The best pastries to treat yourself during the festive season

World pastry champion Etienne Leroy has put his talent and know-how at the service of Lenôtre to bring you sweet delights for Christmas. Like a luxury jewel in an imaginary garden, the logs are adorned with crystal leaves and sculpted chocolate branches.

The chef’s signature buche takes the form of a traditional couronne as if to welcome guests, and has the taste of comforting chocolate enhanced by citrus scents.

To continue your stroll through the garden, the chocolate and caramel log will envelop your palate in sweetness, the hazelnut and caramel log will remind you of childhood, and to wake up your taste buds, the citrus garden and festive night logs will be perfect.

Find out more about Lenôtre

The 2024 ‘Pierre par Pierre’ collection is inspired by the earth and the world of minerals. Top chef Pierre Hermé unveils simple, highly personal recipes.

The Aurora log is a fairy-tale shade of pink, enchanting young and old alike. Lemon shortbread, puff pastry soaked in bergamot syrup, bergamot jelly and cream, rose mascarpone cream, for a floral New Year’s Eve treat.

Of course, the recipes that have made the pastry house such a success are back, including the Infiniment Praliné Noisette, Ispahan and Plaisir Sucré entremets.

Sweet or savoury, Conticini has been making French gastronomy shine since the 1980s, both in France and abroad. For Christmas, its Gâteau d’émotions boutique is honouring tradition with its buche Coco choco, an ultra gourmet coconut biscuit with a chocolate crunch and a creamy coconut insert, all coated in a delicious milk chocolate mousse. You can also count on the house’s classic recipes, namely the vanilla log, the chocolate-vanilla log and the coco-exotic log, to satisfy every palate.

Find out more about Philippe Conticini.

Pastry chef Olivier Adam, undisputed master of the éclair, also excels in the art of the Christmas log. He’s at it again with his bûche Malmö, a little chocolate bear on a sleigh made from chestnut mousse and cream, clementine confit, chestnut biscuit and crunchy praline. A creation that will delight the taste buds of young and old alike. This winter, Christmas is all about childhood.

Find out more about l’Eclair de Génie.

Could Panettone be THE new Chocolate log? Though some may not like the idea, this Italian brioche delight with dried fruit is making its merry way to our tables for dessert. With its shape suggesting a Christmas tree, sprinkled with icing sugar for a snowy touch, its delicious spongy texture and its typical winter flavours, it’ll add a touch of sweetness to your end-of-year festivities. In Paris, the Panettone master is Christophe Louie. A trained pastry chef, he learned the art of making this famous brioche-type dessert in Italy. For Christmas, he offers his signature creation in various versions: traditional, chocolate, orange blossom, or Pandoro, the famous speciality from Verona.

Find out more about Christophe Louie

Like a dream full of softness and lightness, the chefs Alleno and Rivoire have imagined a collection in the clouds for Christmas. The snowy buche is made up of a soft biscuit, a hazelnut crunch and an airy vanilla mousse with a heart of burnt vanilla praline.

Cyril Lignac, the most talked-about chef, needs no introduction. His signature Equinoxe log is made with a light vanilla cream, a caramel centre and a speculoos praline crunch. A recipe that’s sure to make hearts skip a beat. If you’re thinking of opting for a more traditional Christmas dessert, the pistachio, chocolate or blood orange logs will make your mouth water.