The Signature Dessert of Every State All of Us Should Try

The official state dessert of Alabama, Lane cake first appeared in the 1890s when Emma Rylander Lane won a county fair baking competition with her original recipe for what was later termed “prize cake.” Lane cakes typically include three layers of white sponge with a filling of pecans, bourbon-soaked raisins, and coconut, often with white icing on the top and/or sides.

A Yupik word meaning “mix them together,” agutuk is a native Alaskan food that is made a little differently in each household depending on seasonal ingredients. Traditionally composed of whipped animal tallow (caribou, moose, or walrus,) or seal oil mixed with snow, fresh berries, and sometimes dried fish or meat, agutuk is now often made with vegetable shortening instead of tallow and sometimes contains added sugar.

These pillowy soft, deep-fried dough squares are a Southwestern staple. They can be served sweet or savory, with the dessert version usually covered in powdered sugar or honey (or both). A relic of Spanish influence in the Americas, sopapillas are comparable to the Navajo fry bread also common in Arizona.

Called possum pie because of its deceptive layers, this Arkansas treat thankfully contains no possum. Rather, it has a topping of whipped cream and pecans obscuring a layer of chocolate pudding, which gives way to a layer of cream cheese filling in this dessert named after a rodent that likes to play dead. Called possum pie because of its deceptive layers, this Arkansas treat thankfully contains no possum.

Clarence Clifton Brown was a Los Angeles candymaker in the early 20th century who is credited with inventing the hot fudge sundae. It then became popular in his son’s Hollywood Boulevard ice cream parlor. Although C.C. Brown’s ice cream shop closed in 1996, their original recipe hot fudge sundae is still sold at Lawry’s The Prime Rib in Beverly Hills.

High on the list of healthiest states in the U.S. is Colorado, with its plethora of outdoor adventure opportunities including mountain biking, hiking, and skiing. It’s no surprise then that a popular Colorado dessert is…well, not really a dessert at all. Trail mix, a portable snack that can contain any combination of nuts, dried fruits, chocolate, and more, is the perfect energy booster for people on the go.

These crackle-topped cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar are the state cookie of Connecticut. The name snickerdoodle may have been passed down by German immigrants, as a derivation of “schneckennudeln” (a type of cinnamon roll), but other sources claim the name comes from a New England tradition of whimsical cookie names. Although their etymology is debatable, they have been a New England favorite for over a century.

Strawberries are an important crop in Delaware’s agricultural industry and they were named the official state fruit of Delaware in 2010. Multiple strawberry festivals in the state feature strawberry shortcakes in recipe competitions.

The key lime — a smaller, seedier lime with higher acidity, which makes them more tart, and more flavor than the common Persian lime variety — is named for the Florida Keys. Most of the key limes in the U.S. are grown in Mexico or Central or South America, but they’re cultivated in the Keys, too, and wherever they come from, are used to flavor the official state pie of Florida. Key lime pie often comes with a graham crust and has a creamy filling made of sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and key lime juice. Whether it should be topped with meringue or whipped cream (or neither) is a debate we won’t get into.

The peach is Georgia’s official state fruit and thousands of acres of peaches are grown annually in, fittingly, the Peach State. Peach pies, therefore, are ubiquitous in this Southern locale, especially in July and August when the fruits ripen. Although Delaware claimed peach pie as its official state dessert in 2009, this flaky, fruity pastry is still the Peach State’s claim to fame.

This refreshing dessert, brought to the Hawaiian islands by Japanese immigrants, is made of thinly shaved ice and fruit-flavored syrup, sometimes accompanied by adzuki beans, mochi, or sweetened condensed milk. At Matsumoto’s, one of the oldest shave ice shops in the state, flavors like bubblegum and fruit punch are served alongside local flavors including ume (purple yam,) lilikoi (passion fruit,) and papaya.

A classic candy bar in the Northwest, the Idaho Spud is a cocoa-flavored marshmallow coated in chocolate and coconut flakes. Although it contains no potato, its shape may vaguely resemble one. According to the confection’s creator — the Idaho Candy Company — the Idaho Spud has been a favorite since 1918.

Brownies come in many forms; sometimes chewy or fudgy, occasionally cakey, delicately crispy on top, and often covered in walnuts. Although they weren’t called brownies at the time, these baked chocolate squares were created at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago as a portable dessert for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and are still a mainstay in the Windy City.

