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37 French desserts to master

Crêpes and clafoutis, millefeuilles and madeleines, and gâteaux, give us all the gâteaux.

The Gourmet Traveller Team

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Crêpes and clafoutis, millefeuille and madeleines, and gâteaux, give us all the gâteaux. The world of French desserts is a sweet, sweet place indeed.

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In our rundown of the best French dessert recipes, we have classic French desserts, 21st-century spin-offs and, for expert home cooks, Damien Pignolet’s guide to making croquembouche. Plus, we share how to make Gimlet’s crêpes Suzette, a quick tarte Tatin recipe, a classic crème brulée recipe, French cake ideas and French pastries such as éclairs, millefeuille and palmiers.

From easy weeknight French dessert ideas to long-cook weekend baking challenges, no matter what French classic recipe you’re after, you’ll likely find it below. Allons-y!

Pear tarte Tatin — Pear tarte Tatin
(Credits: Rob Shaw)

Quick pear tarte Tatin

Quick pear tarte Tatin

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Gluten-free passionfruit and almond cake with honey-roasted pineapple by Frida's Field

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Salted caramel chocolate éclairs — Salted caramel chocolate éclairs
(Credits: John Paul Urizar)

Flour and Stone’s salted caramel chocolate éclairs

Flour and Stone’s salted caramel chocolate éclairs

French dessert recipe millefuille — (Credits: Ben Dearnley)

Rhubarb millefeuille

Rhubarb millefeuille

crêpes Suzette in a cast iron pan with candied orange peel and sauce with flames — Crêpes Suzette recipe (Credits: Brett Stevens)

Gimlet’s crêpes Suzette

Gimlet’s crêpes Suzette

Paris-Brest with hazelnut praline cream — Paris-Brest with hazelnut praline cream
(Credits: William Meppem)

Paris-Brest with hazelnut praline cream

Paris-Brest with hazelnut praline cream

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Ginger madeleines with spiced crème Anglaise — (Credits: William Meppem)

Ginger madeleines with spiced crème Anglaise

Ginger madeleines with spiced crème Anglaise

Fennel and orange sugared brioche — Fennel and orange sugared brioche
(Credits: William Meppem)

Fennel and orange sugared brioche

Fennel and orange sugared brioche

Kouign-amann — Kouign-amann
(Credits: Rob Shaw)

How to make (and say) kouign-amann

How to make (and say) kouign-amann

Chocolate soufflés recipe — Chocolate soufflé
(Credits: Mikkel Vang)

Chocolate soufflé

Chocolate soufflé

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Gluten-free passionfruit and almond cake with honey-roasted pineapple by Frida's Field

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Creamy cupcakes topped with orange zest and chocolate shavings on a dark plate, with a glass in the background.

Merveilleux

Merveilleux

Crêpes Suzette — Crêpes Suzette
(Credits: Chris Court)

Crêpes Suzette

Crêpes Suzette

Mocha religieuses — Mocha religieuses
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)

Mocha religieuses

Mocha religieuses

Chocolate liégeois — (Credits: Adele Brynne)

Chocolate liégeois

Chocolate liégeois

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Prune and brandy clafoutis

Prune and brandy clafoutis

Beignets — Beignets
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)

Beignets

Macarons with white chocolate and raspberry ganache — (Credits: William Meppem)

Macarons with white chocolate and raspberry ganache

Macarons with white chocolate and raspberry ganache

Savarins — Savarins
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)

Savarins

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slow cook lamb with rosemary pesto in baking dish.

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Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

O Tama Carey's braised beef brisket recipe

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Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

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Beetroot salad with barley and hazelnut

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Tony Tan's recipe for stir-fried beef with chilli bean paste, dried chilli and capsicums

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Gluten-free passionfruit and almond cake with honey-roasted pineapple by Frida's Field

Gluten-free cakes so good you won’t even know the difference

Cardamom and orange palmiers — Cardamom and orange palmiers
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)

Cardamom and orange palmiers

Cardamom and orange palmiers

Crushed strawberry and pistachio éclairs — Crushed strawberry and pistachio éclairs
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)

Crushed strawberry and pistachio éclairs

Crushed strawberry and pistachio éclairs

Passionfruit soufflés with vanilla Anglaise

Guillaume Brahimi’s passionfruit soufflés with vanilla anglaise

Guillaume Brahimi’s passionfruit soufflés with vanilla anglaise

Boozy crème caramel with grapefruit tuiles — Boozy crème caramel with grapefruit tuiles
(Credits: John Paul Urizar)

Boozy crème caramel with grapefruit tuiles

Boozy crème caramel with grapefruit tuiles

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Tarte fine aux pommes — Tarte fine aux pommes
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)

Tarte fine aux pommes

Tarte fine aux pommes

Blueberry-hazelnut clafoutis — Blueberry-hazelnut clafoutis
(Credits: John Paul Urizar)

Blueberry-hazelnut clafoutis

Blueberry-hazelnut clafoutis

Canelés with spiced hot chocolate — (Credits: Ben Dearnley)

Canelés with spiced hot chocolate

Canelés with spiced hot chocolate

Crème caramel — (Credits: Rob Shaw)

How to make crème caramel

How to make crème caramel

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slow cook lamb with rosemary pesto in baking dish.

