Callebaut call this the original French biscuit crunch: fine, golden flakes of crushed crêpes dentelles that bring a light, caramelised biscuit note and a clean shatter to anything fat based you fold them through. It is the crunch behind a praliné feuilletine layer, the texture in a filled bonbon, and the quickest way to add a crispy texture to desserts.

The flakes are dry, loose and ready to work, with no toasting or crushing needed first. Callebaut build this one on a blend of rapeseed oil and milkfat rather than concentrated butter, and at 12% total fat it is the richer of the two feuilletines we stock. It comes in a 2.5kg box, and a little goes a long way once it is folded through a praline.

What Is Feuilletine? 

Pailleté Feuilletine is crêpe dentelle — the thin, lace-like French wafer — crushed into fine flakes. Feuille is the French for leaf, which is exactly what the flakes look like. Pastry chefs use it wherever a chocolate or praline base needs bite, and it has become the standard way of building crunch into bonbons, bars and entremets without making a caramelised biscuit from scratch. Callebaut's version is made in Belgium and comes ready to use straight from the box.

How to Use Pailleté Feuilletine 

Stir the flakes into melted chocolate, praline or gianduja and stop the moment they are coated, since over-mixing crushes them and takes the crunch with it. Use a heavier hand for a base you intend to cut, a lighter one for an insert that should stay yielding. Spread between acetate, set at room temperature and cut while the layer is firm but not hard. They also need no mixing at all: scattered over a mousse, an ice cream or a plated dessert at the last moment, they stay crisp and catch the light.

Troubleshooting 

Water is the enemy. Callebaut's chefs advise against mixing Pailleté Feuilletine into cream, dairy or liquid bases, because the flakes absorb moisture and go soft. Where you want crunch inside a ganache, enclose it in chocolate or praline first. Keep the box closed, dry and between 12 and 20°C, and away from strong smells, which biscuit takes up quickly.

Pairings and Ideas 

This is a natural partner for hazelnut, almond, pistachio, caramel, coffee, date, milk and dark chocolate and warm spice. It's also a popular ingredient during Ramadan and Eid, when crunch runs through so much of the dessert and gifting work, and the product is certified Halal. A few ideas to try:

• Crunchy praliné layers in moulded bonbons and bars
• Biscuit bases under caramel or chocolate entremets
• Date and orange blossom slices with a crisp biscuit base
• Feuilletine folded through gianduja for a softer bite
• Crunch layers in viennoiserie, cakes and traybakes
• Scattered over mousse, gelato or a plated dessert to order