This One Paris Baguette Pastry Easily Outshines The Rest

When you can't hop on a flight to experience a traditional breakfast in France, Paris Baguette provides a more convenient option. The French-style bakery chain offers an assortment of treats and drinks that can have you sampling the good life, as long as you know what to order. To help circumnavigate any early morning pastry faux pas, one of our Tasting Table writers ate and ranked nine pastries at Paris Baguette. One was a clear winner, and our writer isn't the only one who thinks so. 

Chaussons aux Pommes is basically an apple turnover. Paris Baguette's version is made with a buttery, flaky puff pastry that is packed with a sweet apple filling. Our writer noted the shiny glazed surface and scalloped edges before waxing poetic about the taste of the apple filling and wishing there was more of it. For another customer, Paris Baguette's Chaussons aux Pommes was perfectly laminated and buttery, and the glossy surface led to a tender and toothsome bite that stood out from other menu items. 

Though one YouTuber initially described the pastry as "not much there," the experience of a buttery, crumbly, and flaky pastry won the sampler over, and the reviewer described the apple filling as deliciously sweet and tart. Just like our writer, this customer wanted more of the filling and ultimately rated the order an 8 out of 10. A separate customer echoed the shared sentiment that there isn't enough apple pie filling in the pastry.

Filling pastries with ingredients certainly isn't a unique concept, as you can find both savory and sweet versions of this recipe in almost every country. The practice of placing apples into dough is believed to be French, however, and the recipe to make Chaussons aux Pommes is thought to have been created in 1630 in a town called Saint Calais. At the time, an epidemic had swept the area, and flour and apples were passed out to those of humble means who then made these pastries. Though the pastry is a classic, different versions of the recipe exist since bakers have looked to perfect both the exterior and the apple filling used to make these beauties. 

Pommes, the word for apples, and chuasson, the word for slippers, is the right phrasing for this cozy treat, as the pastry slightly resembles the tip of a shoe. For those who are fans of this apple pastry and happen to find themselves in France, the creation of the Chaussons aux Pommes is celebrated each year with a lively festival where local bakers make Chaussons aux Pommes in ovens placed on the street to quickly distribute. Otherwise, you can visit Paris Baguette and enjoy the treat with your favorite coffee drink — no boarding pass required.