The best classic American desserts
The top 3 according to 316 votes from people: Apple pie · New York cheesecake · Chocolate chip cookies. (Updated May 30, 2022.)
The sweets that define American baking, from Thanksgiving pies to diner cheesecake, ranked by how often they appear in dessert roundups, food magazines and TasteAtlas ratings.
Top 15
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1
Apple pie
Double-crust pie of spiced apples; 'as American as apple pie' since the 20th century.
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2
New York cheesecake
Dense, rich cream cheese cake on a graham cracker crust, made famous by Junior's and Lindy's.
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3
Chocolate chip cookies
Invented around 1938 by Ruth Wakefield at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts.
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4
Key lime pie
Florida Keys pie of key lime juice and condensed milk; the official state pie of Florida.
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5
Pecan pie
Southern pie of pecans in a gooey filling of corn syrup, butter and eggs.
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6
Carrot cake
Spiced cake with grated carrots and walnuts under cream cheese frosting.
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7
Banana pudding
Southern layered pudding of vanilla custard, sliced bananas and Nilla wafers.
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8
Pumpkin pie
Spiced pumpkin custard pie, the essential Thanksgiving dessert.
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9
Bananas Foster
Bananas flambéed in rum, brown sugar and butter over ice cream, created at Brennan's in New Orleans in 1951.
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10
Red velvet cake
Crimson cocoa buttermilk cake with cream cheese frosting, linked to New York's Waldorf-Astoria.
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11
S'mores
Toasted marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched between graham crackers around the campfire.
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12
Texas sheet cake
Thin chocolate cake baked in a sheet pan and covered with warm chocolate pecan icing.
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13
Boston cream pie
Actually a cake: sponge filled with custard and topped with chocolate, created at Boston's Parker House Hotel; Massachusetts' official dessert.
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14
Brownies
Fudgy chocolate squares first baked at Chicago's Palmer House Hotel for the 1893 World's Fair.
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15
Whoopie pie
Two soft chocolate cakes sandwiching a fluffy cream filling, Maine's official state treat.
Candidates
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16
Cherry pie
Double-crust pie filled with tart cherries, a classic for the Fourth of July and Presidents' Day.
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17
Strawberry shortcake
Sweet biscuits split and filled with macerated strawberries and whipped cream.
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18
Peach cobbler
Baked peaches under a biscuit or batter topping, a Georgia summer favourite.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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Comments (4)
Fall is here, so pumpkin pie season starts now 🎃
Made the Key lime pie from this list for a party, everyone loved it.
Key lime pie from the Keys, not the green stuff. Real key lime pie is yellow!
Pecan pie at Thanksgiving is untouchable. Cherry pie deserves a spot too.