Every state in America has its most traditional, most popular, and most iconic foods. My previous post was about the iconic dishes, so now, in the second one we focused on the most iconic pies, so now naturally is time for something sweet – the desserts! There are so many local varieties, which are worth to try in every state; you will need a long time, and good stomach to try them all.
Today, I have decided to focus on this one, most iconic piece of dessert in every state, everybody cannot stop talking about. Which you have to try, as soon you come for the visit…
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Alabama – lane cake
A prize-winning creation from Alabama. Said to have been invented by Emma Rylander Lane, who won the first prize at a country fair. The lane cake is a sponge cake with a filling of pecans, raisins and coconut soaked in bourbon and then frosted either just on the top or the sides too; the original recipe says to bake the layers in pie tins rather than cake pans and most would leave it unfrosted for around a week before serving to let the sponge infuse with the flavors. The cake also has a noteworthy mention in Harper Lee’s book “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Alaska – Baked Alaska
Even thou baked Alaska was not actually created in Alaska, however, it was first served as a tribute to the new state. While various accounts of who invented the dessert exist – the most popular one’s credit chef Charles Ranhofer at Delmonico’s in New York as the creator – it is almost certain the dish was first made in 1867 to honor and celebrate the purchase of Alaska from the then Russian Empire. A white mountain of meringue, encasing four layers of ice cream and sponge, the dessert bears resemblance to the snow-capped Mount Denali (formerly Mount McKinley).
Arizona – Sopaipilla
Although the name is South American (you will find similar versions of the dish in Chile, Peru, and other countries), the dish much loved in Arizona is Navajo in origin. The light and crispy dough that is fried and served with sweet toppings has evolved from the traditional Navajo fry bread. A simple combination of flour, baking powder, butter, water and milk, the dough is rolled thin and cut into triangles or squares before frying. The golden dough shapes are then topped with sugar, cinnamon and sometimes honey.
Arkansas – Chocolate rolls
“Searcy County” in the Arkansas Ozarks has named itself the Chocolate Roll Capital of the World, and for good reason. This long-time homegrown favorite has recently emerged as a contender for great dessert across Arkansas. The chocolate roll is thought to have originated in Northern Arkansas, around the 1880s. The sweet treat is a wonderful combination of cocoa, butter, and sugar rolled into a gooey pastry. Not fried pie, nor cinnamon roll, the chocolate roll is a unique Arkansas tradition.
California – Meyer lemon cake
Although there are many sweet treats that can be attributed to this West Coast state, Meyer lemons are as Californian as it gets. A cross between a lemon and an orange, Meyer lemons grow in abundance in California and thanks to their sweeter, less acidic flavor and beautiful deep yellow color they are much loved in both sweet and savory dishes. Popularized by chef Alice Waters at Chez Panisse during the 1970s. The Meyer lemon cake swiftly became a Californian staple, and you will still find it on many a menu up and down the Golden State. It can be made into a sponge cake, into a poundcake, various cupcakes and so much more … the choice is yours
Colorado – Palisade peach pie
You may think that’s peaches belong only to State of Georgia, well, you will be for a sweet surprise. A pie made from locally grown produce is an obvious candidate for a state sweet. And out on the Western Slope, Colorado happens to grow some top-notch fruit, including Palisade peaches, which are summer’s candy when they hit the market. Palisade peach pie, then, seems like a natural for this coveted designation. Sweet, flaky crust, layered with sugary sweet peaches, and baked to perfection.
Connecticut – Snickerdoodle cookies
An old-fashioned delicacy consisting of sugar, cinnamon, butter, eggs and flour, Connecticut’s favorite treat has a buttery sweet flavor and a cracked, slightly crispy outside. German in origin, it is thought the original recipe was brought to New England by early German immigrants and is still a top sweet treat in the state centuries later.
Delaware – Peach custard pie
While you may association peaches with Georgia, the official state dessert of Delaware is peach pie. The state was actually the country’s leading producer of peaches during the 19th century. Try making the state’s most iconic pie with this recipe that comes straight from Delaware.
Florida – key lime pie
No state has a more obvious signature pie than Florida’s key lime pie. It was made official by the state government in 2006. The pie’s defining characteristic is the sweet key limes grown around Key West, Florida. Creamy, tangy , but stunningly delicious, this pie will be amazing addition to any celebration.
