstock: Mille-feuille among the finest pastries in the world!

In the world of pastries, it doesn’t get more decadent than Mille-feuille. Meaning ‘a thousand leaves,’ this dessert is made of three layers of puff pastry and two layers of crème pâtissière with icing sugar on top. This requires both time and expertise to create, so make sure you enjoy it slowly and savor every single bite.

Paris-Brest

Patisserie Durand created this wheel-shaped pastry made from cream puff dough, sprinkled with almond slices, and filled with buttercream and praline. Created to commemorate the 1910 bicycle race from Paris to Brest, it quickly became a favorite among cyclists!

The patisserie is still owned by the Durand family that claims to be the only ones with the original recipe. There’s just one way to find out how genuine that claim is.

Madeleine

A buttery Madeleine (or two) with a cup of coffee is a match made in culinary heaven! These divine shell-shaped cakes were first created in 1755 by Madeleine Paumier. The ingredients are fairly simple, but one requires a decent amount of patience and technique to get it right.

A perfect Madeleine will be slightly browned and crispy on the outside and spongy on the inside. Some may even be dipped in chocolate. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?

While there are many more delectable French pastries out there, these are an excellent place to start. Bon Appétit!