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    Home • Recipes • Meals

    French Desserts

    Easy French dessert recipes made lighter with less sugar. From crème caramel and chocolate mousse to classic fruit clafoutis, these are simple, authentic desserts with more flavour and less sweetness.

    Looking for a specific French dessert? Browse the recipe index to refine your search. Need gluten-free options? See my gluten-free desserts.

    • 2 scoops of rhubarb sorbet topped with a dried rhubarb chip
      Rhubarb Sorbet Recipe with Rose
    • bowl of bright red rhubarb compote
      Rhubarb Compote Recipe (Healthy & Lower Sugar)
    • shallow bowl of white poached vanilla peaches topped with homemade raspberry puree and vanilla ice cream with some fresh lemon verbena leaves
      Peach Melba - Authentic French Recipe
    • Pear Belle Helene, a poached pear on ice cream topped with chocolate sauce
      Poire Belle Hélène - Parisian Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce
    • Scooped out Maltese orange filled with chopped strawberries and orange and served in a bowl of crushed ice
      Strawberries with Orange (Fraises à la Maltaise)
    • large wine glasses with marinated strawberries in orange liqueur and orange topped with vanilla Chantilly cream
      Strawberries Romanoff (Fraises Romanoff)
    • dish of halved apricots baked with lavender and French honey
      Baked Apricots with Honey and Lavender
    • Baked cherry clafoutis dessert in a round dish topped with powdered sugar and flaked almonds
      Cherry Clafoutis Recipe - Traditional French Custard Dessert
    • plate with eiffel tower and circle of caramel sauce around a shiny creme caramel
      French Crème Caramel (flan aux oeufs au caramel)
    • baked pineapple with vanilla beans and rum caramel
      Baked Pineapple with Vanilla
    • individual serving dish of rhubarb crumble with oats
      Individual Rhubarb Crumble (French-Style with Oats)
    • large pot with a baked rice pudding covered in a thick caramel skin, spooning out a creamy mixture underneath with cinnamon and a traditional French Fallue brioche
      Baked Rice Pudding Recipe (French Teurgoule)
    • moist cake showing roasted rhubarb and toasted almonds on top
      Moist Rhubarb Cake with Almonds, Orange and Rose
    • blueberry clafoutis dessert with lemon and yellow edible pansies
      Blueberry Clafoutis with Lemon
    • slice of purple carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting
      Purple Carrot Cake
    • a large slice of chocolate cake topped with a rum glaze, toasted flaked almonds and gold leaf
      Almond Flour Chocolate Cake (Gâteau Reine de Saba)
    • long-stemmed cocktail glasses filled with light and fluffy strawberry mousse topped with strawberries and served with French tuile cookies
      Strawberry Mousse (Mousse à la fraise)
    • slice of pudding in a puddle of vanilla cream custard topped with nuts and berries
      French Semolina Cake (Gâteau de Semoule)
    • round pie dish with baked strawberries and almonds in a custard
      Strawberry Clafoutis with Almond Flour
    • holding a slice of raspberry clafoutis next to raspberries growing on bushes
      Raspberry Clafoutis (Light, Tangy French Dessert)
    • glass dish of chocolate mousse with cherries
      French Dark Chocolate Mousse (Mousse au Chocolat)
    • French tart au citron showing a glossy, clean cut slice topped with finely grated lemon and lime zest
      Tarte au Citron (French Lemon Tart)
    • glass bowls of rice puddings topped with golden sultana raisins
      French Rice Pudding (Riz au lait)
    • saint-germain cake, an almond tart with rum French speciality
      French Almond Cake (Le Saint-Germain)
    • ramekin dishes filled with rice puddings topped with toasted flaked almonds
      Almond Milk Rice Pudding (Vegan)
    • folded thin chocolate crepe pancakes 2 with designs
      Chocolate Crêpes Served French Style
    • lemon drizzle cake for Easter shaped like a nest topped with chocolate hen, macarons and eggs
      Gluten Free Lemon Cake with Almonds
    • round crepe pancake perfectly cooked in a pan
      French Pancakes (French Crêpes)
    • white chocolate mousse in a bowl with rose petals and love heart macaron
      White Chocolate Mousse with Rose
    • glass dessert dish of creamy pistachio panna cotta topped with a strawberry coulis
      Top 40 Valentine Dessert Ideas
    • cracking in to a milk chocolate crème brûlée showing a delicious set custard topped with a thin caramelised crust - served with halved passionfruits
      Milk Chocolate Crème Brûlée Recipe
    • sweet pastry dough or pate sucree for a tart, pricking with a fork for even baking
      Pâte Sucrée - Sweet Pastry for Tarts
    • honey parfaits on shortbread with raspberries and a macaron
      Cranachan Parfait - A French Twist to the Scottish Dessert
    • high raised round buttery biscuits with a rough texture with air-holes
      French Butter Cookies (Palets Bretons)
    • glazed chocolate coffee cakes, extra fudgy served with a cup of coffee
      Easy Chocolate Coffee Cakes
    • large apple cake showing moist inside with a slice removed, topped with a shiny glaze on a plate next to apples
      French Apple Cake - Joël Robuchon's Recipe
    • galette des rois French puff pastry almond cake glazed and decorated with a paper crown
      Traditional Galette des Rois Recipe
    • baked orange cheesecake topped with mango coulis
      Orange Cheesecake: Easy Baked Recipe that's Fresh and Zesty
    • upside down caramelised apple tart glistening on a glass plate
      Tarte Tatin Recipe
    • chestnut ice cream log filled with candied chestnuts, orange and topped with toasted meringue
      Ice Cream Yule Log (Bûche de Noël Glacée)
    • French vacherin ice cream meringue cake with layers
      French Ice Cream Cake (Vacherin Glacé)
    • chocolate disks topped with dried fruits and nuts
      Mendiants (French Chocolate Disks)

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    Portrait of Jill Colonna, French cookbook author in Paris
    Welcome

    Bonjour - I'm Jill

    Here you'll find easy French recipes worth coming back to.
    After 30+ years cooking for my French family in Paris, I share reliable recipes made with everyday ingredients - from family meals to classic French desserts with less sugar and more flavour.

    -> Plus discover France like a local.

    More About Jill

    Latest Summer Recipes

    • large wine glasses with marinated strawberries in orange liqueur and orange topped with vanilla Chantilly cream
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