Amazing American Desserts One State at a Time

From pie and pastries to cakes and chocolate anything, there’s an amazing American dessert for each U.S. state.

Amazing American Desserts One State at a Time

If Americans have one thing in common, perhaps it’s their love for sweet treats. This explains the desire to turn perfectly good black coffee into a liquid dessert saturated with sugar and milk. But beverages from Dunkin’ aren’t considered dessert, which is fine since there’s no shortage of amazing American desserts across all 50 states.

With so many options and so many all-American goodies like apple pie and chocolate chip cookies, though, is it possible for each state to have its own best dessert? The answer is a resounding yes. From Washington to Florida and Maine to Missouri, every member of the union has at least one — and often many — iconic desserts that its residents seem to enjoy more than anything else.

Get ready for the best pies you’ve ever tasted and more cake than you’ll ever need, plus some wild and exotic dishes you might never have tried.

Alabama: Lane Cake

It’s hard to go wrong with boozy desserts, and Lane Cake checks all the boxes. It’s named after Emma Rylander Lane, the Alabama woman who created it in the late 1800s, and the multiple layers are traditionally stuffed with raisins, pecans and coconut that were all marinated in bourbon. Variations exist, but the classic recipe is still going strong.

The cake was created long before the advent of modern kitchen tools like stand mixers or even hand-cranked egg beaters, so for a long time, it was considered one of the most labor-intensive desserts around.

Alaska: Akutaq

We don’t expect you to know what akutaq is or even how to pronounce it. And while its ingredients list is bizarre by the Lower 48’s standards, that doesn't mean it's not tasty. Akutaq is what native Alaskans refer to as “ice cream.” It does not, however, contain any dairy, which means it doesn't have quite the same sensory experience as real ice cream.

This ancient staple food is a whipped mixture of ice, animal oil or fat (such as from whales, seals or caribou) and any of the many varieties of wild berries growing in Alaska.

Arizona: Sopaipilla

This fried bread dish has a wild and ancient history, and it’s most associated with Arizona’s eastern neighbor, New Mexico, but is extremely popular and prevalent throughout the Grand Canyon State. It’s believed the word "sopaipilla" derives from the Mozarabic language and the food was first introduced by the same crypto-Jewish people who spoke Ladino and created New Mexico’s unique Spanish dialect.

The dish itself is simply a leavened dough made from wheat and corn flours and some type of fat like shortening or butter. The dessert version is drizzled with a syrup or honey and dusted with sugar.

Arkansas: Possum Pie

The opossum animal is known for playing dead around predators, essentially pretending it’s something else. Such is the case with possum pie, a scrumptious pie that contains nothing savory or rodent-like and that is instead a study in layers — pecan crust then heaps of cream cheese, chocolate pudding and whipped cream.

The idea is that it appears to be one thing but is actually another, like a possum playing dead. We’re pretty sure they could’ve just called it pudding pie or whatever, and it would be just as delectable (although not quite as intriguing).

California: Olallieberry Pie

In a state as diverse, populous and spread out as California, it’s difficult to pin down one dessert that speaks for every nook and cranny. So, people like to claim frozen yogurt is the ideal middle ground. Well, we’re not here to be diplomatic or make friends, and frozen yogurt kind of sucks. Let’s instead be polarizing and judgmental!

If you want something iconic for the Golden State, it’s hard to beat olallieberries, which grow in only a few places along the California coast for three weeks or so in the summer. This dessert is unique, much like the state itself, and a small tavern off Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and San Francisco makes a version that's the stuff of legends.

Colorado: Root Beer Float

This crown could’ve gone to a cannabis-infused treat, but the same could be said of so many other states on this list that the joke loses its steam fast. Instead, we’re going with the root beer float because it was reportedly invented in Colorado in 1893 after a bar owner likened the snowy peak of Cow Mountain to a scoop of ice cream bobbing in glass filled with a dark beverage like root beer (or stout for a boozy adventure).

It’s one of those nostalgia-inducing desserts that’s both timeless and just plain good.

Connecticut: Snickerdoodle

At some point, Connecticut made its love of snickerdoodles official by declaring them the state cookie. But their origin is believed to be Germany or Holland, and they were brought to the States with Dutch immigrants way back in who knows when. Since early Connecticut settlers were Dutch, it makes sense the cookie found footing in the Constitution State.