Georgia – Peach cobbler
Peach is the official fruit of the state and its symbol. No wonder the culinary scene of this region would not be complete without this fruit. The sliced peaches are placed in a baking dish and covered with a thick layer of crumbly, sweet dough. Baked until the top is crispy brown. Most fashionable way of serving it is with ice cream.
Hawaii – Shaved ice
Hawaiian shave ice is different from a snow cone, where the ice is crushed, shave ice is made by chipping off ultra-thin and tiny sheets off of an ice block. A syrup is then drizzled over the top to seep into the ice. They are often flavored with local fruit such as guava, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, or lychee. Interestingly, shave ice’s origins lie in East Asia, and it was Japanese workers who brought it to Hawaii.
Idaho – Ice Cream Potato
This Idaho classic dessert is something you will find at about every fair, school function, and fundraiser across the state. Outsiders panic at the thought of combining ice cream and potatoes, but locals just laugh it off because we know what is really going on underneath all that dreamy chocolate. The potato is in fact a chocolate creation. Bonus points because these beauties are handcrafted.
Illinois – Brownie
Created in the kitchen of the Palmer House hotel in Chicago in 1893, the brownie is a dessert staple in the US but also many other countries around the world. Invented at the direction of Bertha Palmer, to be served at the Columbian Exposition World’s Fair, the brownie quickly gained popularity and the original is still served at the Palmer House Hilton today. The 100-year-old recipe has also been shared online if you would like to give it a go at home.
Indiana – Hoosier Pie
Some people call it Hoosier Pie, others call it Sugar Cream Pie, but either way, it is Indiana’s most iconic dessert. Since sugar cream pie is also known as Hoosier pie, it is clear that the Hoosier State lays claim to this custardy delicacy. A Midwestern iteration of a “desperation pie,” sugar cream pie is said to have originated with the Shaker and Amish communities that settled in Indiana in the 1800s. It has made up of cream, sugar, and vanilla
Iowa – Scotcheroos
A treat baked in homes and served at barbecues throughout the state, Scotcheroos might be an understated dessert in comparison to some others, but what it lacks in refinement, it has in flavor tenfold. Present everywhere from birthday parties and graduations to holiday get-togethers and church potluck parties, Scotcheroos are as Iowan as it gets. A recipe that was originally printed on a box of Rice Krispies in the 1960s. What is it ? You will a sk. A crisped rice cereal mixed with sugar, corn syrup, peanut butter and vanilla and topped with a melted chocolate and butterscotch mixture.
Kansas – Peppernuts
They might be German or Dutch in origin, they are either called “peppernuts or pfeffernusse,” but these crunchy cookies are a quintessence of Kansas, through and through. Brought to the state in the 1870s, the small, spiced cookies are now a Christmas staple available in most bakeries in the state throughout holiday season as well as baked at home. The cookies are especially fragrant as the dough contains spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, and star anise.
Kentucky – Kentucky Derby Pie
Invented by the Kentucky-based bakery Kern’s Kitchen, Derby Pie is a Southern icon that is similar to chocolate nut pie. At Kern’s, the treat is made with rich chocolate and walnuts, and the filling is baked atop the bakery’s signature pie crust. The Kentucky hot spot has been selling the iconic pie since 1954, and to this day each pie is made one at a time.
Louisiana – Beignets
Although variations of beignets are prepared in many countries around the world, in New Orleans it is more than just a sweet treat. Brought to Louisiana by the French, beignets – especially the ones at Café du Monde – now have a near cult-like status. Broadly fried dough served still hot with mountains of powdered sugar, other beignet variations often include banana or plantain too.
Maine – Blueberry Pie
The country’s leading producer of wild blueberries, Maine has also designated blueberry pie as the state’s official dessert. And it is hardly a surprise when every Maine family has a prized blueberry pie recipe. What is so special about their pie? The berries are smaller, brighter, and more intensely flavored than commercially popular highbush blueberries, so the pies are not only bursting with flavor but are also an intense dark color.
Maryland – Smith Island cake
The official state dessert of Maryland, even though it is not that commonly made in the rest of the state, Smith Island cake is a simple and tempting creation. Originating from Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay, the cake features six to twelve layers of bright yellow cake with rich chocolate icing layers in between. The icing then slowly soaks into each of the cake’s layers, making the finished product one of the most moist and delicious cakes you will ever eat.
