We're all familiar with classic American treats like chocolate chip cookies and brownies, but did you know each state also has a stand-out local dessert with a fascinating history behind it? We've hunted down the most iconic desserts from every US state, from Alabama's lane cake to Wyoming's cowboy cookies – exploring how each came to be associated with a particular place. How many have you tried, or even heard of?
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the most interesting and iconic desserts the US has to offer – from niche local delicacies to much-loved favorites.
A prize-winning creation from Alabama, the lane cake is a sponge cake with a filling of bourbon-soaked pecans, raisins, and coconut. It's said to have been invented in the late 19th century by Emma Rylander Lane, who claimed first prize for the cake at a county fair. 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 filling. The cake also gets a notable mention in Harper Lee's book To Kill a Mockingbird.
Yes, we know baked Alaska wasn't actually created in Alaska, but it was first served as a tribute to the state. A white mound of meringue encasing four layers of ice cream and sponge, the dessert resembles the snow-capped Mount Denali (formerly Mount McKinley). While there are several theories as to who invented the dessert – the most popular ones credit chef Charles Ranhofer at Delmonico's in New York – it's almost certain that the dish was first made in 1867 to honor and celebrate the purchase of Alaska from the then–Russian Empire.
Although the name is South American (you'll find versions of the dish in Chile and Peru), the sopaipilla – a dish that evolved from traditional Navajo fry bread – is much loved throughout Arizona. A simple combination of flour, baking powder, butter, water, and milk, the light and crispy dough is rolled thin and cut into triangles or squares before frying. The golden shapes are then topped with sugar, cinnamon, and sometimes honey.
The unofficial state treat of Arkansas might be named after a marsupial, but it definitely doesn't contain any possums. The name is actually based on the expression 'playing possum,' meaning it tries to deceive with its appearance. In this case, a thick top layer of whipped cream hides layers of filling that usually include chocolate custard and cream cheese, sour cream, or vanilla pudding. The sandy crust is made with pecans, and the pie is finished with a sprinkling of crushed pecans or chocolate.
Although there are many sweet treats that can be attributed to this West Coast state, Meyer lemons are as Cali 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're much loved in both sweet and savory dishes. Popularized by chef Alice Waters at her restaurant Chez Panisse during the 1970s (as California cuisine rose to fame), the Meyer lemon cake swiftly became a Californian staple. You'll still find it on many menus up and down the Golden State.
Peaches are usually associated with Georgia, but Colorado's Palisade peaches shouldn't be overlooked. Grown in the state's Western Slope region, Palisade peaches are sweet and incredibly juicy – making them ideally suited for a lip-smacking peach pie, bursting with flavor and natural sugars. The Palisade Peach Festival is often a highlight of late summer; the event celebrates the stone fruit via cooking demos, tasting menu dinners, and a parade.
They're not strictly a dessert, but snickerdoodle cookies deserve a special mention. 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. The cookies are German in origin; it's thought the original recipe was brought to New England by early German immigrants. Centuries later, snickerdoodles are still a much-loved local treat.
Designated Delaware's official state dessert in 2009, the peach pie is a symbol of the state's deep-rooted peach farming heritage. Delaware has a long history of growing this delicious fruit – and while the number of orchards has dwindled over the years, most locals still have a treasured family peach pie recipe or two.
The official pie of Florida, the Key lime pie celebrates the state’s famous citrus product. Named after the Florida Keys, where the pie is thought to have been invented, the zesty, tangy dish is a drawing card for locals and tourists alike. Although you'll find it on dessert menus throughout the state, you'll want to make sure it's made with fresh, hand-squeezed Key lime juice, and topped with whipped cream just before serving.
Nobody does this dreamy combination of sweet, juicy peaches covered with a comforting blanket of batter quite like the Peach State. Popular throughout the Deep South, peach cobbler is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in Georgia. You'll be able to pick up a traditional peach cobbler pretty much anywhere in the state, but make sure you really savor the caramelized edges and gooey center.
Iced desserts can be pretty hit and miss, but Hawaiian shave ice is one you won't want to skip. Significantly different from a snow cone (made using crushed ice), shave ice is made by chipping tiny, ultra-thin sheets off an ice block. A syrup – often flavored with local fruit such as guava, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, or lychee – is then drizzled over the top, seeping into the ice. Interestingly, shave ice's origins lie in East Asia; it was Japanese workers who brought it to Hawaii.
This dessert is a trick for the eyes – it's not, in fact, a real potato. Instead, vanilla ice cream is rolled in cocoa and made to look like a potato, Idaho's most popular and cherished food. It's then topped with whipped cream (to resemble sour cream) and plenty of chocolate shavings. The recipe was invented by Boise's Westside Drive-In, where the unique treat is still served to happy customers some 60 years later.