Slow-cook recipes for when time is on your side

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Brought to you by Australian Pork

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

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Farro risotto with mushrooms, leek and parmesan

22 warming risotto recipes to cause a stir with

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

O Tama Carey's braised beef brisket recipe

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sumac-spiced pork cutlets with Brussels sprout salad

23 recipes for Brussels sprouts you’ll actually enjoy

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

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Beetroot salad with barley and hazelnut

74 beetroot recipes that taste as good as they look

Tony Tan's recipe for stir-fried beef with chilli bean paste, dried chilli and capsicums

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Gluten-free passionfruit and almond cake with honey-roasted pineapple by Frida's Field

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Five round glazed doughnuts with swirled ridges, on a grey rectangular plate, with a cup of tea in the top right corner. — (Credits: William Meppem)

French crullers

French crullers

Anise fougasse recipe — Anise fougasse recipe
(Credits: William Meppem)

Anise fougasse

Anise fougasse

Saffron and sour-cherry brioche — Saffron and sour-cherry brioche
(Credits: William Meppem)

Nadine Ingram’s saffron and sour-cherry brioche

Nadine Ingram’s saffron and sour-cherry brioche

Rum savarin with coconut cream and pineapple — (Credits: William Meppem)

Rum savarin with coconut cream and pineapple

Rum savarin with coconut cream and pineapple

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Gâteau Opéra — Gâteau Opéra
(Credits: William Meppem)

Gâteau Opéra

Gâteau Opéra

Pistachio and strawberry vacherin — Pistachio and strawberry vacherin
(Credits: William Meppem)

Pistachio and strawberry vacherin

Pistachio and strawberry vacherin

Fine apple tart — Fine apple tart
(Credits: Dean Wilmot)

How to make a fine apple tart

How to make a fine apple tart

Gâteau Saint-Honoré — Gâteau Saint-Honoré
(Credits: William Meppem)

Damien Pignolet’s guide to making gâteau Saint-Honoré

Damien Pignolet’s guide to making gâteau Saint-Honoré

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Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

slow cook lamb with rosemary pesto in baking dish.

Slow-cook recipes for when time is on your side

Australian Pork Easy Pork Recipes

12 easy pork recipes for fast weeknight dinners

Brought to you by Australian Pork

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

62 perfect prawn recipes for every season

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Farro risotto with mushrooms, leek and parmesan

22 warming risotto recipes to cause a stir with

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

O Tama Carey's braised beef brisket recipe

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sumac-spiced pork cutlets with Brussels sprout salad

23 recipes for Brussels sprouts you’ll actually enjoy

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

French cuisine Crêpes Suzette

French cuisine and classic French recipes to master

Beetroot salad with barley and hazelnut

74 beetroot recipes that taste as good as they look

Tony Tan's recipe for stir-fried beef with chilli bean paste, dried chilli and capsicums

27 of our best capsicum recipes

Gluten-free passionfruit and almond cake with honey-roasted pineapple by Frida's Field

Gluten-free cakes so good you won’t even know the difference

Crème brûlée with caramelized top and a scoop of ice cream on a white plate with a spoon beside it.

Crème brûlées

Crème brûlées

Jacques Reymond: Sugar tart — Jacques Reymond: Sugar tart
(Credits: Sharyn Cairns)

Sugar tart

Creamy souffle in a white ramekin with caramelized pineapple rings on a plate, accompanied by two spoons.

Mandarin soufflé with white chocolate sauce

Mandarin soufflé with white chocolate sauce

Chocolate mousse in a glass dish next to a bowl of poached pears in syrup on a white table setting.

Chocolate mousse

Chocolate mousse

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Croquembouche — Croquembouche
(Credits: Rob Shaw)

Damien Pignolet’s guide to making croquembouche

Damien Pignolet’s guide to making croquembouche

Chocolate and almond millefeuille
(Credits: Ben Dearnley (main))

Chocolate and almond millefeuille

Chocolate and almond millefeuille

Looking for more French desserts? Check out more French dessert recipes at Australian Women’s Weekly Food.

The Gourmet Traveller Team

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.

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