Dessert is a last part of is a dinner course that completes the meal. The course usually consists of sweet foods, like baked confections for example, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine or liqueur; however, here in the United States, the dessert course may look a little different. It will usually include coffee, or glass of wine. The food items itself may go as far from traditional sweets as assortment of cheeses, nuts, or other savory items regarded as a separate course elsewhere. In some parts of the world, such as much of central and western Africa, and most parts of China and India, there is no tradition of a dessert course to end a meal.
The term dessert applies to many various creations, such as biscuits, cakes, cookies, custards, gelatins, ice creams, pastries, pies, puddings, sweet soups, and tarts. Fruit is also commonly found in dessert courses because of its naturally occurring sweetness. But its also depends how you did grow up, and what four family was doing about desserts. In my home, it was always ice cream, all year round, and till this day I have never ending love affair with it…always have a box in my freezer. No matter young or old, small or big; no matter where you live or what you do, and here in America, we love desserts.
So, join me today, on this journey to see what the most popular, most beloved American desserts are.
Smores – a large Marshmallow, roasted over open fire, until gooey inside, then sandwich between two Graham Crackers (to learn more, check the ultimate cookie post), and a square of chocolate, for maximum creaminess and melted goodness. Must have treat on all camping’s, and summer evenings around the pool. Truly taste of summer.
Chocolate chip cookie – Usually accompanied by a glass of milk, chocolate chip cookies are well balanced between salty and sweet in flavor, tenderly chewy in texture, and filled with chocolate chips, bringing a generation of Americans back to their childhood.
Cupcake – small cake that is baked in a thin paper cup mold. Here variations become endless. The base can be simple enough sponge cake recipe, chocolate or vanilla, stuffed or injected with extras like : pralines, chocolate mousse, jam, jellies, fruit compote, I think you getting an idea. All topped with butter cream, merengue, frosting. Decorations are a felid for imagination.
Apple pie – Truly an American classic, that originated in England. Everybody’s favorite pie when there is only one star of the dish is an apple. Either they are cut into small pieces, sliced, or leave chunky, always dusted with cinnamon, and sugar. In general, it is a double-crusted pie, with pastry both above and below the filling; the upper crust may be solid or latticed (woven of crosswise strips). It is often served with whipped cream or ice cream.
Carrot cake – truly American classic cake. Sweet cake, where the batter is made with lots of spices, alongside to raisins and wall nuts. It composes perfectly with not so sweet cream cheese frosting. Personally, one of my favorites, and I do not have a sweet tooth per se.
NY style Cheesecake – cheesecake is immensely popular dessert all over the country, but the NY style is an upgrade. Sweet, buttery, crumb base, topped with luscious and creamy cheese filling, always made with cream cheese. Traditionally served with cherry jam sauce.
Pecan pie – short crust pie shell, is filled with pecan nuts mixed with eggs, butter, and sugar (typically corn syrup). Variations may include white or brown sugar, cane syrup, sugar syrup, molasses, maple syrup, or honey. It is popularly served at Thanksgiving holiday meals. Word of warning: it is extremely sweet!
Boston cream pie – rich yellow buttery sponge cake makes the base of this dessert. Soft and fluffy, its split in two layers and filled with vanilla custard or cream in between and topped with chocolate glaze. Extremely popular as a doughnut variation, with the same principle. Yellow cake with custard inside, topped with chocolate.
Banana pudding – this layering dessert in general made ad s one large dish, or in individual portions. Layers of sweet vanilla flavored custard, interlayered with cookies usually Vanilla Wafers or ladyfingers (to learn more, check the ultimate cookie post) and topped with fresh sliced bananas. Topped with whipped cream or meringue.
Baked Alaska – This timeless American classic, or nowadays called “the Retro dessert”. The whole thing, which is not so easy to pull off, if you don’t have good amount time, consists of a sponge cake base ( any flavor profile you want) that is topped with ice cream( any flavor you desire), and the whole combination is then covered with a meringue, that is being piped in decorative way, and then the torch. He merengue is being browned creating that characteristic look, while the inside stays nice and cool.