Created in the kitchens of the Palmer House hotel in Chicago in 1893, the brownie is a dessert staple in the US and beyond. Invented under 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 widely shared online, if you'd like to give it a try at home.
Also known as Hoosier pie, this Indiana specialty features a buttery crust filled with rich vanilla custard. Believed to have originated in Amish or Shaker communities, it's the perfect dessert to make when you've got nothing but eggs, flour, and sugar to hand. If you happen to be in the state, make time to stop at the nation's largest sugar cream pie producer, Wick's Pies, in Winchester. The company's almost century-old recipe is still a firm favorite.
A treat that's baked in homes throughout the state, scotcheroos might be an understated dessert in comparison to some of the others on this list – but what it lacks in refinement, it makes up for in flavor. Present everywhere from birthday parties and graduations to holiday get-togethers and church potluck parties, scotcheroos are as Iowan as it gets. The recipe, which was originally printed on a box of Rice Krispies in the 1960s, sees cereal mixed with sugar, corn syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla, then smothered in a melted chocolate and butterscotch mixture.
They might be German or Dutch in origin (they're also called peppernuts or pfeffernusse), but these crunchy cookies are Kansas through and through. Brought to the state in the 1870s, the small spiced cookies are now a Christmas staple – they're available in most Kansan bakeries throughout the holiday season. The cookies are especially fragrant as the dough contains spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, and star anise.
You might be surprised to hear that Derby pie, a Kentucky specialty, isn't actually connected with the Kentucky Derby at all. A chocolate and walnut tart with a pastry dough crust, the pie was created in 1950 at the Melrose Inn in Prospect by the Kern family, and its name was pulled out of a hat. The family still guard the secret recipe – so much so that they've even brought forward lawsuits to protect both the recipe itself, and the pie's name.
Variations of beignets are prepared in many countries around the world, but in New Orleans, they're more than just a sweet treat. Brought to Louisiana by the French, beignets – especially the ones at Café du Monde – now have a cult-like status. They're essentially fried dough served still hot with mountains of powdered sugar, but you can get flavored variations too, including banana and plantain.
Maine is the country's leading producer of wild blueberries, and blueberry pie is the state's official dessert – so it's hardly a surprise that pretty much every Maine family has a prized blueberry pie recipe. What's so special about it? The berries are smaller, brighter, and more intensely flavored than commercially popular highbush blueberries, so the pies are bursting with flavor and have an intense dark color.
The official state dessert of Maryland (even though it's not that commonly made in the rest of the state), Smith Island cake is a simply irresistible creation. Originating from Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay, the cake features six to 12 layers of bright yellow cake, with rich chocolate icing layers in between. The icing slowly seeps into each of the cake's layers, making the finished product one of the most moist and delicious cakes you'll ever eat.
The official state dessert of Massachusetts, the Boston cream pie was invented at Parker's Restaurant at the Omni Parker House hotel in Boston. It's been on the menu since 1856, when it was first dreamed up by the restaurant's kitchen staff. It features two layers of fluffy sponge cake, filled with light pastry cream – and it's topped with chocolate ganache and the restaurant's signature white spider web frosting.
It's no secret that Michigan's Mackinac Island is touted as the world's fudge capital; it's said that around 10,000 pounds of fudge are handcrafted daily during the peak tourism season. Although fudge wasn't invented here as such, the fudge-making tradition has been alive on the island since as early as the end of the American Civil War. The place is home to 13 fudge shops that have perfected the recipe – and there's an annual fudge festival here, too.
If you know anyone from Minnesota, you know how big of a deal potlucks are – and none would be imaginable without a tray (or three) of seven-layer bars. The bar doesn't actually have seven layers; instead, the name refers to the seven ingredients that are used to make it – butter, Graham cracker crumbs, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, sweetened condensed milk, and nuts.
Although there are many types of chocolate cake around the world, the Mississippi mud pie has to be among the best. This ridiculously rich chocolate cake is as thick and as dark as the mud covering the banks of the Mississippi River, hence its distinctive name. It's made by slathering a rich chocolate sauce on top of a crumbly chocolate crust.
There are several theories as to how gooey butter cake (which is traditionally made in St Louis) was invented – but most of them seem to point in the direction of a baker who made a mistake by reversing the proportions of butter and flour when attempting to make a regular cake batter. The result? A flat and dense cake with a super-sweet cream cheese layer on top. Sticky, chewy, and velvety, butter cake is usually served with coffee, and it's beloved in Missouri.
Huckleberries are native to Montana's high-altitude mountains – and no matter where you are in the state, you can usually get a great slice of huckleberry pie. When they're in season, you'll find all sorts of things made with tart huckleberries, from lip balms and soaps to milkshakes and pancakes, but there's nothing better than a huckleberry pie. Park Cafe in Glacier National Park is known to serve some of the best, so head here if you want to check out some of Montana's stunning wilderness as you try your first slice.