Snickerdoodles are beloved even if they’re fairly ho-hum — a basic sugar cookie coated with yet more sugar and some cinnamon. The best thing going for snickerdoodles is their crackly appearance and chewy-crunchy interplay.

Delaware: Peach Pie

Count us among those who would never think Delaware when thinking about peaches, but apparently this minuscule colony thinks its peaches are just peachy and in 2009 named peach pie the official state dessert. We defer to you, First Staters.

To be fair, Delaware is serious about its peaches and has a long history of cultivating this tree fruit. In fact, the peach blossom became Delaware’s official state flower all the way back in 1895. Sadly, there are few peach orchards left in Delaware, but residents' love of the peach pie hasn’t faded at all.

Florida: Key Lime Pie

Florida is nothing without its citrus industry, and these annoyingly puny and pungent fruits are second only to oranges in the Sunshine State. The key lime pie was indeed created in Key West by the cook for the area’s first millionaire, as legend has it.

Interestingly enough, before it was considered dangerous to consume raw eggs, early versions of the pie were unbaked because a chemical reaction between the lime juice, egg yolks and condensed milk made the mixture thick enough to hold its shape.

Georgia: Peach Cobbler

Not to worry, Georgia, we know you’re the real peach capital of America no matter what Delaware says. And what better way to enjoy the glorious peach fruit than in cobbler form? (Pipe down, Delaware.) Cobbler was born out of necessity by settlers heading west in the early 19th century.

This biscuit-dough-topped fruit concoction was originally “baked” over open fires in a Dutch oven and eaten as breakfast or a main dinner course, but by the late 19th century, it made its way into dessert territory. Nowadays, a healthy scoop of vanilla ice cream rounds out the dish.

Hawaii: Mochi

While Hawaiian shave ice is certainly a popular Hawaiian dessert, we had to include mochi instead. Japanese immigrants brought this glutinous-rice treat to the former Sandwich Islands in the early 1900s, and since then, it has taken on a life of its own. Most Americans only know mochi from the freezer aisle at Trader Joe’s or as an ice cream treat to finish off a Japanese meal, but it is actually any confection made with a paste of mochigome, a short-grained and highly glutinous rice.

One Hawaiian twist is called butter mochi and consists of a basic dough made from coconut milk and glutinous rice flour that creates a pleasing custard-like texture when baked.

Idaho: Huckleberry Pie

Huckleberries, which look a lot like blueberries but contain even more antioxidants, are the royal berry of the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West regions and the namesake for one of literature’s most memorable protagonists, Huckleberry Finn. Montana or Wyoming, and even Oregon or Washington to some degree, could lay claim to this dessert, but Idaho really takes it to an 11.

Huckleberries are the state’s official fruit, for one thing, and Idaho contains many native species, including the popular black thin-leaved variety. Huckleberry pie can be found anywhere up and down this skinny state.

Illinois: Brownie

A humble yet oh so decadent chocolate dessert, brownies as we know them today made their debut in 1893 at the Chicago World’s Fair. Organizer asked the city’s Palmer House hotel to create a sweet treat that was portable since fairgoers would be moving around a lot.

Modern recipes are not far off from the first one, with the only major difference being an apricot jam glaze in Bertha Palmer’s original that likely helped cut through the density and richness that are hallmarks of a properly made brownie.

Indiana: Hoosier Pie

Also known as sugar cream pie, it truly does live up to the name. Take a plain pie shell and fill it with butter, maple or brown sugar and vanilla cream then bake until set but still jiggly. It’s truly a pantry masterpiece, often called a “desperation pie” because when people ran out of better things to bake with, like apples, they still needed to bake something sweet.

The dish dates back to at least 1816, the same year Indiana became a state, and was popular in the Amish community in the 1850s.

Iowa: Blarney Stone

Blarney Stones have a somewhat muddled history, but for obvious reasons are popular around St. Patrick’s Day and other holidays. Iowans, in particular, go (pea)nuts for them. Indeed, these little morsels of goodness highlight the beauty of peanuts in desserts.

They’re made by cutting a plain yellow sheet cake into cubes that are then frosted on all sides and rolled around in crushed salted peanuts. Whether this bite-size treat has anything to do with Ireland and Irish culture is beside the point when you’re zoning out on that exquisite sweet-salty contrast.

Kansas: Peppernut

Russian Mennonites brought this zippy treat with them to Kansas in the 1870s, and they have been a local favorite ever since. Peppernuts live up to their name with a healthy dose of both black pepper and ginger in the original iterations, along with basic cookie ingredients. As it does in savory foods, black pepper helps to enhance other flavors.

