List of American desserts facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The United States is famous for its amazing variety of sweet treats! From creamy pies to fluffy cakes and yummy cookies, American desserts have a rich history. Many of these delicious foods came from different countries as people moved to America, bringing their favorite recipes with them. This mix of cultures created the huge and tasty world of American desserts we enjoy today.

Popular American Desserts

A. Sweet Starts

Angel food cake is a light, airy cake that originated in the United States.

Angel food cake: A very light and airy cake, almost like a sweet cloud! It's made mostly from egg whites.
Apple crisp: A warm, baked dessert with sliced apples, often spiced with cinnamon, topped with a crunchy oat and butter crumble.
Apple dumpling: A baked apple wrapped in pastry, often served with a sweet sauce.

B. Banana and Berry Bites

Banana pudding is prepared with vanilla flavored custard, cookies and sliced fresh bananas, topped with whipped cream or meringue.
A traditional banana split, as served at Cabot's Ice Cream and Restaurant in Newtonville, Massachusetts.
Boston cream pie is a cake that is filled with a custard or cream filling and frosted with chocolate.

Banana split: A classic ice cream dessert with a banana cut lengthwise, scoops of ice cream, sauces, whipped cream, and toppings.
Banana pudding: A creamy dessert made with layers of vanilla custard, sliced bananas, and cookies, often topped with whipped cream.
Black and white cookies: A soft, cake-like cookie with half vanilla icing and half chocolate icing.
Boston cream pie: Don't let the name fool you, it's actually a cake! It's a sponge cake filled with cream and topped with chocolate glaze.

C. Cookies, Cakes, and Cobblers

The chocolate chip cookie is a drop cookie that originated in the United States and features chocolate chips as its distinguishing ingredient.

A portion of berry cobbler.

Cheesecake: A rich dessert made with a creamy cheese filling, often on a graham cracker crust.
Chocolate brownie: A dense, fudgy, or cake-like square chocolate dessert.
Chocolate chip cookie: One of the most famous American cookies, packed with chocolate chips. It was invented in Massachusetts in the 1930s.
Cobbler: A baked fruit dessert topped with a biscuit-like dough or batter.
Cupcake: A small cake designed to serve one person, often decorated with frosting.

D. Decadent Delights

Devil's food cake is a moist, rich chocolate layer cake.

Devil's food cake: A very rich, moist chocolate cake, often darker than regular chocolate cake.
Doughnut: A sweet, fried dough treat, often ring-shaped or filled, and covered with glaze or sprinkles.

F. Frozen and Fried Fun

Blueberry frozen yogurt.

Fried dough: A simple, sweet dough that is deep-fried, often topped with powdered sugar.
Frozen yogurt: A frozen dessert made with yogurt, similar to ice cream but often lighter.
Fudge: A soft, rich candy made from sugar, butter, and milk, often flavored with chocolate.
Funnel cake: A popular fair food made by pouring batter through a funnel into hot oil, creating a crispy, tangled treat.

G. Golden Goodies

Glorified rice is a dessert salad served in Minnesota and other states in the Upper Midwest.
Gooey butter cake is a type of cake traditionally made in the American Midwest city of St. Louis.

German chocolate cake: A chocolate layer cake with a unique coconut-pecan frosting.
Gingerbread: A spiced cookie or cake, often shaped like people or houses, especially popular around holidays.
Gooey butter cake: A flat, dense cake with a gooey, buttery top layer, famous in St. Louis, Missouri.

H. Heavenly Hostess Treats

A halved Hostess CupCake.

Hostess CupCake: A classic snack cake with a creamy filling and swirled frosting.
Hummingbird cake: A moist, spiced cake made with bananas, pineapple, and pecans, often topped with cream cheese frosting.

I. Icy Indulgences

An icebox cake.

Ice cream: A frozen dessert made from dairy cream, sugar, and flavorings.
Ice cream cake: A cake made with layers of ice cream and sometimes cake or cookie crumbs.
Icebox cake: A no-bake dessert made by layering cookies or wafers with whipped cream or pudding, then chilling it.

J. Jellies and Joys

Jell-O: A popular brand of gelatin dessert that comes in many fruit flavors.
Jelly bean: Small, bean-shaped candies with a chewy shell and a jelly-like inside, available in many flavors.