Nebraska might be better known for savory foods like runzas (filled dough pockets) and pork tenderloin sandwiches – but kolaches, brought over by Central European immigrants that settled in the state, are just as popular. Czech in origin, kolaches are small semi-sweet pastry buns resembling mini pies. The middle of each pie is filled with fresh fruit or fruit jelly, often featuring either berry flavors or prunes and apricots. Today there are several annual festivals dedicated to the sweet buns.
A Tin Roof Sundae is a classic ice cream dessert that's known for its combination of different textures and flavors. It consists of chocolate and vanilla ice cream, hot fudge sauce, marshmallows, and skin-on Spanish peanuts. Most agree it was invented in the 1930s at The Potter Kitchen, an old-school soda fountain in downtown Potter that still serves the dish today (fun fact: it was named after the historic building’s tin ceiling). The recipe has even been recreated by Baskin-Robbins.
Behind the flashing lights and chocolate fountains of Las Vegas, Nevada actually has a strong Basque heritage; the first Basque immigrants settled in the state as early as the mid-1800s. Today, there's an annual Basque festival that celebrates the history, culture, and food of the Basque people – and this cake is an irreplaceable part of it. A tart-like treat with a flaky pastry crust and a jelly or pastry cream filling, it comes finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Wherever you are in New England, fall marks the apple season – and nowhere are apples more prevalent than in New Hampshire, where apple cider is the state's official beverage. Apple picking season is also known for another sweet treat: apple cider donuts. From farm stands to bakeries and even restaurants, you'll find these baked goodies gracing menus pretty much everywhere. The already distinctively flavored donuts are great plain or with cinnamon sugar, but you should dip them into fresh-pressed cider for the ultimate fall treat.
"Leave the gun, take the cannoli," Clemenza tells Rocco in The Godfather. It's a phrase that's gone down in cinematic history – and, as it happens, the iconic movie was also filmed in New Jersey. Originating from Sicily, cannolis have firmly established themselves as the must-buy dessert at Italian bakeries across the state. The sweet treats really reflect the state's rich Italian American heritage, too.
While an array of savory Tex-Mex dishes might spring to mind when thinking of food in New Mexico, there are some outstanding sweet treats on offer, too. Named the official state cookie, biscochitos are as New Mexican as green chiles. Featuring cinnamon, sugar, and star anise, these cookies have a superb melt-in-your-mouth texture. They're essential to any kind of celebration, from weddings and anniversaries to graduations and Christmas.
A classic New York cheesecake features a rich, creamy vanilla-flavored topping on a thin sliver of biscuit base – and it's a lot harder to get the ratio of ingredients right than you might think. The secret lies in liberal use of cream cheese, which contributes to the cake's signature dense texture and rich, distinctive flavor (boosted by sour cream and fresh lemon juice). It usually comes crowned with cherry sauce or a strawberry.
The spiritual home of the humble sweet potato (the state 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 start their day with a slice of filling and nutritious sweet potato pie – and the love for this state staple hasn't gone anywhere. Ask anyone from North Carolina, and they'll claim to have the best sweet potato pie recipe.
Several of North Dakota’s signature dishes come from German settlers, but one of the region's best-kept secrets is juneberry pie. Juneberries, also called saskatoon berries, grow in Canada and the Upper Midwest. They're smaller, denser, and bluer than blueberries, with a slightly nutty flavor.
Ohio is the home of buckeyes: peanut butter fudge pieces dipped in chocolate to resemble the nut of the Ohio buckeye tree. Deliciously addictive, they're a cross between peanut butter fudge and peanut butter cups. The actual candy is a sweet peanut butter dough dipped in chocolate, and the recipe originates from sometime around the 1960s.
This isn't your usual fried pie – it's Arbuckle Mountain fried pie. No one's really sure how these hot delicacies came into being, but they definitely date back as far as the 1800s, when they were popular with cowboys during harsh winters. Today, there are Arbuckle shops all over Oklahoma, selling all sorts of fried pies. Try savory, if you like, or give cream-filled a go, but definitely don't miss the original, which comes with a fruity filling. There are usually flavors like cherry, peach, apricot, pineapple, blackberry, apple, or pecan to choose from.
Oregon is renowned for its berries, and one of the state's signature dishes is the marionberry pie. Known as the Cabernet of blackberries, marionberries are a cross between two types of blackberries that are predominantly grown in Oregon, and they have a complex, tart flavor. The berries are also larger, sweeter, and juicier than regular blackberries, meaning the pie tastes divine. There has been some discussion about crowning the marionberry the state berry of Oregon, but so far it hasn't been made official.
We have a 23-year-old apprentice pharmacist to thank for creating this treat, which is now famous all over the world. David Evans Strickler had already invented several sundae recipes at Tassel Pharmacy's soda fountain in Latrobe, 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 had become popular across the nation.