Maple bacon doughnut – this American invention, when the love of bacon and the love of sweets, come together as one. that is commonly served for breakfast or as a dessert. The simple meal consists of a donut that is glazed with maple syrup and topped with a few crunched up slices of bacon.
Sweet potato pie – Sweet potato pie is a traditional dessert, originating in the Southern United States. It is mostly served during Thanksgiving and Christmas season. The short crust pastry base is filled with spices sweet potato custard. Swerved with hopped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Snickers salad – Snickers salad is a dessert salad that is made of a mix of mini Snickers bars, Granny Smith apples, whipped cream and often pudding or whipped topping served in a bowl. It is a potluck and party staple in Iowa.
Indiana sugar cream pie – also known as “Hoosier Pie”, it is a regional delight, created in 1800s. Sweet and buttery pie shell is filled with custard, with vanilla and nutmeg flavor profile. Consistency is somewhere between light and fluffy cream pie, and solid custard.
Banana foster – made basically from bananas and vanilla ice cream, with a sauce (butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, and banana liqueur). The butter, sugar and bananas are cooked, and then alcohol is added and lit. The bananas and sauce are then served over the ice cream. Popular toppings also include whipped cream and different types of nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc.). Preparation of the dish is often made into a tableside performance as a flambé.
Hummingbird cake – the recipe comes from The Southern States where this banana-pineapple spice cake is quite common. Ingredients include flour, sugar, salt, vegetable oil, ripe banana, pineapple, cinnamon, pecans, vanilla extract, eggs, and leavening agent. It is traditionally served with cream cheese frosting.
Black and white cookie – round cookie iced or frosted on one half with vanilla and on the other with chocolate. In the German language they are called “Amerikaner”. In NYC, the cake base is little much denser, than in the other parts of the country. They come in various sizes, from bite size to giant ones, but the most important thing is that no matter which size, all tastes delicious.
Grasshopper pie – inspired by 1950’s chocolate-mint cocktail, and it was a favorite of Southern wives hosting house parties. Originally, grasshopper pie always had a crust of either cookies or graham cracker crumbs, but today it is most often made with a base of Oreos, desiccated coconut, and butter, while the gelatin-set cream filling mainly consists of heavy cream flavored with crème de menthe—a sweet, mint-flavored liqueur—and melted marshmallows. Sometimes green food coloring is added, for stronger green color, so they pie may vary in appearance.
Snow cone – dessert made of shaved ice or ground-up ice and topped with sugary syrup. commonly served in paper cones or foam cups, commonly referred to as a “snowball”. Very versatile, and inexpensive dessert treat, most often sold in parks and beaches, during warm weather.
Strawberry shortcake – sweet cake or biscuit, crumbly bread that has been leavened with baking powder or baking soda. Sliced in half, and topped with whipped cream, freshly halved strawberries and strawberry fruit syrup. Simplicity at its best.
Rice crispy treats – treat beloved by children, and hated by mothers, because the sticky mess of making it. Commonly made through mixing crispy rice cereal, of your choice, together with melted butter or margarine and marshmallow. Then form in small balls, or flatten in a baking dish, to let it set, and cut into portions.
Pumpkin pie – crispy pie shell is filled with spiced, pumpkin-based custard. Generally eaten during the fall and early winter, usually prepared for Thanksgiving. Served with dollop of whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
Red velvet cake – traditionally a red, red-brown, crimson or scarlet-colored chocolate layer cake, layered with sweet cream cheese icing. Traditional recipes do not use food coloring. The color is achieved by adding cocoa to the mixture.
Funnel cake – a must have dessert prepared on all kinds of fairs and festivals. Sweet vanilla dough (waffle like consistency), is poured through the Funnel over hot oil, in a circular motion. Fried until crispy and golden brown, always dusted with powdered sugar.
Blueberry cobbler – deep-dish fruit dessert which combines fresh or frozen blueberries with a biscuit crust topping just like golden cobblestones. Extremely popular is also apple or peach variation.