Recipes have evolved over the years and now include many other spices, such as anise. A proper peppernut is hard and crunchy with a real kick of spice.

Kentucky: May Day Pie

This pie consists of a chocolate and walnut filling topped with a pastry crust. It’s everything you want from a pie, and it goes by a much more famous name (ahem, "Derby pie"). However, it’s also been called the most litigious confection in history. The Kern family, which created it in 1950, trademarked the name and has sued dozens of times to protect their intellectual property.

May Day in Kentucky is, of course, the first Saturday in May when the Derby horse races take place. Just don’t say the pie's true name three times in a row, or zombie lawyers will rise up from the ground and hand you a summons.

Louisiana: King Cake

Beignets are indeed the state’s official doughnut, but there’s an even more iconic dessert in Louisiana that’s part and parcel with any respectable Mardi Gras fete. The king cake is not unique to Louisiana, but since the state is ground zero for this pre-Lenten celebration we feel it best represents the essence of bayou country.

The cake dates back hundreds of years and was originally nothing more than a French bread-style dough covered in sugar with a bean hidden inside. If you got the bean, you became king of the feast. Nowadays, many more flavor components — pear, apple or chocolate, to name a few — go into king cakes, and they’re usually a dazzling array of colors.

Maine: Wild Blueberry Pie

Maine is world famous for its tiny wild blueberries, and Mainers eagerly head out from July through September to gather as many of these sweet pellets of detoxifying wonder as possible. Obviously, this is their official state dessert.

Early New Englanders were the first to make blueberry pies, although recipes using the ingredient along with other berries or simply by itself did not start appearing until the late 1800s and early 1900s. Blueberry pie is one of the easiest dessert pies to make since the fruit doesn’t require peeling or seeding.

Maryland: Smith Island Cake

There’s a sweet story behind this rich and decadent cake that dates back to the 1800s. Smith Island is a tiny fishing village in the Chesapeake Bay. When the men would head out in autumn to harvest oysters, their wives would send them off with a special treat: a vanilla and chocolate cake that used a fudge frosting instead of the traditional buttercream because it held up better against the elements.

The key with Smith Island Cake is to get the vanilla cake layers as thin as possible. It’s a beautiful site to pull out a slice and see the dark and light layers that seem to go on for days.

Massachusetts: Boston Cream Pie

Although it’s called a pie, this iconic dessert is really a cake and was inspired by early American pudding-cake pies. When it came along in the early to mid-1800s, cake tins weren’t really a thing so it was made more like a pie. The traditional composition features two sponge cake layers sandwiching a gooey vanilla custard and glazed with chocolate. It works perfectly as a doughnut as well.

Boston’s Parker House Hotel has been serving this dessert since it opened in 1856 when the dessert was originally called chocolate cream pie.

Michigan: Sour Cherry Pie

Sour cherries came to northern Michigan in the mid-19th century and the commercial industry popped up several decades later. People were skeptical at first, saying cherry trees couldn’t handle the harsh winters of Michigan, but they proved to thrive in the climate. The state now supplies some three-quarters of the nation’s sour cherries, and Traverse City is known as the cherry capital of the world.

Sour cherries, of course, have a tart flavor and are the predominant variety for sweet and savory dishes. Early recipes called for lard crusts and plenty of sugar.

Minnesota: Seven-Layer Bar

Potlucks are so popular in Minnesota that in 2011 the state Legislature passed the “Church Lady Law” to address food safety at potlucks without requiring health inspections. And no Minnesota potluck would be complete without a tray or five of seven-layer bars. For such a simple dessert — the seven layers actually refer to the total number of ingredients — they are quite rich and decadent.

They’re also pretty cheap to make, traditionally consisting of butter, graham cracker crumbs, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, sweetened condensed milk and nuts.

Mississippi: Mississippi Mud Pie

When your state’s name makes it into the dessert’s title, it must be iconic. Such is the case for Mississippi Mud Pie, known the world over as one of life’s great chocolate indulgences since debuting in the mid-1970s. The crust is chocolate, the filling is chocolate, the ice cream can be chocolate. Whipped cream would be the only non-chocolate element, but we could probably change that pretty easily.

Of course, it wouldn’t have its signature look anymore, the one that apparently resembles the banks of the Mississippi River after a big storm.

