Food

12 Regional American Desserts to Make Right Now

Ever had cookie salad? Or persimmon pudding? Dig into America's weird sweet tooth

By SAVEUR Editors

Updated: June 8, 2018

Persimmon pudding is to Indiana as Turtleback cookies are to Alabama as key lime pie is to Florida—it goes on and on. While every region, every state, every city across the United States loves a little something sweet at the end of a meal (or between meals, or for breakfast), not all people eat dessert the same way. Above, our favorite regional American desserts.

Indiana Sugar Cream Pie — As Indiana's state pie, this rich, nutmeg-dusted custard pie also goes by the name "Hoosier Pie." Get the recipe for Indiana Sugar Cream Pie »Farideh Sadeghin

Buttermilk Cookie Salad — The addition of buttermilk in this ultra-retro dessert keeps it from being too cloying and renders cookie salad totally appropriate for the adult palate. Get the recipe for Buttermilk Cookie Salad »Matt Taylor-Gross

Persimmon Pudding — Eva Powell, a former elementary-school librarian in Mitchell, Indiana, has won the town's pudding contest five times with her recipe for persimmon pudding with a crispy, cake-like crust. Get the recipe for Persimmon Pudding »Helen Rosner

Lane Cake — The recipe for this indulgent layered cake with a bourbon-butter-raisin-coconut-pecan filling and billowy egg-white icing first appeared in Emma Rylander Lane's self-published cookbook, Some Good Things to Eat, in 1898. Get the recipe for Lane Cake »Todd Coleman

Turtleback Cookies — Traeger's Bakery in Demopolis, Alabama first popularized these soft spice cookies, which are named for their hard cinnamon glaze that glistens like a glossy turtle shell. Get the recipe for Turtleback Cookies »Farideh Sadeghin

[Mashed Potato Fudge](/article/recipes/mashed-potato-fudge) — The unexpected addition of mashed potatoes adds an exceptional creaminess to dark chocolate fudge in this recipe adapted from Patty Pinner's cookbook Sweets. Get the recipe for Mashed Potato Fudge »Helen Rosner

Banana Fosters — Banana liqueur heightens the flavor of the bananas in this flambeed dessert from the New Orleans restaurant Brennan's. Get the recipe for Brennan's Bananas Foster »Matt Taylor-Gross

Black and White Cookies — These generously iced, cakelike cookies are as cherished by New Yorkers as bagels and cream cheese. To quicken the setting of the glazes, place the cookies in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes after each coating. Get the recipe for Black and White Cookies »SAVEUR

Hot Milk Cake with Vanilla Buttercream — Scalded milk produces a moist texture in this simple Virginian dessert, an ivory-hued cake that's so straightforward it's often referred to, even in vintage cookbooks, as "old-fashioned." Get the recipe for Hot Milk Cake with Vanilla Buttercream »Andre Baranowski

New England Hermits — These classic bar cookies, spiced with cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg and studded with raisins, are adapted from a recipe in the 1880 New Cook Book. Get the recipe for New England Hermits »SAVEUR

Navy Bean Pie — The silky, custardlike base of this autumnal pie is made from sweetened navy bean purée spiced with nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon. Get the recipe for Navy Bean Pie »Andre Baranowski

Key Lime Pie — Condensed milk and Key lime juice serve as the base of this Floridian classic. Get the recipe for Key Lime Pie »Maxime Iattoni

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