K. Key Lime Classic

Key lime pie: A tart and sweet pie made with Key lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk, often in a graham cracker crust.

L. Lemon and Layered Treats

A lemon bar.

Lemon bar: A sweet and tart dessert bar with a shortbread crust and a tangy lemon filling.
Lava cake: A small chocolate cake with a gooey, molten chocolate center.

M. Marshmallows and More

Marshmallow creme: A sweet, fluffy spread made from marshmallows.
Molten chocolate cake: Another name for lava cake, known for its warm, liquid chocolate center.
Moon Pie: A snack made of two round graham cracker cookies with marshmallow filling, dipped in chocolate.

O. Oatmeal and Oreos

Oatmeal cookie: A chewy cookie made with oats, often with raisins or chocolate chips.
Oreo: A famous sandwich cookie with two chocolate wafers and a sweet cream filling.

P. Pies, Puddings, and Pop-Tarts

Fork-scored peanut butter cookies.

Pistachio pudding.

Pancake: A flat, round cake made from batter, cooked on a griddle, and often served with syrup for breakfast or dessert.
Peanut butter cookies: Cookies made with peanut butter, often recognized by their criss-cross fork marks.
Pecan pie: A sweet pie with a filling made primarily of corn syrup and pecans.
Pistachio pudding: A creamy, green pudding flavored with pistachios.
Pop-Tarts: A brand of pre-baked, toaster pastries with a sweet filling.
Pumpkin Pie: A classic dessert pie, especially popular during the fall and holiday seasons, made with a spiced pumpkin custard filling.

R. Red and Rice Delights

In New Mexico and southern Colorado, panocha is a pudding made from ground sprouted wheat and piloncillo.
Red velvet cake is traditionally prepared as a layer cake topped with cream cheese or cooked ermine icing. The reddish color is achieved by adding beetroot or red food coloring.

Red velvet cake: A striking cake with a reddish-brown color, a hint of cocoa, and a distinctive cream cheese frosting.
Rice Krispies Treats: A simple, chewy bar made from Rice Krispies cereal and melted marshmallows.
Rice pudding: A creamy dessert made from rice mixed with milk or water and sweeteners.

S. Sundaes and S'mores

A sundae.

S'more: A popular campfire treat made with a toasted marshmallow and a piece of chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers.
Snickerdoodles: A soft, chewy cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar.
Soft serve ice cream: A softer, smoother type of ice cream that is dispensed from a machine.
Strawberry shortcake: A dessert made with shortcake (a type of biscuit or sponge cake), fresh strawberries, and whipped cream.
Sundae: An ice cream dish with toppings like syrup, whipped cream, and a cherry.

T. Twinkies and Tapioca

Whole and split Twinkie snack cakes.

Tapioca pudding: A sweet pudding made with tapioca pearls, which are small, chewy beads.
Twinkie: A popular golden sponge cake with a creamy filling.

W. Waffles and Whoopie Pies

Waffle: A batter-based cake cooked in a waffle iron, creating a pattern of squares. Often served with syrup or fruit.
Whoopie pie: Two soft, cake-like cookies (often chocolate) with a creamy, sweet filling in the middle.

American Pies

A buttermilk pie topped with pecan brittle.

A grape pie prepared with Concord grapes.

A lemon ice box pie with raspberry sorbet and raspberry sauce.

A slice of lemon meringue pie.

Pies are a huge part of American dessert culture, with many different kinds of fillings and crusts. Here are some of the most popular:

Apple pie: Often called "as American as apple pie," this classic features a sweet apple filling baked in a flaky crust.
Blueberry pie: A sweet pie filled with juicy blueberries.
Buttermilk pie: A simple, custard-like pie with a tangy and sweet flavor.
Cherry pie: A pie filled with sweet or tart cherries.
Chocolate cream pie: A rich, creamy pie with a chocolate pudding filling, often topped with whipped cream.
Key lime pie: A tart and sweet pie made with Key lime juice, famous in Florida.
Lemon meringue pie: A pie with a tangy lemon custard filling, topped with a fluffy, toasted meringue.
Pecan pie: A sweet pie with a gooey filling packed with pecans.
Pumpkin pie: A creamy, spiced pumpkin custard pie, a must-have for Thanksgiving.
Sweet potato pie: Similar to pumpkin pie, but made with sweet potatoes, often found in Southern cuisine.