Sugar cream pie, or Hoosier pie, was dubbed the unofficial state pie of Indiana in 2009. Most likely introduced to the area by Quaker settlers in the early 1800s, this single-crust custard pie uses ingredients likely to be on hand including cream, flour, sugar, and butter, and comes dusted with nutmeg.

The recipe for these no-bake dessert bars first appeared on Rice Krispies boxes in the 1960s, and they have been an Iowa favorite ever since. Scotcheroos resemble a peanut butter Rice Krispies Treat and get their name from their chocolate butterscotch topping.

These small, anise-flavored spice cookies were brought to Kansas by European Mennonites. Similar to German pfeffernüsse, Dutch pepernoten, and Danish pebernødder, peppernuts are a holiday tradition in many Kansas homes and are made by rolling cookie dough into thin ropes and cutting it into bite-size pieces. Although recipes often vary, spices including anise, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and white pepper are traditionally used to flavor the cookies.

This chocolate walnut pie, especially popular around Kentucky Derby time, was invented in the 1950s by the Kern Family, who decided on the name by pooling options and pulling one from a hat. Kern’s Kitchen pie company bakes over 100,000 of these pies every year and although the recipe is a well-guarded secret, the iconic pies are available at restaurants and retail stores across the state.

This traditional New Orleans dessert, designed in the 1950s to make use of one of the city’s biggest imports, consists of bananas sautéed in sugar and butter, bathed in rum, and set alight, then served over vanilla ice cream with the pan sauce. The dish is named after Richard Foster, a local civic leader and friend of restaurateur Owen Brennan, in whose kitchen the dessert was invented.

Blueberry pie — made with wild Maine blueberries, of course — is the official state dessert of Maine. This double-crust or lattice-top pie highlights one of the state’s most notable crops, which grow well in Maine’s rugged climate and rocky soil. Although blueberry pie is available all year long at many diners, restaurants, and bakeries around the state, the best time to have a slice is from July to September, when the berries are harvested and the pie is baked fresh.

Smith Island, an isolated Chesapeake Bay island only accessible by boat, is home to a unique cultural heritage and a culinary tradition that created Maryland’s official state dessert. Its namesake cake comprises at least seven layers of yellow cake separated by a boiled milk chocolate frosting. The original recipe is likely older than its first appearance in print (in “Mrs. Kitching’s Smith Island Cookbook,” published in 1981) and modern variations include a wide range of cake and frosting flavors.

Created at Boston’s famous Parker House hotel in the latter 19th century, Boston cream pie is not quite a pie but two layers of sponge cake filled with a thick vanilla custard and topped with chocolate sauce. This classic cake not only inspired a popular doughnut flavor, it was also named the official state dessert of Massachusetts in 1996.

Known as the fudge capital of the world, Mackinac Island is a vacation destination home to over a dozen fudge and candy shops that churn out thousands of pounds of fudge daily during peak season. Made of a base of boiled milk, butter, and sugar, fudge must be churned as it cools to achieve a smooth texture. Fudge makers at many Mackinac shops are on display to the public as they work the candy by hand.

Bundt cakes — which can be any flavor as long as they are ring-shaped and baked in a tall decorative pan — are modeled after a European cake of a similar shape called a Gugelhupf. The St. Louis Park, Minnesota, company Nordic Ware began making bundt pans in 1950, and bundt cakes gained popularity in the ’60s. Still popular in Minnesota, bundt cakes now have their own national holiday — November 15.

Although its origins are murky, the name of this decadent chocolate pie is a clear reference to the dark, muddy banks of the Mississippi River. Mississippi mud pie comes in many varieties, usually with a chocolate cookie crust holding various fillings including chocolate pudding, whipped cream, marshmallow, ice cream, liqueur, and pecans.

One of the most widely accepted origins of the cake that started in depression-era St. Louis is that it was an unintentional creation. It was alleged that the creator mixed the proportions of certain ingredients that yielded this state dessert. Gooey butter cake was a regional Missouri treat until celebrity chef Paula Deen introduced a variation of the recipe to a national audience. Although purists insist that the cake be made from scratch with a yeasted dough, recipes involving boxed yellow cake mix and cream cheese have become the norm. Whatever the recipe, this dense, sticky cake bar is always made with loads of butter.