Missouri: Ice Cream Cone

Ice cream on its own is just fine, maybe complete enough to never change. But if perfection can be enhanced, then the waffle cone as an ice cream vessel is Exhibit A. And its origin story is kind of remarkable. It all started at the 1904 Saint Louis World’s Fair. The plain ice cream cone had been created in New York City about eight years prior, but at the fair, it took on a whole new size and flavor.

A Syrian man named Ernest Hamwi was selling a waffle-like pastry called zalabis next to an ice cream vendor. When the ice cream vendor ran out of dishes to serve his goods, the stars aligned, and Hamwi seized the moment. The world would never be the same.

Montana: Huckleberry Fudge

Idaho might have dibs on the huckleberry pie, but the fruit grows wild all over Montana as well and the locals take it very seriously. In fact, huckleberry products are a huge point of pride for Montanans, and there’s a large commercial industry there as well.

Not only do Montanans head out to the wilds to pick their own and consume them in many different forms, but they also love to share their huckleberry bounty with friends and loved ones in less huckleberry-saturated locales. And one of the best ways to show off the glory of this fruit is to make fudge.

Nebraska: Kolache

Hailing from Central Europe, this handheld and semisweet pastry was traditionally served at weddings. Czech immigrants brought the dish to America, and it quickly spread in popularity in places like Nebraska, which is downright obsessed with kolaches.

They resemble danishes or mini open-faced pies, and they must be sweet to be called a kolach. Three cities in the Cornhusker State hold annual festivals dedicated to the treat, and another that’s fittingly called Prague claims to have made the world’s largest kolach.

Nevada: Basque Cake

It’s fascinating how immigration has shaped the culinary proclivity of American states, and Nevada is a terrific example. Like many folks searching for something better, Basque immigrants followed the wave of Gold Rush migration to the West Coast in the 1850s. Thousands of Basque immigrants eventually settled in northern Nevada and brought with them their culinary traditions.

One of those is the simple yet satisfying Basque Cake, or Gâteau Basque. Either black cherry jam or a simple almond or vanilla pastry cream is stuffed between layers of cake or pastry dough and that’s pretty much it.

New Hampshire: Pumpkin Pie

We struggled hard with this one because we view pumpkin pie as a ubiquitous American classic like chocolate chip cookies and apple pie, and therefore, it belongs to no single state but to the nation as a whole. (Everyone, please rise for the "Pledge of Allegiance.")

But then we found out just how serious New Hampshire is about its pumpkins — the official state fruit — and that the first iterations of pumpkin pie came from what we know today as the southern part of the state.

New Jersey: Italian Cookie

It’s no secret that New Jersey is home to much of the nation’s Italian-American heritage, and that has seriously shaped its culinary scene. From calzones to baked ziti to braciola, they’ve got the savory side well covered. But what about those sweet treats?

Look no further than the versatile and underappreciated Italian Cookie. A spread with several varieties will be the most beautiful thing on the table. Biscotti, anginetti, baci di dama, ricotta cookies, sandwich cookies, sprinkle cookies, Florentines, pignoli — you name it, it’s in a bakery in Jersey, and it’s worth your attention.

New Mexico: Bizcochito

This official state cookie is as New Mexican as green chilies. It’s a delightful little treat that’s simple yet rich, big on anise and cinnamon flavors, and super-popular around the holiday season. In fact, when New Mexico declared an official cookie in 1989, it was the first state to do so.

The key to a proper bizcochito is to use lard in place of butter (or, gasp, shortening). This gives a flakier texture and a richness that butter or shortening can never achieve. The cookie is actually unique to New Mexico, dating all the way back to Spanish colonial times.

New York: Cheesecake

Richer than a Rockefeller heir and more New York than the Yankees, cheesecake is serious business in the Empire State — even though the cheesecake in its basic form dates all the way back to ancient Greece. However, the version we know today — the New York Cheesecake — emerged in the early 20th century in Manhattan and was something of a chance creation by a guy named Arnold Reuben, who’s also famous for his eponymous pastrami sandwich.

Reuben apparently had a cheese pie at a party and was so flummoxed by its flavor and texture that he set out to create something truly delicious, and that he did.

North Carolina: Sweet Potato Pie

Everyone agrees the Tar Heel State grows the world’s sweetest sweet potatoes, which is all the better for sweet potato pie. A proper version should be hand-made from scratch, with a simple custard-like filling and a flaky crust. Back in the day — as in the 1500s — North Carolina fishermen in the Outer Banks would start their days with a hefty slice of sweet potato pie.