Mississippi mud pie – dessert based on of a cookie crust filled with several ingredients such as biscuits, ice cream, pudding, whipped cream, liqueur, and marshmallows. The pie is usually preparation requires interchanging layers. Often topped with almonds, pecans, chocolate syrup, or marshmallows.
Doughnuts – round shaped fried dough treat or dessert food. The doughnut can be with a hole in the middle, or full round, stuffed with cream, Jelly or chocolate. Topped with icing, with sprinkles, with chocolate or just powdered sugar. Extremely popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms.
German chocolate cake – layered chocolate cake, both filled and topped with a coconut-pecan frosting. The filling is made of an egg and evaporated milk custard, with addition of coconut and pecans. The cake itself is moist and extremely rich chocolate sponge. Maraschino cherries are classically used as a garnish.
Brownies – simple chocolate sheet cake, that become inseparable part of American cuisine. Can be quite plain, then it is good for a sundae version, or fully stuffed with nuts, chocolate chips, coconut, or literally whatever your heart desire.
Blondies – A dessert bar called blondie, although like a regular brownie, is made with vanilla and brown sugar instead of cocoa and has no frosting. Typically, the batter will be enriched with various nuts and either white or dark chocolate chips. Blondie is a dessert on its own, but it can also be served in sundaes, paired with vanilla ice cream and caramel or butterscotch sauce.
Icebox cake – is a sweet dessert build from heavy cream, sugar, and chocolate cookies or wafers. The heavy cream is whipped into stiff peaks and combined with cookies to form interchanging layers of whipped cream and cookies. The mixture is then left in the icebox (refrigerator) to chill overnight.
Whoopie pie – two round mound-shaped pieces of usually chocolate cake with a sweet, creamy filling or frosting sandwiched between them. The classic option is a vanilla creme between the chocolate, although there are numerous holiday and seasonal flavor variations like birthday cake, lemon, pumpkin, gingerbread or other… the variations also applied to the flavor if the filling.
Banana split – ice cream-based dessert. In its traditional form it is served in a boat (elongated plate). A banana is cut in half lengthwise (hence the name) and laid in the dish, three different scoops of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry) served between the split bananas. A sauce or sauces (chocolate, strawberry, and caramel are traditional) are drizzled onto the ice cream. Sprinkled with crushed nuts (peanuts or walnuts) and topped with whipped cream a must with a maraschino cherry on top.
Key lime pie – this dessert is named after the small Key limes, which are more aromatic than the common Persian limes, and which have yellow, not green, juice. The pie itself is made of Key lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk. Topped with a meringue made from the egg whites, or with whipped cream; it may be cooked in a pie crust, graham cracker crust, or no crust.
Lemon meringue pie – short crust pastry shell that is filled with lemon curd. Topped with Meringue, that is piped in fancy design, and traditionally torches, to give it that traditional look.
Ambrosia salad – dessert and a salad, 2 in 1. typically consists of pineapples, mandarin oranges, coconut, and mini marshmallows, but it can also be enriched with ingredients such as bananas, strawberries, pecans, cherries, whipped cream, yogurt, or cottage cheese.
Apple crisp – one of the desserts that do not have a traditional baked bottom. Chopped apples are topped with generous amount of cinnamon and sugar, are covered with a crumbly strussel topping (crunchy Oatmeal, nuts, coconut, butter and sugar). Whole the top is Crispin up, the fruit layer releases all its juices, making the combination quite irresistible. Served hot, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Lemon bars – “cookie bar” that has the texture of a firm cake, but it is still softer than traditional cookie. They are baked in the sheet pans, and then cut into square portions the oven. The cakey bottom is topped with lemon custard, occasionally with the candied zest on top.
Candied apples – invented in New Jersey, in 1908. Those glossy apples get their look from a sugary syrup, mixes with food coloring and cinnamon flavoring, that they are dipped in. Always on a stick, with its traditional red shine. One of the favorite fall treats.
Bourbon ball – treat invented in Kentucky. Made of a sizable amount bourbon, pecans, wafer crumbs, butter, and chocolate. Till today still favorite amongst the Southern families, and it is traditionally served during holiday seasons.