Alongside camping, eating s’mores is a Montana tradition. Usually involving graham crackers, fire-toasted marshmallows, and chocolate squares, s’mores are simple fare that can be jazzed up with any number of candy bars, caramel squares, cookies (to replace the graham crackers,) flavored marshmallows, and even bacon. S’mores ice cream is widely available at Montana ice cream parlors, and gourmet s’mores are not uncommon at the state’s resorts.

With origins in central Europe, these lightly sweet pastries were brought to the U.S. by Czech immigrants. Kolache is made from a yeasted dough which can be filled with any number of fruit, cheese, or poppy seed fillings. Verdigre, Kansas claims to be the kolache capital of the world, celebrating Czech culture with a yearly kolache festival.

Basque immigrants who moved to Nevada during the mining rushes of the mid-19th century brought extensive culinary traditions to the area, including gateau Basque. This buttery cake is made from a dough rather than a batter. It resembles a pie and is often filled with cherry jam or pastry cream.

These whimsical treats resemble a cookie sandwich, with cake-like layers around a creamy filling or frosting. Chocolate whoopie pies with vanilla filling are traditional, but flavors such as pumpkin with cream cheese, chocolate with peanut butter, and red velvet are also common. Although its origins are unclear and several states lay claim to the invention of the whoopie pie, New Hampshire bakeries are famous for whipping up these cream-filled sandwiches.

According to a local legend in Atlantic City, New Jersey became the birthplace of saltwater tаffy after a boardwalk candy shop flooded in a storm, and its owner jokingly called his confections “saltwater tаffy.” The name stuck. These confections are now ubiquitous on the Jersey Shore, and tаffy shops boast large display windows where customers can watch the tаffy being made in numerous flavors. Saltwater is not one of the ingredients.

Biscochitos are butter cookies customarily made with lard and flavored with cinnamon and anise. They became New Mexico’s official state cookie in 1989 but their roots in New Mexico date back hundreds of years. Popular during religious holidays as well as at weddings and graduations, these cookies come in a variety of shapes including crosses, stars, and the traditional fleur-de-lis.

Compared to everyday cheesecakes, New York-style cheesecake is taller, richer, denser, and ultra-creamy. The addition of heavy cream or sour cream and extra egg yolks helps this New York specialty stand out above the rest. While many New York restaurants tout their cheesecake as the best in the city, Junior’s in Downtown Brooklyn has long been the destination for an authentic slice.

The leading producer of sweet potatoes in the United States is the state of North Carolina, and in 1995 the sweet potato became its official state vegetable. The quintessential dessert made from this tuberous root is sweet potato pie, which has long been a Southern tradition with roots in West African cuisine. With a flaky single crust and a custard filling, sweet potato pie not only replaces pumpkin pie during holidays in many North Carolina homes but is also enjoyed year-round.

Chippers are one of those versatile snacks that satisfy both salty and sweet cravings. These chocolate-covered potato chips may have become mainstream around the country over the last two decades, but they are especially well-loved in North Dakota — mostly thanks to Widman’s Candy shop, which has been making them for years in numerous variations.

No candy says Ohio like the buckeye — a peanut butter fudge ball partially dipped in chocolate that bears a striking resemblance to the buckeye nut that grows on Ohio’s state tree. These confections are often homemade and enjoyed at celebrations and football games, but they’re also available at candy shops, bakeries, grocers, and just about any store that carries sweets.

Hand-held, deep-fried fruit pies have long been a favored Southern dessert, and Oklahoma is home to numerous fried pie shops that utilize recipes handed down for generations. Bakeries often keep their recipe for tender, flaky crust under wraps. Oklahoma fried pies come with many kinds of fruit or custard fillings, but apple, apricot, and peach are some of the most popular flavors.

Developed at Oregon State University and grown exclusively in the Pacific Northwest, the marionberry is a cultivar of blackberry that is particularly sweet, with a well-balanced acidity that makes it perfect for preserving and baking. Oregon is famous for its marionberry pies, which are widely available at pie shops and diners in mid-summer when the berries are in season.

Shoofly pie is a molasses pie with a crumb topping that has been around since the late 19th century when it was crustless and eaten for breakfast as a coffee cake. It is a staple of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, and its modern name is likely taken from the Shoofly Molasses brand from Philadelphia. Shoofly pies come in two varieties: wet-bottom, which is par-baked and custard-like, and dry-bottom, which is cake-like.