Massachusetts – Boston Cream Pie
Massachusetts is one of the happiest states in America, and we are starting to wonder whether it has anything to do with Boston cream pie. The official state dessert of Massachusetts, Boston cream pie was created at the Omni Parker House in downtown Boston in 1856. It is since been reimagined as cupcakes, doughnuts and more, but the pie will always be No. 1.
Michigan – fudge
It is no secret that Michigan’s Mackinac Island is touted the world’s fudge capital and it is said that around 10,000 pounds (4,535kg) of fudge gets handcrafted daily during peak tourism season. Although fudge was not invented here as such, the fudge-making tradition has been alive on the island since as early as the end of the Civil War. There is even an annual fudge.
Minnesota – Seven-layer bar
If you are from Minnesota, or know anyone from there , you know how big of a deal potlucks are, and none would be imaginable without a tray (or three) of seven-layer bars. While the name is a touch misleading as the bar does not actually have seven layers, it does refer to the seven ingredients – butter, Graham cracker crumbs, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, sweetened condensed milk and nuts.
Mississippi – Mississippi mud pie
While some claim that the rich, chocolatey Mississippi mud pie originated near Jackson, Mississippi, around 1927, the dessert’s history is hazy. Regardless of its birthplace, this layered pie became a phenomenon across the country. There are many variations of the impressive dessert, but the classic recipe involves a cookie crust, a rich chocolate filling with liqueur and a layer of whipped cream on top.
Missouri – Gooey butter cake
Traditionally made in St Louis, there are several claims to the creation of the cake, but all seem to point in the direction of a baker who made a mistake by reversing the proportions of butter and flour of regular cake batter. The result is a flat and dense cake with a super sweet cream cheese layer on top. Sticky, chewy and velvety, gooey butter cake is usually served with coffee and is still much loved in Missouri.
Montana – Huckleberry pie
Huckleberries are native to Montana’s high-altitude mountains and no matter where you are in Montana you can get a great slice of huckleberry pie. When in season, you will find everything made with tart huckleberries, from lip balm and soap to milkshakes and pancakes. But there is nothing better than a great pie. Huckleberries are so beloved in the state of Montana that they might as well be the unofficial state fruit. Huckleberries closely resemble blueberries but can only be picked in the wild as they are not commercially cultivated. Spot the berries in the state’s incredible national park or pick up some famous huckleberry pie, which can be found at restaurants and bakeries all along the Central Montana Pie Trail.
Nebraska – Kolaches
Nebraska might be better known for savory foods like Runza (filled dough pockets) and pork tenderloin sandwiches, but kolaches, hailing from Central European immigrants, are just as popular. Czech in origin, kolaches are small semi-sweet pastry buns resembling mini pies, you may say they look a little bit like a Danish pastry. The middle is then filled with fresh fruit or fruit jams often featuring either berry flavors or prunes and apricots. Today there are even three annual festivals dedicated to this sweet bun.
Nevada – Basque Burned Cheesecake
Basque culture is such a strong part of Nevada that the state has been hosting an annual Basque festival for the past 57 years. This helps make Gâteau Basque, which translates to Basque cake, the state’s most iconic treat. This tart-like “cake” consists of a flaky pastry crust that resembles pie when filled with cherry jam or pastry cream.
New Hampshire – Apple Cider Donuts
New Hampshire is the apple state. All of the best apple ciders are make here. The oldest continuously operating orchard is also located here. That is why apple cider and apple cider donuts are a unique dish for this region. It is a cider maker’s tradition to use some of the freshly pressed juice to make lightly tangy, apple-scented doughnuts like these. The cider adds more than flavor, though; its acidity makes the doughnuts more soft.
New Jersey – Salt Water Taffy candies
Salt water taffy is a variety of soft taffy originally produced and marketed in the Atlantic City, New Jersey area of the Jersey Shore starting in the 1880s. They are soft, chewy sugar-based candies. The name can be confusing because they do not really contain salt water. Although it is called “salt water” taffy, it does not include any seawater but does contain both salt and water in its manufacture.
New Mexico – Bizcochitos
While an assortment of savory Tex-Mex dishes might spring to mind when thinking of food in New Mexico there are some outstanding sweet treats too. Named the official state cookie, bizcochitos are as New Mexican as green chilies. A simple combination of cinnamon, sugar and star anise, these cookies have a superb melt-in-your-mouth texture and are essential to any kind of celebration, from weddings and anniversaries to graduations and Christmas.