Unlike regular potatoes, sweet potatoes are full of healthy stuff and quite filling, making this breakfast perfect for a long day at sea. Most sweet potatoes, however, are actually yams. But who cares, they’re delightful either way.

North Dakota: Berlinerkranser

The Dakotas were so popular with Norwegian immigrants that they call themselves Norwegian Dakotans. And during the holiday, Norwegians love their little wreath-shaped sugar cookies known as Berlinerkranser — which, not surprisingly, translates to “Berlin wreaths.”

These cookies are the definition of simple, containing nothing more than eggs, sugar, butter and flour. But the eggs are treated much differently than other cookie recipes, with cooked and raw yolks going into the dough with an egg-white wash brushed on top before baking.

Ohio: Buckeyes

In Ohio, everything and everyone is focused on buckeyes — trees, nicknames for people and sports teams, and a delectable chocolate candy that the populace goes absolutely bonkers for. It’s a holiday treat, it’s a football-watching treat, it’s a wedding treat. They resemble the nut of the buckeye tree, which appears to have an eye. The candy version is a peanut butter ball coated in chocolate.

Their origin story involves the wife of a rabid college football fan and a candy recipe passed down by her mother-in-law. But when Gail Tabor Lucas went to make them, she didn’t quite cover the entire peanut butter balls with chocolate.

Oklahoma: Arbuckle Fried Pies

When you’re in the Sooner State, the sooner the better for acquiring an Arbuckle Fried Pie. There are Arbuckle shops all over Oklahoma and countless fillings (both fruit and creams) for these handheld desserts.

They apparently date back to the 1800s and were a popular foodstuff for cowboys during harsh Oklahoma winters. No one is quite sure about the origin story of fried pies, but they probably first came from the South before spreading nationwide and becoming a fixture in Oklahoma.

Oregon: Pear Cake

Pear trees dot the Beaver State, and Oregonians love their pears. First cultivated in Oregon in the 1840s, the state’s coastal regions feature ideal growing conditions for European pear varieties. Oregon produces some 800 million a year, or 300 per resident. What to do with so many pears? Make cider or brandy, sure. Maybe preserves. Or how about a ton of light yet crave-worthy cakes?

Pear cakes come in many styles and shapes — upside down, sunken, loaf, glazed — and the fruit helps to make the crumb oh so moist and succulent.

Pennsylvania: Shoofly Pie

The Pennsylvania Dutch have contributed an outsized number of classic American foods, and this pie is right up there with the rest. Shoofly pie was originally more of a cake that, starting in the 1880s, became a breakfast staple along with strong coffee in the state’s German immigrant communities. It eventually evolved into a crumb cake baked in a pastry shell.

Molasses is the key ingredient, giving the dessert its distinct taste. There are two versions — one that is baked “dry” and resembles a cake more than a pie, and one that is baked “wet” and has a custard-like consistency on the bottom and cake texture on top.

Rhode Island: Doughboy

No Rhode Island carnival or fair is complete without a piping hot doughboy or several. This peculiar treat was born out of the savory side of the kitchen, namely a pizza kitchen. The large, flat disks are actually pizza dough that’s been deep fried and dusted with sugar.

Doughboys apparently have quite an addictive quality, and it’s easy to see why. They must be served and eaten straight away so as to enjoy the texture and taste of melting sugar. Sometimes, the simplest things in life are also the best.

South Carolina: Benne Wafer

The main flavor profile of benne wafers is sesame, and sesame seeds are one of the staple foods of Southern cuisine that were brought to America from Africa during Colonial times. These cookies are unique to Lowcountry dining, and they are the perfect contrast of salty and sweet.

The very best of the best come from Charleston, specifically Olde Colony Bakery. The bakery has the oldest known benne wafer recipe in South Carolina, well over 100 years old, and has been making these nutty treats since 1940.

South Dakota: Kuchen

Kuchen is very much a German creation, and immigrant wheat farmers from Deutschland brought it to South Dakota in the 1880s. It has since become so revered that it's the official state dessert. Kuchen is humble comfort food at its finest.

The basic version is a simple sweet dough filled with a fruit mash or custard. However, as they like to say in the Mount Rushmore State, there are just as many recipes for Kuchen as there are South Dakotans who make it. You’ll find the dessert in homes, restaurants, parties and festivals all around the state.