Brownie sundae – as the name suggests, a nice warm square of chocolate brownie, topped with vanilla ice cream. Optional toppings (like chocolate sauce, candied nuts, or sprinkles) are always welcome, going with the rule: more then merrier.
Moon pie – is a store-bought large sandwich cookie. Marshmallow is sandwich between graham cracker, and fully dipped in chocolate.
Apple dumpling – dumpling filled with apples, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and sometimes raisins. The dish is traditionally baked until it builds a tender texture, and it is often served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
Dirt cake – is a no bake dessert made with Oreo cookies, pudding, and whipped cream on top. The name of the dish refers to the fact that the cake has a rough, messy, and dirty look. Traditionally gummy worms are placed on top of the cake along with the whipped cream, acting as a decoration, and to bring the resemblance of garden soil with warms.
Chiffon Pie – incredibly light, mousse-like filling (based on egg whites) and a crisp base, made of graham Crackers. This American classic, was created in 1926 in Los Angeles. The flavoring composition, it completely up to the baker’s taste. The cakes come as chocolate, vanilla, lemon, or fruits ones.
Bundt cake – This ring-shaped cake has an open center that allows the cake to cook evenly. However, a Bundt cake does not refer to a particular recipe, but rather the characterizing feature of one is the cake shape itself, though pound cake seems to be one of the most popular recipes to use with this type of pan. The delicious Bundt cakes are best enjoyed topped with a drizzle of icing, and typically served with a cup of tea in the afternoon.
Texas sheet cake – this dessert is made with a combination of buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, sugar, flour, butter, and cocoa, and pour directly on baking sheet (hence the name), instead of the cake tin. Once baked, the hot chocolate cake is topped with a crunchy icing mixed with pecan pieces.
Oatmeal raisin cookie – Second most popular cookie, just after the chocolate chip one. This versatile American cookie usually consists of rolled oats, sugar, eggs, butter, and spices. Often, the recipes will also include raisins. It is believed that oatmeal cookies developed from Scottish oat-based cakes.
Oreo – is a sandwich cookie consisting of two chocolate wafers with a sweet crème filling. Introduced in 1912, Oreo is the bestselling cookie brand in the United States. Nowadays you can find many different flavor combinations and seasonal variations.
Fudge – this creamy treat is made with milk, sugar, butter, and various toppings and flavorings. It is created by boiling milk, butter, and sugar to a degree of 240 °F/116 °C, and then beating it while it cools down to keep the creaminess. Spread in a baking dish to cool off to the consistency of a firm block, which are cut into delicate individual pieces. Most Popular are vanilla, chocolate, toffee and butterscotch flavors. It comes plain or with variations of toppings.
Milkshake – a drink made of ice cream of your choosing, blended with milk. Additions are unlimited. From chocolate or caramel sauce, to pieces of candies, fruits, chocolates and many more… Traditionally topped with whipped cream and a cherry.
Molten chocolate cake – or “lava cake”, combines the elements of a chocolate cake and a soufflé (light and airy French dessert made with egg whites). Stuffed with a chocolate inside, that getting melty while baking. It gets its name from the dessert’s liquid chocolate center.
Bread pudding – traditional bread pudding is made with cubed bread tossed in a simple custard (eggs and milk mixture) and baked until golden. There are plenty of variations, when it comes to flavor and additions in a baking dish, like nuts, raisins, pumpkin, chocolate chips etc. All depends on the baker’s taste.
Butterscotch pudding – caramelized brown sugar that is blended with a creamy mixture of butter, milk, and eggs. When cooked, it transforms into a thick, velvety custard which is traditionally served well-chilled, merely topped with a dollop of whipped cream.
Ice Cream Sundae – this dessert that typically consists of one or more scoops of ice cream topped with sauce or syrup and in some cases other toppings such as: sprinkles, whipped cream, marshmallows, peanuts, maraschino cherries, or other fruits (e.g. bananas and pineapple in a banana split).