New York – Black and white cookie
Upper East Side institution Glaser’s Bake Shop — which first opened in 1902 — is the go-to spot for the popular bi-colored cookie. While many black and white cookies feature a soft cakey base with fudgy frosting, Glaser’s version is topped with a drier fondant-style chocolate and vanilla icings. The recipe has been working for the bakery since the cookie has been on the menu for one hundred years. Still, to this day, no one can answer the question of which half should be eaten first.
North Carolina – Sweet potato pie
The spiritual home of the humble sweet potato (North Carolina grows the most sweet potatoes in all of the US), North Carolina gets to claim this much-loved pie. Way back when, the fishermen in the Outer Banks would often start their day with a slice of filling and nutritious sweet potato pie and the love for this state staple has not gone anywhere. Ask anyone from North Carolina and they will claim to have the best sweet potato pie recipe. North Carolina has been the No. 1 sweet potato producing state in the U.S. for 50 years.
North Dakota – Juneberry pie
Several of North Dakota’s signature dishes come from German settlers, but the region’s best-kept secret is juneberry pie. Juneberries, also called saskatoon berries, grow in Canada and the Upper Midwest and are smaller, heavier, and bluer than blueberries with a slightly nutty flavor.
Ohio – Buckeyes
The actual candy is a sweet peanut butter dough dipped in chocolate and the recipe originates from sometime around the 1960s. Ohio satisfies its sweet lovers with buckeyes, peanut butter fudge pieces dipped in chocolate to resemble the nut of the Ohio buckeye tree. Deliciously addictive, they are a cross between peanut butter fudge and peanut butter cups.
Oklahoma – Fried pie
It is no usual fried pie, but specifically Arbuckle Mountain fried pie. No one is really sure how these hot delicacies came into being, but they definitely date back as far as the 1800s when it was a popular food with cowboys during harsh winters. Today, there are Arbuckle shops all over Oklahoma, selling all sorts of fried pies. Try savory, if you fancy or give cream-filled a go, but definitely do not miss the original with a fruity filling. There’s cherry, peach, apricot, pineapple, blackberry, apple, and pecan to choose from.
Oregon – Blackberry Pie
Marionberries are a type of blackberry that originated at Oregon State University and are now known as one of the most iconic foods in America. Today, marionberries are the most widely planted trailing blackberry in the world, and 90% are produced in Oregon. The fruit is juicy with a sweet and tart flavor, meaning marionberries do well in about any blackberry pie recipe. There are regular blackberries … and then there are marionberries. A cross between two types of blackberries (the chehalem and the olallieberry), marionberries are only grown in Oregon, where they are ripe for picking in mid-July. And what sets them apart? Not only are they firmer than your average blackberry, but they are also a little richer in flavor, with an unmatched combination of both sweet and sour.
Pennsylvania – Banana split
An iconic dessert recipe known all around the world, we have a 23-year-old apprentice pharmacist to thank for creating this ubiquitous treat. David Evans Strickler had already invented several sundae recipes using Tassel Pharmacy’s soda fountain, but the famous banana-based triple ice cream sundae came into being in 1904. News of the impressive 10-cent sundae spread fairly quickly and within a few years the recipe was popular throughout the nation.
Rhode Island – Doughboys
Another sweet fried dough, this is Rhode Island’s treat of choice. No carnival, fair or street party is complete without a doughboy stand serving these fried treats still piping hot. Surprisingly, the treat was born out of a pizza kitchen. Not really attributed to one inventor, doughboys are actually flattened pizza dough disks but instead of adding tomato sauce and the usual toppings, these disks are deep-fried and served with a generous dusting of powdered sugar.
South Carolina – Coconut cake
Yes, many bakers across the country make various versions but there is only one ultimate coconut cake (a trademarked name, in fact). A recipe invented up by pastry chef Claire Chapman at the Peninsula Grill in Charleston in 1997. , this coconut cake is special. The cake is so famous many come here just to taste it and many a bride has chosen it for her special day.