Tennessee: Tennessee Mountain Stack Cake

Like Mississippi Mud Pie, the Volunteer State’s most iconic dessert is also eponymous (and, we must say, both names are pretty awesome). Stack cakes look just like a big pile of pancakes, and there’s a very good reason for that. This dessert originated in impoverished parts of the Appalachian region, which runs through eastern Tennessee, and was originally intended as a cheaper version of wedding cake. Guests would bring a layer for the cake, and the bride’s family would dress them with an apple component like preserves or butter.

Nowadays, home bakers can do all the stacking themselves, but the taste and appearance is unmistakable.

Texas: Strudel

From 2003 to 2005, strudel held the title of Texas State Pastry — and we’re unsure what exactly unseated it. But it doesn’t matter anyway because strudel will always be top dog for dessert in the Lone Star State. This version gets sucked up into the American version of “Danish pastries,” but it’s much more like baklava or a thin dough Greek pastry. And strudel is a German word, but no matter.

Strudel dough is so pliant that it can be stretched until it’s almost translucent. It’s then smothered and rolled with all manner of sugary goodness and baked to crispy, buttery perfection. Not a bad way to end the day (or start it).

Utah: Jell-O

No offense, Utahans, but this is by far the lamest iconic dessert in America. We thoroughly searched the internet and, honestly, this seemed to be the favorite after-dinner sweet treat of the Beehive State (speaking of which, how about a honey-anything dessert?).

There isn’t much to say about Jell-O. There’s also nothing wrong with it. It’s just incredibly boring … kind of like … oh, nevermind.

Vermont: Maple Creemee

Vermonters grow a ton of apples, but we’re miffed as to how apple pie became the official state dessert over something with maple syrup, the truly iconic food product of the Green Mountain State. We’re here to right that wrong and name this delicious soft-serve treat Vermont’s most iconic dessert.

And few will argue because maple creemees are a beloved thing and have been around for decades, although no one is quite sure where or how they first came about. They’re also as Vermont as Vermont maple syrup — you will not find maple creemees anywhere else in New England.

Virginia: Chess Pie

There’s a cute story behind this iconic Southern dessert, which is nothing more than a sweet custard (sometimes with lemon) inside a pastry shell. But as we’ve come to find out, it’s the simplest things that make the greatest pleasures. The recipe dates to the 1700s, making it as American as anything.

The story goes that it got its unusual name — it has nothing to do with chess and looks nothing like a chessboard — by accident when a Southern baker was asked what she’d made and her response was “just pie” in a Southern drawl so thick that it sounded like “chess pie.”

Washington: Apple Crisp

Besides Vermont, no state is more associated with apples than Washington. And since nothing is more American than apple pie, the Evergreen State needed something else. Apple crisps originated in World War II-era Britain, and they call it a crumble. It’s another classic born out of necessity at a time when baking apple pies was thought to be too extravagant.

The ingredients are butter, flour, apples and brown sugar, and the key to an apple crisp is right there in the name — you want a buttery crunch in every bite.

West Virginia: Long Filled Doughnut

Taking the prize for worst name for an iconic dessert, these are nevertheless excellent and enjoyed by West Virginians across the state. Some bakeries call them hot dogs or mad dogs. The dough part does resemble a bun, and it’s split down the middle and filled with cream, so the hot dog reference definitely works.

We think of these more as a poor man’s eclair, especially since the alternative spelling of “donut” seems to be the most popular usage in the Mountain State.

Wisconsin: Kringle

Danish immigrants introduced this buttery pastry to Wisconsin in the late 1800s, and it became an instant sensation. Wisconsinites tweaked the shape a bit to be a flat oval — in Denmark, Kringles are shaped like pretzels — and incorporated more fillings beyond the traditional almond.

The best ones can be found in the city of Racine, which at one time was the Danish capital of America. Kringles are a labor of love and can take several days to make due to the unique layering of paper-thin pieces of dough and butter.

Wyoming: Cowboy Cookie

Cookie aficionados will tell you there’s no such thing as the perfect cookie because some people like crispy textures while others seek chewy. Fans of cowboy cookies, however, will tell you this particular cookie achieves a balance between crispy and chewy like none other. They might be onto something.

Coconut flakes and chocolate chips help to keep the interior moist while sugar and shortening do well to crisp up the exterior. And don’t forget the pecans and oats to really dial up the yum in this Wyoming favorite.