16 Best French Pastries - How To Make French Pastries

1Pain Au ChocolatPHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

If you’re looking for a fun baking project to tackle, this is it. The time may seem daunting, but a huge chunk of that is hands-off. The reward of freshly baked, flaky chocolate croissants is WELL worth it.

Get the Pain Au Chocolat recipe.

2Profiteroles profiteroles drizzled with chocolate and filled with vanilla ice cream PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Profiteroles sound fancy, but don’t be intimidated. They’re basically just little ice cream-filled, melted chocolate-covered puffs of goodness that are surprisingly straightforward to make.

Get the Profiteroles recipe.

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3French Macarons yellow, pink, and green macarons lined up together PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON

Featuring crisp, shiny shells sandwiching a luscious rich filling, these classy French delicacies are sure to impress and delight anyone who tastes them. Macarons have a reputation for being technically challenging and finicky to make, but don’t be intimidated! Follow our tips to turn out great ones every time.

Get the French Macarons recipe.

4French MadeleinesPHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: DREW AICHELE

Madeleines are little French butter cakes, but they can carry whatever flavoring you add to them. This recipe uses browned butter and almond extract for extra nuttiness with orange zest instead of the traditional lemon zest to add a pop of brightness and color.

Get the French Madeleines recipe.

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5Financiers a group of financiers topped with different ingredients like raspberries, pistachios, and sliced almonds PHOTO: LUCY SCHAEFFER PHOTOGRAPHY; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Bring a petite taste of France into your kitchen with a batch of these nutty financiers. Unlike madeleines (their cookie cousins), financiers are made with almond flour, nutty browned butter, and egg whites to keep them light and airy.

Get the Financiers recipe.

6Apple Tart food, dish, cuisine, baked goods, ingredient, pastry, dessert, danish pastry, curry puff, puff pastry, PARKER FEIERBACH

A classic French apple tart would usually involve cooking down an apple compote to go on top of the crust and under the spiral of apples. Not here. Instead, we macerate the slices to make sure they still get nice and jammy in the oven, with less work.

Get the Apple Tart recipe.

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7Fast(er) Homemade Croissants croissants on a purple background ANDREW BUI

There’s really no such thing as a quick croissant, but this recipe is about as fast as they come. The dough is basically a borrowed pie crust technique, cutting large chunks of cold butter into flour and skipping the intimidating traditional laminating process.

Get the Fast(er) Homemade Croissants recipe.

8PalmiersEmily Hlavac Green

Palmiers, also known as elephant ears due to their shape, are delicious and so simple to make. Sugar is sprinkled on top of flaky layers of puff pastry and then rolled so that when cut the cookies look like little hearts. So cute!

Get the Palmiers recipe.

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9Tarte TatinJoel Goldberg

This classic tart construction relies on fruit being laid over caramel then topped with puff pastry. The caramel might be a little tricky, but we promise going low and slow and resisting the urge to stir is the way to make sure that you have the perfect caramelized bottom.

Get the Tarte Tatin recipe.

10BeignetsETHAN CALABRESE

Traditional New Orleans beignets are a fried pastry made from French pâte à choux, an eggy yeasted dough used for things like profiteroles and eclairs. To make things simpler, we made a unyeasted dough that comes together and fries up in minutes. Let the good times roll!

Get the Beignets recipe.

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11Fruit TartAMANDA GRYPHON

The mascarpone filling is light, slightly tart, and just sweet enough to pair well with the apricot preserve-glazed fruit of your choice. Bonus: the shortbread-like crust here gets pressed in rather than rolled out, which makes it no-fuss and stress-free.

Get the Fruit Tart recipe.

12Napoleon CakePHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

Elegant in its simplicity, this creamy cool dessert inspired by French millefeuille is summer at its best. It’s got layers and layers of flaky puff pastry and homemade vanilla pastry cream, covered with more pastry cream and puff pastry crumbs and decorated with fresh fruit. 😍

Get the Napoleon Cake recipe.

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13Galette De Rois slice of galette de rois ANDREW BUI

While Mardi Gras king cake is made of a yeasted dough rolled with a cinnamon sugar filling, galette de rois is made of puff pastry sheets filled with almond frangipane and jam. Prior to baking, the puff pastry is scored and egg washed, giving the final pastry a beautiful golden hue.

Get the Galette De Rois recipe.

14French Apple Tart french apple tart cut into 9 pieces Joel Goldberg

This tart is so easy to make and uses store-bought puff pastry dough, meaning it can be ready in under an hour. The glaze uses a little Grand Marnier, which can be left out or replaced with rum or cognac. It really brings the whole tart together, and we highly recommend it!

Get the French Apple Tart recipe.

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15Lemon TartPark Feierbach16Tomato & Brie Tart tomato and brie tart PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: ERIKA JOYCE