1. Madeleine
Of all the treats on this list, the madeleine is undoubtedly the most memorable. Small, shell-shaped and beautifully bright when baked properly, madeleines can be found piled high in pastry shop windows across the city. Often eaten plain or with jam or grated coconut, this cake is often called the “muse of the French tea party” with each bite revealing the rich buttery aroma and the sweet honey flavor that melts on the tip of the tongue.
2. Tarte Tatin upside down apple pie
This sweet and fragrant apple tart is actually a famous “fire-fighting” move by the Tatin sisters: they accidentally overcooked the apple filling and caramelized sugar in the pan, causing the edges to slightly scorch. Because of the time crunch, they covered the filling with a layer of pastry dough and baked the whole thing. From then on, the upside-down apple tart was born and named after them - tarte tatin. With the rich, buttery aroma permeating each piece of fresh apple and the golden brown color of caramel covering the surface, the soft, glossy apple pie will be perfect when served with a scoop of cool, white vanilla ice cream.
3. Mille-feuille
Mille-Feuille is one of the oldest traditional cakes in France with the fragrant buttery layered sponge cake crust and pastry cream filling made from selected ingredients, sometimes also replaced with whipping cream or jam. The topping layer on top is usually dusted with powdered sugar, cocoa or almonds.
4. Crème brûlée
Crème brûlée is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hard caramel. The French, the English, and the Catalans all claim to have invented the crème brûlée recipe, but the French are the ones who put crème brûlée on every menu in the country.
5. Macarons
The name “macaron” means “smooth dough” because the surface of the cake is very smooth. The first macarons were made from almond flour, sugar, egg whites and had a simple round shape like normal cookies. Later, macarons had two layers of cake and a filling in the middle. The traditional filling of this lovely cake is chocolate, a typical sweet flavor of France. However, today macarons come in many colors with fillings of various flavors such as orange, lemon, mango... very interesting.
6. Mendiant Candy
Mendiant is a famous French chocolate candy with extremely careful and elaborate decoration. On the surface of these small round candies, there is usually a dried fig, an almond, a raisin and a hazelnut; symbolizing the colors of the four religious orders: dried fig for Franciscans, almond for Carmelites, raisin for Dominicans and hazelnut for Augustinians.
In addition to the above ingredients, mendiant is sometimes filled with pistachios, other dried fruits and nuts. This type of candy is very popular, you can find it in almost every confectionery shop in France.
7. Crème caramel
With a custard base and a caramel topping, this dessert is similar to crème brûlée, but crème caramel's caramel layer is softer and not as crispy as crème brûlée's.
8. Canelé
A Bordeaux specialty, the canelé is a soft custard filled with a crunchy caramel shell flavored with vanilla and rum. Despite its boozy flavor, the canelé can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, accompanied by a cup of tea or a glass of wine.
9. Chocolate Mousse Cake
Mousse au chocolat is one of the most popular desserts in France and is loved in many places around the world. A cake with a characteristic soft and smooth texture, combined with a delicious and rich chocolate flavor that never ceases to be attractive to chocolate lovers, it will definitely be the perfect dessert for any meal.
10. Nougat Candy
Nougat is a confection made from sugar or honey, roasted nuts (such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts or macadamia nuts), beaten egg whites, and sometimes chopped candied fruit. Nougat has a chewy consistency and is often added as a secondary ingredient in many different types of candies and chocolates.
