Top 10 Classic American Desserts to Try

Published: December 19, 2023 by Stephanie Harper

There’s nothing like having a decadent dessert waiting for you after finishing a delicious dinner. Dessert time is when a person can sit back and indulge. Plenty of people have grown to love the comforting dessert brings to them, especially when there are a lot of negative things going on in the world.

The United States is home to some of the tastiest desserts around the globe. Click here to read more about 30 retro recipes that should make a comeback soon.

Whipping up an easy dessert can turn your entire day around for the better. To gather this list of mouthwatering American desserts, 24/7 Tempo consulted several food-centered sources. These include Food Network, All Recipes, and Tasting Table. These are the top 10 most classic American desserts.

Sweet Potato Pie

Origins: Southern American states

Sweet potatoes are super versatile. One of their best forms comes in a sweet potato pie. This dessert traces back to the southern part of the United States. During slavery times, human beings who were captured used sweet potatoes to make their pies. They came up with the idea instead of using yams.

In order to cook a perfect sweet potato pie, you’ll need sweet potatoes, milk, sugar, eggs, and a pie shell. You can find sweet potato pie in a dish at most typical Thanksgiving or Christmas celebrations. Many people prefer to eat it with whipped cream on top or ice cream on the side.

New York Cheesecake

Origins: New York

The first record of cheesecake as a dessert traces back to ancient times and the Greek Empire. Today, the beloved cheesecake flavor people know comes straight from New York. Chefs in the big apple know how to cook and can create almost anything. Cheesecake has evolved into having dozens of different delicious flavors over many centuries.

These include the classic original, red velvet, cookies and cream, lemon, and many more. For New York cheesecake, you’ll need cream cheese, sugar, and graham cracker pie crust. It’s as simple as that! New York cheesecake is one of the easiest desserts to make – and it will surely fill you up.

Brownies

Origins: Chicago

Nearly everyone with a sweet tooth has waited in front of the oven for a tray of brownies to finish baking. There’s nothing quite like adding a few scoops of ice cream along with a slice of warm brownie. The origin of the dessert is links back to Chicago in 1893.

A socialite named Bertha Palmer wanted to get her hands on a dessert nobody had heard of for a special event. The pastry chef she hired got back to her with the brownie. Today, you can add walnuts, icing, coconut sprinkles, and almost anything else you want to your ideal tray of freshly baked brownies. For an original taste, be sure to have eggs, flour, butter, sugar, and cocoa powder.

Baked Alaska

Origins: Manhattan

The name of this sweet treat might be deceiving, as baked Alaska couldn’t have been created further away from the state. A restaurant in Manhattan concocted this dish as a celebration of the United States acquiring Alaska in 1876. At this point, Alaska wasn’t a state yet, but acquiring more land was a big deal for the union.

The dessert is made of ice cream, sponge cake, and meringue. The key to making fabulous baked Alaska is to heat it in an oven for a little while until the meringue caramelizes. Some restaurants light a flame on top of it for a more aesthetically pleasing presentation in front of guests and customers.

Boston Cream Pie

Origins: Boston

If you’re looking for comfort food that’s sure to have you glued to the couch, Boston cream pie is just the dessert for you. This cake is filled with cream and icing on top for anyone who has a sweet tooth. The origin of the dessert comes straight from the city of Boston, thus the name.

In 1856, a chef wanted to try to create a pudding-like pie at a hotel in the city. He combined sponge cake, whipped cream, chocolate glaze, and custard. Once it came together, he served it to the guests dining at his restaurant. The feedback he received was positive. Today, Boston cream pie can be found all around the world. It’s best when it’s served chilled so the person enjoying it doesn’t have to worry about the icing or custard falling out.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Origins: Massachusetts

Is there anything better than getting home after a long day and rushing to the cookie jar? In Massachusetts sometime in 1938, that became a common reality because the chocolate chip cookie was born. Ruth Graves Wakefield was at the Toll House Inn when she first created the iconic recipe.

Cookies were already being served around the world, but the addition of chocolate chip morsels hadn’t been done yet. Wakefield got creative! For this recipe, you’ll need sugar, four, butter, chocolate chips, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Once you have these ingredients in a bowl, mix it all together. Thanks to Wakefield, chocolate chip cookies have become a beloved treat to snack on.

Donuts

Origins: New York

The first time people started enjoying donuts was during the 17th and 18th centuries in New York because of the Dutch. At the time, fried balls of dough that we now recognize as donuts were called olie koeken or olykoeks. In translation, that means “oil cakes.” Back then, donuts didn’t have the classic ring shape we recognize them having today. Nevertheless, the texture and sweetness was the same.

As of now, it’s easiest to get your hands on delicious tasting donuts would be tracking them down at bakeries and sweet shops. Learning how to fry them to perfection at home might potentially require some skill and practice. Some people think of donuts as breakfast items, but many still chow down on them for dessert.

Pecan Pie

Origins: Southern American states

Another one of the best dessert creations in the United States is pecan pie. Much like sweet potato pie, this dessert was first created in the southern part of the United States. The first appearance of pecan pie was in 1886. The creation of this magnificent recipe makes sense since states like Texas are the biggest producers of pecans in the world.

The original pecan pie was also made with molasses and dark syrup. This is because corn syrup hadn’t been invented yet. Of course, the recipe was tweaked when corn syrup came along. Pecan pie is simple to make with a pie crust, pecans, eggs, butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Be careful who you serve it to, though! Pecan allergies are common and deadly.

Funnel Cake

Origins: Pennsylvania

Going to a fair, amusement park, carnival, or any outdoor event isn’t complete until you get a funnel cake. It was first known in its current form in Pennsylvania in 1879. All you need in your kitchen to make it is batter and cooking oil. Fry it for a few minutes until the batter gets brown and crispy.

After that, add different sauces and toppings to it. Have fun with chocolate drizzle, fresh-cut fruit, whipped cream, or even jelly. The most popular topping for funnel cake? Powdered sugar! Thanks to technology, the ability to fry foods has become easier and safer to do at home. Just about anyone can enjoy this dessert whenever they’re craving it.

Banana Pudding

Origins: Massachusetts

Anyone with a sweet tooth is liable to be obsessed with banana pudding. This dessert uses fresh bananas as the focal point of the dessert. It’s usually thought of as being a southern dish, but this has expanded to all throughout the United States. In addition to bananas, you’re going to need vanilla wafers, custard, and vanilla flavoring.

Banana pudding dessert has become so popular that there’s even a National Banana Pudding Festival that takes place in Tennessee the first weekend of every October. The United States is known for many things, including creating some of the most amazing desserts you can find in the world. Some of these desserts and dishes are perfect for the holiday season. Click here to read more about 17 Christmas dishes you can prepare before going to your party.