A second helping of “The Best Dessert in Every State”
If you were with me last week, we made it through the first 18 states, alphabetically, and their best dessert, as determined by Taste Of Home magazine. I kind of overdid my space last week, so I think it will just be easier to split these up over another week or two. I would really have you in sugar overload in just one week!
MAINE: Blueberry Pie. One of the few fruits indigenous to North America, blueberries grow wild all over Maine!
MARYLAND: German Cookies. Brought to Baltimore from Germany in 1835, with two different versions that can cause quite some arguments about which is better!
MASSACHUSETTS: Boston Cream Pie. Perhaps the most famous slice of false advertising in the history of desserts, this “cream pie” is actually a custard-filled layer cake topped with a chocolate glaze. Yes, please.
MICHIGAN: Cherry Pie. My second-favorite fruit pie! When your state produces 75 percent of the nation’s tart cherries, it’s probably cherry just-about-everything!
MINNESOTA: Lefse. Another ethnic delight, these Norwegian crepes are filled with a variety of fillings.
MISSISSIPPI: Mississippi Mud Pie. When I travel to Georgia for their peach cobbler, I’ll have to make a stop in Mississippi for a mud pie!
MISSOURI: Gooey Butter Cake. Among the happiest of accidents, this gooey butter cake was created when a baker in St. Louis reversed the quantities of flour and butter. That sounds like something I would do when I’m baking!
MONTANA: Huckleberry Ice Cream. In Montana, it’s huckleberry in all its forms, from jam to pie to vodka. The huckleberry provides just the right amount of sweetness, not to mention its beautiful periwinkle hue.
NEBRASKA: Tin Roof Sundae. This all started with a concoction first made in 1930 in a pharmacy in Potter, Neb., at their soda fountain, when a young man behind the counter put together a scoop of both vanilla and chocolate ice cream, then topped it with warm marshmallow cream, salted peanuts and chocolate sauce. The name came about because the shiny sauce looked a bit like the pharmacy’s tin roof. Now we can buy Tin Roof Sundae all put together in one carton as just another ice cream choice!
NEVADA: Basque Cake. Settlers from the mountainous Basque region between France and Spain came here to mine for gold, and they brought their golden, buttery almond-flavored pastry with them.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Apple Cider Doughnuts. This area of the U.S. has some of the oldest operating apple orchards in America. Surely Johnny Appleseed had a part in that!
NEW JERSEY: Cannoli. In the state known for its amazing Italian bakeries, no one makes a better cannoli — the fried tubular shells stuffed with creamy ricotta cheese. It’s the dessert people die for, well at least in “The Godfather.” Remember the popular line: “Leave the gun; take the cannoli!”
NEW MEXICO: Biscochitos. This spicy shortbread cookie, flavored with anise and sprinkled with cinnamon, became the nation’s first officially-designated “state sweet.”
NEW YORK: Cheesecake. Created in 1929 by Arnold Reuben, the guy who had already created the sandwich that bears his name, started with a cheese pie and played with the recipe until he created what is now called a New York-style cheesecake. It has been said that New York serves up the only real Cheesecake; the rest are all imitations!
NORTH CAROLINA: Sweet Potato Pie. I like pie and I like sweet potatoes so I suppose that means I would like sweet potato pie. It supposedly is taking the place of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving for many people, although I don’t see how that would be possible.
NORTH DAKOTA: Caramel Rolls. They say: “Don’t confuse these with your cinnamon buns or sticky rolls!” North Dakota’s Caramel Rolls are baked in a sauce of butter and brown sugar, and then “flipped over” when you get ‘em out of the oven. I’ll take their word for it, but I’ve had some really awesome “flipped over” caramel rolls in Kansas!
That’s enough sweets for this week! Come back next week for the third-and-final-helping of “The Best Dessert in Every State!”
