Classic French Desserts and Pastries for Christmas

The first Christmas yule log cake or Buche de Noel recipe was cleverly created in the late 1800s by a French pastry chef. This chocolate Buche de Noel recipe showcases a light-as-air, vanilla Genoise cake rolled into a cylinder with the richest, homemade chocolate buttercream frosting.

Madeleines are a classic French small bake. The delightful little cakes deserve to be at every celebration. Include them with a little chocolate and you hit the jackpot.

There is no better way to truly celebrate than with a plate of delicious Almond macarons. They are one of the prettiest confections and also utterly delicious. What is not to like?

These warm, buttery, and flaky little morsels are so lovely with a glass of something at Christmas. 

This quince paste recipe is in the classic style of Cotignac D'Orleans. A specialty of the French city of Orleans since the 15th century, this quince paste is notably less sweet than similarly prepared pates de fruits, or fruit paste candy. The paste is known in other countries as a quince cheese, and in Spain as Membrillo. Serve slices of the prepared quince paste with a selection of cheese, nuts, and fruit on a cheese board. The paste is also delicious with cold game meats such as venison.

Most of the world’s supply of Calissons—a unique almond paste candy—comes from Aix en Provence. Most visitors to Aix come away with a penchant for the distinctive candy. They’re hard to find, but taking the time to make them from scratch is worth the effort.

Fougasse or pompe à l'Huile, an olive oil flatbread, is eaten with grape jam made during the last harvest season. The tradition is to break the bread into individual servings with the fingers, rather than cut the bread with a knife.  The legend goes that this protects your wealth from bankruptcy in the coming year.

The "four beggars" portion of lez treize stands for four monastic communities: Augustinians, Carmelites, Dominicans, and Franciscans. Walnuts stand for the Augustinians,...MORE almonds for the Carmelites, raisins for the Dominicans, and figs for the Franciscans. A platter of fresh fruit usually counts as one dessert, and is always served after Gros Souper. It can be a selection of oranges, apples, pears, and grapes. Any combination of seasonal fruit is welcome, and fresh berries rarely make the list, although they would be considered acceptable, as well.

Croquembouche is a traditional French wedding cake. It is also served for special occasions and for the holidays. The traditional croquembouche recipe is made with vanilla pastry cream and decorated with sugared almonds. Modern croquembouches are made with creative pastry cream flavors and decorated with flowers, sugar art, and even melted chocolate.

This opera cake recipe is well worth the time investment. Layers of light almond sponge cake, coffee buttercream, and dark chocolate ganache make it the showstopping dessert.

Irresistibly fragrant, this speculaas recipe makes a crispy, not-too-sweet cookie that begs to be dipped in coffee. The varied blend of aromatic spices in this recipe creates the signature flavor by which Belgian speculaas cookies have been known for centuries.

Creme au caramel, also known as creme caramel, is a wonderful dessert recipe for dinner parties. Not only is the flavor mellow, sophisticated, and versatile; this bistro classic can be made up to one day in advance. Served in an impressive pool of homemade caramel, it needs no garnish other than an attractive plate.

Soft melting dark chocolate ganache lavishly dusted with cocoa powder is a treat like no other. These French dark chocolate truffles are so delicious, so flavorful, that they require eating slowly.

This is the quintessential French tart, found at patisseries and cafes year-round and is especially good for holiday times. Cool, sharp lemon filling contrasts nicely with the flaky, slightly sweet pastry. A little dollop of Chantilly cream served with the dessert makes the ideal treat.

If chestnuts roasting over a crackling fire are evocative of happy times and holidays, then candied chestnuts are their luxurious cousins, served only as the most indulgent of treats. So beloved is the flavor in France, that the Berthillon Glacier in Paris usually sells out of their dreamy marron glacé within hours. 

Take one bite of this apple cider pound cake recipe and you'll be transported to the orchard country of Normandy. This deliciously spiced quatre quarts cake was, in fact,  inspired by a drive on La Route des Cidres in Quebec which, like Normandy, is dotted with apple orchards, cider houses, and picturesque inns. 

The best first French recipes to learn must be a simple chocolate soufflé. The soufflé is a magical, airy, delicious, and complex confection that perfectly rounds out any meal. Served fresh out of the oven, they delight and impress your family and dinner guests.

Poached pears make for an exceptional, appealing dessert. This recipe showcases fresh pears poached in wine syrup until they turn buttery soft and a gorgeous, ruby red color.

Oeufs a la neige, or eggs in snow, makes an elegant presentation for your holiday festivities yet are not overly heavy after a full meal.