The Afterschool Snack French Moms Swear By

First off: It’s a lot of bread. My son actually ditched the top half of the baguette and ate it open-faced, which honestly worked better. Even then, between the butter and the chocolate, it’s still a pretty filling snack.

But here’s the thing—it’s meant to be. French kids don’t graze all day; le goûter is their one and only snack between lunch and a late dinner (around 8 p.m.). Meanwhile, my kids have a morning snack, an afternoon snack and then eat dinner by 5:30 (with three kids under six, early dinners mean everyone gets to bed at a decent hour).

So, would I serve this again? Definitely, but probably more as a Friday treat and not on the regular. Still, I kind of love how unapologetically relaxed the French are about it. While I’m busy Googling “healthy hidden veggie muffins” or convincing myself that fruit counts as excitement, the French are handing their kids bread, butter and chocolate and calling it a day.