Doughboys are Rhode Island's treat of choice; no carnival, fair, or street party is complete without a doughboy stand serving these fried treats piping hot. Surprisingly, doughboys were born out of a pizza kitchen, though they're not really attributed to one inventor. Essentially, they're pizza dough disks – but instead of adding tomato sauce and the usual toppings, they're deep-fried and served with a generous dusting of powdered sugar.
Many bakers across the country make their own versions, but there's only one ultimate coconut cake (a trademarked name, in fact). A recipe conjured up by pastry chef Claire Chapman at the Peninsula Grill in Charleston in 1997, this coconut cake is special. Praised by the likes of Martha Stewart and Florence Fabricant, the cake is so famous that many people come here just to taste it – and many a bride has chosen it for her special day.
South Dakota has significant German and Scandinavian heritage, so it's no surprise that the state's official dessert is European in origin. Kuchen just means cake in German, but in South Dakota it refers to a sweet dough crust filled with custard, either baked plain or topped with a variety of fruit. The most common toppings include apricots, peaches, and apples, but there are as many varieties as there are homes in South Dakota.
Sorry, banana pudding, but Tennessee stack cake is unbeatable. Born in the Tennessee Appalachian Mountains out of preservation culture and hardship, stack cake looks like a big pile of pancakes – but it's a lot more than that. A labor-intensive cake with a texture similar to shortbread or a cookie, it's built from layers of hard, dense baked dough and dried apple slices. After being baked, the cake is then wrapped and left in the fridge, at least overnight.
It may be a touch controversial, as many states would like to claim pecan pie as their own, but we can't argue with the fact that the pecan tree is Texas' state tree – pecan trees are grown commercially on about 70,000 acres in the state. Not only that, but in 2013, the pecan pie was also named the official pie of the Lone Star State. One of the whole nation's favorite desserts, almost every home baker has their own tasty take on the recipe.
No joke, Utah is the Jell-O capital of the US (and probably the world, too). Residents of the Beehive State love it so much that they consume more Jell-O per capita than any other state – so it's only natural that it's Utah's official snack. In fact, it's so popular that the second week of February is celebrated as Jell-O week. During the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, an officially licensed JELL-O pin was released, celebrating the city and its love of the dish.
Vermont's official state pie might be apple pie, but there's one thing that the state is known for across the world: maple syrup. While the syrup on its own doesn't make the most exciting dessert, a maple creemee (essentially soft serve ice cream flavored with maple syrup) certainly does. No one is really sure where and when it originated, but it's been around for ages – and it's a much-loved treat not only in Vermont, but throughout New England.
A simple concoction of sweet pie dough filled with a tasty cornmeal custard, chess pie is an American classic. First published in The Virginia Housewife in 1824 under the name 'transparent pudding,' its name actually doesn't have anything to do with chess. 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 early immigrants, and cheese was just mispronounced as 'chess.'
Reminiscent of a British apple crumble, Washington's dessert of choice incorporates juicy apples that are grown in abundance across the state. Washington is a top apple producer in the US, and the state's symbol is celebrated in this delicious fall dish. The British post-war recipe has been embraced by Washington state residents, who bake sliced or cubed apples in a deep dish and top them with a mixture of butter, flour, and brown sugar. The dish is soft and oozing on the bottom, but crisp and buttery on the top.
A Dutch baby, sometimes called a German pancake, is a large, fluffy pancake that puffs up dramatically while baking and goes perfectly crispy on top. But despite the name, this dish was born and bred in the USA. The indulgent treat is said to have been invented at the now-closed Manca’s Cafe in downtown Seattle in the early 1900s – the name was coined by owner Victor Manca's daughter, who mispronounced the word 'Deutsch,' referring to the German influence behind the dish. Once out of the oven, it's topped with powdered sugar, fresh fruit, syrup, or lemon juice.
Largely 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 refined sugar became available. The more than 100-year-old recipe is still foolproof, and the cookies, similar to gingersnaps in flavor, are tender and chewy.
Another pastry introduced to the US by European immigrants, kringle was originally a pretzel-shaped Dutch invention. Brought to Wisconsin in the late 1800s, it became an instant hit. The recipe was tweaked slightly; 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 widespread. You'll find some of the best ones in Racine, dubbed the kringle capital of the world.
Some like them soft and chewy, some like them crispy and crunchy – so when it comes to cookies, there's no pleasing everybody. Or is there? The origins of Wyoming's cowboy cookies are unclear, but the recipe achieves both crispy and soft textures at the same time. The secret lies in the addition of coconut flakes and chocolate chips, helping to keep the inside moist while sugar and shortening contribute to a crispy exterior. They're pretty filling too, all thanks to a combination of oats and pecans.
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Last updated by Natasha Lovell-Smith.