South Dakota – Frybread
Did you know fry bread is the state bread of South Dakota? Fry bread or frybread is very prominent in Native American cuisine. Here in Arizona, you can find Navajo Taco, (fry bread with beans, meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc.), stands scattered on the reservations. It is incredibly easy to make traditionally with just flour, sugar, salt, and lard, with several variations. If I can do it, you can do it.
Tennessee – Stack cake
Sorry, banana pudding, but Tennessee stack cake is unbeatable. Born out of the preservation culture and hardship of the people living in the Tennessee Appalachian Mountains, stack cake often just looks like a big pile of pancakes, but it is a lot more than that. A labor-intensive cake, it is built from layers of hard and dense disks of baked dough and dried apple slices with sugar and spices. The cake is then wrapped and left in the fridge at least overnight.
Texas – Pecan Pie
Everything is bigger in Texas, including the state’s devotion to pecans. Not only are pecans the Lone Star State’s official nut, but pecan trees are also grown commercially on about 70,000 acres in the state. Over here, the pecan pie is not only a Thanksgiving tradition. It a must have on every table throughout the whole season. This is one of the most beloved Texans Pies.
Utah – Jello
Utah is home to more than two million Mormons, and it is their love of the famous food Jell-O that pushes this wiggly, jiggly dessert to the top of Utah’s favorites list. Residents of Utah eat more Jell-O per capita than anywhere else in the country.
Why Jell-O is so popular among the Mormon community and says it has to do with the marketing campaigns of the 1980s. Jello-O was the family dessert that just happened to be perfect for large gatherings — like church functions. And the rest is, as they say, history.
Vermont – Maple Creemee
The official state pie might be apple pie, but there is one flavor that Vermont is known for across the world and its maple syrup. While just the syrup does not make a very good dessert, a maple creemee definitely does. Maple syrup-flavor soft serve ice cream, no one is really sure where and when it originated, but it has been around for ages and is a much-loved treat not only in Vermont, but elsewhere in New England too.
Virginia – Chess Pie
While chess pie is a beloved dessert all throughout the South, it first appeared in an 1824 cookbook “The Virginia Housewife” under the title “transparent pudding,” marking it as the state’s most iconic pie. A simple concoction of sweet pie dough filled with a tasty cornmeal custard; chess pie is an American classic. The story goes that a Southern baker’s accent was so strong, “just pie” sounded like “chess pie.” However, the more likely explanation is that the cake resembles a European-style cheesecake brought over by the early immigrants and cheese was just mispronounced as chess.
Washington – Apple crisp
Reminiscent of a British apple crumble, Washington’s dessert of choice incorporates juicy apples that are grown in abundance in the Evergreen State. Washington state is a top apple producer in the US and the state’s symbol is celebrated in this delicious autumnal dish. The British post-war recipe has been embraced by Washington state residents since, who bake the sliced or cubed apples in a deep dish and top it with a mixture of butter, flour, and brown sugar, meaning it is soft and oozing on the bottom, but crisp and buttery on the top.
Washington D.C – Crème Brûlée doughnut
One bite and You will be hooked! It is all about the smooth vanilla pastry cream, the fluffy dough, and the ultra-crispy layer of deeply caramelized sugar on top that crackles and breaks into shards when you take a bite.
West Virginia – Molasses cookies
Unknown to the rest of the US for a long time, West Virginia’s molasses cookies are another delicious food born out of necessity. Many rural families in the state relied on molasses to sweeten their food up until the end of the Second World War when it was replaced by refined sugar. The more than 100-year-old recipe is still foolproof and the cookies, similar to gingersnaps in flavor, are tender and chewy.
Wisconsin – Kringle
Another pastry introduced to the US by European immigrants. Kringle was originally a pretzel-shaped Dutch invention. Brought to Wisconsin in the late 1800s, where it became an instant hit. The recipe was modified slightly, and the version still popular today is oval-shaped with icing on top. The original filling is almond but versions with berries or nuts are also pretty common. You will find some of the best ones in Racine, dubbed the Kringle capital of the world.
Wyoming – Cowboy cookies
Whether you prefer soft and chewy or crispy and crunchy, there is never a cookie that satisfies both – except there is. Wyoming’s cowboy cookie origins are unclear, but the recipe achieves both crispy and soft textures at the same time. The secret lies in coconut flakes and chocolate chips helping to keep the inside moist while sugar and shortening contributes to a crispy exterior. They are pretty filling too thanks to the addition of oats and pecans.
