These thin pancakes are made with wheat flour, and have origins in the French region of Brittany. Although they are a French staple and a national dish, crêpes are so popular that they have spread worldwide since the turn of the 20th century, when white wheat flour became affordable.
These delectable treats are made with flour, eggs, milk, and butter whipped into a thin batter, which is then poured in a crêpe pan and fried. The tradition is to flip them in the air as they cook, and they say that if you catch it in the pan, your family will be well-off for the rest of the year.
VARIATIONS OF Crêpes
MOST ICONIC Crêpes
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Chocolate soufflé is an exquisite French dessert that combines dark chocolate with a creamy egg yolk base and fluffy egg whites. Typically prepared in small ramekins, it should always be lightly baked in order to stay soft and velvety in the middle, with a delectable, crunchy top.
Just like other soufflé varieties, the chocolate version is also considered to be technically challenging, but if done properly, it results in a wonderfully delicate sweet treat. Even though it is not considered to be one of the first soufflé versions, which were originally prepared as savory dishes, today it is one of the most popular interpretations of this internationally acclaimed dessert.
MOST ICONIC Soufflé au chocolat
Crêpes sucrées are sweet crepes, a type of very thin pancake originating from France. The term "sucrées" means "sugared" in French, indicating that these crepes are meant to be served with sweet fillings or toppings. They are made from a simple batter consisting of flour, milk, eggs, a pinch of salt, and sometimes a bit of sugar and butter.
Unlike their savory counterpart, known as "crêpes salées" (or "galettes" in some regions of France), sweet crêpes are usually made with white wheat flour and often have a bit of sugar added to the batter. Sweet crepes can be filled or topped with a variety of ingredients such as powdered sugar, whipped cream, fruit preserves, fresh fruits, nutella, honey, and maple syrup.
VARIATIONS OF Crêpes sucrées
MOST ICONIC Crêpes sucrées
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Nutella crêpes is a popular variation of a sweet crêpe that is generously spread with Nutella, a hazelnut cocoa spread. This indulgent treat combines the soft, warm texture of a freshly made crêpe with the rich, creamy flavor of Nutella, making it a favorite among both children and adults.
A basic crêpe batter made with flour, eggs, milk, a pinch of salt, and sometimes a little sugar and vanilla for added sweetness is cooked on a flat griddle or in a crêpe pan to create a thin pancake. Once the crêpe is cooked to a light golden brown and is still hot, a generous amount of Nutella is spread over one-half or the entire surface of the crêpe.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Crêpes Normande can best be described as apple pie inside a crêpe. For the filling, fresh, tart apples are browned in butter, sugar, and cinnamon, while the crêpes are made with a combination of flour, milk, eggs, sugar, and a pinch of salt.
It is recommended to serve the crêpes topped with whipped cream, accompanied by a scoop of ice cream on the side, and it couldn't hurt to drizzle them with sweet caramel syrup to finish the whole thing.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
This traditional egg custard dessert consists of egg yolks, cream, sugar, and vanilla, with a hard, burnt, toffee crust. The combination is cooked, transferred into ramekins, poached in a bain-marie, then well chilled. The chilled custard is typically set in wide, flat dishes, and is then topped with brown sugar which is either caramelized under a broiler or with a blowtorch.
The origins of the dish are quite unclear, and England, Spain, and France all claim to have invented it. However, most food historians agree that custards were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, and recipes for custards circulated throughout Europe for centuries.
MOST ICONIC Crème brûlée
View moreDelicious and fragrant waffles are the most famous Belgian culinary trademark. Made with thick dough or thin batter, the cakes are baked in a specially designed waffle iron which creates an unusual checkered pattern on the top and bottom of each cake.
In Belgium, there are two distinct varieties of this national dessert: the light Brussels waffle, and the denser Liege waffle. The key distinction is in the batter: while the Brussels waffle batter is thin and runny, the Liege variety is made with a thick, brioche-like dough which produces a cake with uneven edges and dense texture.
This wildly popular French dessert is beloved all over the world – known to gourmets for its soft, airy texture, and infamous among chefs for its unforgiving nature, which leaves little to no room for error during the cooking process. This delicate cake consists of two elements: a pudding or cream base, and a meringue made of egg whites.
Soufflés can be either sweet or savory. Sweet soufflés typically have a sauce in the middle, and are served almost exclusively as a dessert. Savory soufflés often include ingredients such as cheese, crab, or onions, and they are usually served as an appetizer.
MOST ICONIC Soufflé
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
This classic French dessert is made with dark chocolate, eggs, butter, and sugar. It is characterized by its foamy, bubbly texture and rich chocolate flavor. Its origins, however, are still relatively unknown. The French have been cooking with chocolate since the 17th century, when it was introduced to France by the Spaniards.
Mousse originated in the 18th century as a cooking technique, so it was only a matter of time until the French started using chocolate in the preparation of mousse. Today, mousse au chocolat is commonly decorated with flakes or chunks of chocolate on top, adding contrast to the flavor and smooth texture of the mousse.
MOST ICONIC Mousse au chocolat
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Pain au chocolat is a French viennoiserie roll made with a combination of rectangular, yeast-leavened dough and a few chocolate sticks or chocolate ganache. The filled dough is rolled, baked, then served, ideally while still hot or warm. This flaky pastry can be bought at numerous French bakeries and supermarkets.
Interestingly, another name for pain au chocolat is chocolatine, and it is mostly used in the southwest of the country. In Bordeaux, there is even a case where customers had to pay more if they ordered a pain au chocolat rather than a chocolatine.
MOST ICONIC Pain au chocolat
View more
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 100 French Desserts” list until March 15, 2025, 13,493 ratings were recorded, of which 11,820 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.