Top 11 American Foods (Sweet)
- CJ Tiernan
- Nov 27, 2025
- 5 min read
By CJ Tiernan
I am writing this on Thanksgiving, so I figure it is an appropriate topic. We all have traditions we keep on Thanksgiving and different dishes we serve. While the world seems to be a more global society every single day, it is still fun to look back at the foods that someone first whipped up within the confines of the contiguous 48. Plus, your boy is into dessert. Like, big time into dessert. Much like the black box, I wonder why we don't make the whole meal out of dessert. They didn't ask me. In fact, the mnemonic I use to remember the difference in spelling between desert and dessert is simply that dessert is better and should last longer so it gets the second 's'. How fun is that? That one's free. After that freebie, I present to you my Top 11 most delicious desserts born in the USA.
1. Pecan Pie
Run your fork through a slice of this sweet treat and cram it in your pie hole. It's like your tastebuds are dancing in brown-sugar sunshine. Such a wonderful moment in time when the Pecan Pie makes an appearance. I feel like the Pecan Pie should be indoctrinated into the same ubiquity that Apple Pie enjoys. If you mack on some Apple Pie at any time of year, no one bats an eye, but somehow the Pecan Pie became a fall food. Shameful. And in case you were wondering, the phrase "as American as Apple Pie" is not conveying the message people think it is. It is an English (UK not the language) concoction. Using that phrase is akin to when people say "I could care less" when they mean "I couldn't care less."
2. Chocolate Chip Cookies
Warm chocolate chip cookies. Think about it. Picture it. Ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies. Aw man, that's America. Get yourself some milk (or a non-dairy facsimile for those of us lactose hosers) and dip and dunk to your heart's delight. The bummer about a plate of chocolate chip cookies is that somewhere along the line it became socially unacceptable to eat the whole thing in one sitting. Alas, we wouldn't need dreaming if the world was already perfect.
3. Key Lime Pie
Key Lime Pie is named for the type of lime that is used: the Key Lime. The Key Lime is named for the region where it's grown: The Florida Keys. This dish may be the official dessert of Florida, but it is the unofficial dessert of my dad. He invented the dessert strategy to end all dessert strategies: the sliver. To avoid overindulgence, you don't have a full piece, just a real whisper of a slice a.k.a. a sliver. You then proceed to engage in sliver after sliver until the job is done. It's downright heroic. Additionally, August 31st was recently christened by him as National Key Lime Pie Day, in honor of my late cousin Siobhan. Please enjoy a slice in her honor annually and keep love in your heart.
4. Brownie
Chocolate was a great invention, huh? Can you believe there are places where this thing is just growing out of the ground? What a world we live in. I tried cocoa powder straight up as a child and I still have regrets so, you know, some assembly required. Whatever the ingredients may be that turn chocolate into this glorious invention, we can thank the good ol' US of A.
5. Cupcakes
I am a sucker for just whipping up a grocery store box of cake mix and turning it into cupcakes. What's more American than that? I am well aware there are entire buildings erected just to sell cupcakes. When the tired, poor, huddled masses blitzed our shores en masse, that was the dream. A cupcakery. They usually have a wonderful mix of flavors that are, obviously, all delicious. I'm partial to just a plain old vanilla. I'm no stranger to even lightening the load of the frosting or disposing of it all together. I know, I'm irredeemable.
6. Doughnut
Wait, you say. This is not a dessert! This is breakfast. Pish posh, old man, I do what I want. It is a sweet confection and just like I can eat breakfast for dinner (brinner), I can eat breakfast for dessert. Maple Glaze is my favorite variety but, c'mon, it's a doughnut (or donut), it's gonna be delicious. Like cupcakes, there are entire shops dedicated exclusively to spreading this joy across the land like Johnny Appleseed (who was a real person named John Chapman and not just an American folk tale like Paul Bunyan).
7. Ice Cream/Milkshake/Sundae
We all scream for Ice Cream! Whether you prefer it in beverage form, with toppings, or straight from the trough, it is glorious. Is there any more holy being than the cow? From its mere existence, we are able to conjure cheese, ice cream, and cheeseburgers. Step aside Rush, there's a new holy trinity. Grand is the plan that includes ice cream. You ever partake in a Sundae bar? It's like looking into the eyes of Miss America: breathtaking. Watch out for the brain freeze, though. We have yet to evolve that out of the gene pool.
8. Cobbler
It's like pie but without all the fuss. Pie is for company but Cobbler is for family. I am a sucker for Peach Cobbler, but you can cobbler-ize any fruit of your choice. When you are the baker, your only limits are the contents of your refrigerator. I am also down to clown with some Blueberry Cobbler. Just saying.
9. Oreo
Poor Hydrox. The National Biscuit Company (now known as Nabisco) invented the chocolate sandwich cookie in 1912... by copying Hydrox, which had invented it already in 1908. The thing is, selling cookies is a real estate business. Oreo has ownership over a good chunk of the snack aisle in every grocery store and Hydrox, well, I had one once in a class in College. Location, Location, Location. Spoiler Alert: if you are looking for the location of the nearest Oreo, it's usually in my belly!
10. Pumpkin Pie
This is another seasonal pie that I'd be willing to finesse into my diet on a year-round basis. Seasoned with a magical combination of spices referred to as "Pumpkin Pie Spice," the Pumpkin Pie is an absolute sensory delight. And add Cool Whip. You've got to have Cool Whip. Don't worry, Cool Whip is also an American product so you can serve a slice of pure Americana with whip. While I don't understand the craze that involves flavoring everything in the fall with pumpkin spice, I do support it when it comes to pie.
11. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Alright, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. The reason this dish is served upside-down: gravity. When you throw this bad boy together, the pineapple rings are placed in the bottom because they would sink there anyway. You then put the cake batter on top of the sweet mixture with the pineapple (yep, brown sugar says "sup" again) and bake. Once you let it cool, then you can flip it over and voilà (sorry, that's a french word, how about tah dah), the pineapple is on top. The Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is such a moist cake. It is melt-in-your-mouth delish!
Final Thoughts
Dessert is great. I may not have mentioned this yet but I'm a big fan of sweets. How glorious is it that so many of our favorite desserts are homegrown. All this and I haven't even tried everything America has to offer. Both beignets and Boston Cream Pie are sweets invented in the US that I've not yet dipped my face into. If there is another American dessert that you simply cannot live without, please let me know in the comments. Thanks! I'll leave a list of a few more that just missed my list.
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