A summer seaside destination, the Ocean State has nearly 400 miles of coastline where locals and tourists can enjoy sightseeing, sailing, swimming, and more. All summer long, Del’s frozen lemonade stands serve refreshing lemonade slushies to beachgoers, in classic lemon as well as blueberry, watermelon, and other fruity flavors. This family-run business has been offering its famous spoonless slushies since 1948.

This Southern white layer cake is filled with boozy dried fruits and nuts and covered with a fluffy seven-minute frosting made of boiled sugar syrup and whipped egg whites. It was likely invented in Charleston, and although several conflicting stories exist as to the cake’s creator, its fame can be attributed to author Owen Wister, whose 1906 novel “Lady Baltimore” featured the dessert.

Kuchen, the German word for cake, can apply to a wide range of desserts. In South Dakota, where German immigrants passed down their family recipes, a kuchen is a custard filled with fresh fruit and baked into a sweet, yeasted dough crust. The official state dessert of South Dakota, kuchen is available in bakeries as well as many home kitchens, and the recipe variations are limitless.

Made at Chattanooga Bakery since 1917, MoonPies are composed of two graham cookies around a soft marshmallow filling, all dipped in a chocolate coating. These affordable treats are popular as Mardi Gras throws and in children’s and workers’ lunch boxes. Aside from the original chocolate MoonPie, flavors including vanilla, banana, lemon, and salted caramel are also made at the bakery, which produces about one million pies every day.

In a state with 70,000 acres of pecan trees, the pecan pie is a must-have dessert on Texas tables. The first pecan dessert recipes appeared in Texas in the late 19th century, and the first printed pecan pie recipe appeared in Harper’s Bazaar in 1886. With a gooey corn syrup-based filling and a flaky crust, this sweeter-than-sweet pie became the official state pie of Texas in 2013.

More Jell-O is consumed per capita in Utah than in any other state, so it’s no wonder that the official state snack is this wiggly and wobbly treat. The quick and easy gelatin-based dessert is popular at church functions and extended family gatherings in the largely Mormon locale. A throw-back to the Jell-O salad days of the ’50s, add-ins are still popular in Mormon cuisine; canned pineapple, cottage cheese, maraschino cherries, and nuts can frequently be found floating in molded Jello-O rings on Utah tables.

In a land of dairy farms and maple producers, maple-flavored soft-serve ice cream is bound to be a hit. A creemee, as soft serve is called in Vermont, can be made with locally produced maple syrup for a uniquely Vermont flavor experience. Creemee stands all over the state serve maple creemees, and maple syrup producers often serve creemees on their farms as well.

Although there is little consensus on its composition or the origin of its name, chess pie is a classic Virginia dessert. The first chess pie recipe (under the name “transparent pudding”) came from an 1824 cookbook called “The Virginia Housewife.” The pie is characterized by a thick custard filling often containing cornmeal, buttermilk, eggs, and butter. The vanilla flavor is customary, but lemon, chocolate, and coconut chess pies are also common.

The largest apple-producing state in the U.S. is Washington so it comes as no surprise that the apple is the official state fruit. Numerous bakeries in Washington are famous for their apple pies, which are made in a multitude of variations. Some use only pink lady apples, while others prefer fuji or gala. Some peel the apples and slice them thinly, while others leave the peels and cut the apples into thick chunks. Whichever way it’s made, apple pie is a Washington favorite.

A derivation of European gingerbread, molasses cookies have a long history and gained popularity in the Americas when the price of molasses was much lower than the price of sugar. Spiced with ginger, cloves, and cinnamon, these soft, chewy cookies are still a beloved dessert in West Virginia.

Wisconsin is the only state with an official pastry, and that pastry is the kringle. With roots in Denmark, this Wisconsin specialty is most popular in Racine County, where many Danish immigrants settled in the mid to late 19th century. Kringle traditionally has 32 flaky layers of Danish pastry dough that are shaped into a large oval, filled with fruits or nuts, and frosted.

Huckleberries, which are native to the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest, are widespread throughout western Wyoming including in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Huckleberry ice cream has become a summer delicacy in the state, especially during August and September when the wild berries ripen.