Want to celebrate the middle of America?
Try these practical and delicious old-fashioned Midwestern desserts.
It’s time to make these desserts a part of your life again.
u/QueenCherryTomato31 / Reddit
Plus, don’t miss these24 Best Old-Fashioned Midwestern Recipes.
Cookie Salad
According to Taste Atlas, this creationcame from Minnesotaand is a kid’s favorite.
With so few ingredients, it’s as easy and fast as Green Dessert to make.
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Get the recipe fromJulie’s Eats & Treats.
Bumpy Cake
The name says it all.
According to the King Arthur Baking Company blog,Bumpy Cakeis just what it says.
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This cake may be lumpy but it sure sounds delicious.
Get the recipe fromKing Arthur Baking Company.
Layered Jello Salad
Oh, there’s nothing more cheerful than a rainbow-colored dessert.
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Turns out, there’s a trick to celebrating the colors of the rainbow with seven layers.
Get the recipe fromMidwest Coupon Clippers.
This is one of those times that the food traditions bridge with the Southern U.S.
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There, ambrosia is also a popular family holiday treat.
Wewrote about Ambrosia Saladwhen we talked about nostalgic foods.
It certainly calls up the feeling of midwestern dinners shared around the table with family and friends.
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Instead of painfully cutting smaller pies into wedges, slab pie is dished out in square cuts.
Baking the pie in a nice, big sheet pan.
Not only is it larger, the pieces are just easier to handle in a rectangle.
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Get the recipe fromEveryday Annie.
You’ll often find it topped with almonds or even streusel.
Get the recipe fromTaste of Home.
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Kringles
Kringle is yet another state pastry.
Wisconsin claims this sweet treat, adopted in 2013.
Just what is a kringle, you ask?
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Get the recipe fromSimply Recipes.
And though it might appear like a custard pie, sugar cream pie isn’t made with eggs.
The pudding-like filling is baked in a crust, topped with melted butter and cinnamon and then broiled.
Averie Cooks
It is also theofficial state dessert of Indiana.
Get the recipe fromSaving Room for Dessert.
Well, in this case, Wisconsin has its own version made from the state’s famous dairy products.
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Don’t worry if you’re free to’t make it.
The popularity in the midwest may be due to prohibition.
Breweries suffering from restrictive laws decided to make other products to boost sales.
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Milwaukee is the best spot to sample Wisconsin’s version.
TryLeon’s Frozen Custard, known for the treat since 1942.
Get the recipe fromBigger Bolder Baking.
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Get the recipe fromThe Daily Meal.
Get our recipe forBuckeye Keto Fat Bombs.
It became a loved error and the Gooey Butter Cake was born.
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Get the recipe fromLil' Luna.
This recipe uses the whole lemon; pith, peel, and all!
They’re sliced into rounds and softened in sugar.
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Dust it with powdered sugar to finish and you’ve got a tart and sweet treat.
You’ll find this pie traditionally in Ohio near theShaker communitiesthat brought it to the area.
Get the recipe fromTasty.
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Bundt Cakes
Nordic Ware’s famous bundt pancan be found in over 75 million households worldwide.
That’s not too shabby for a family-owned Minnesota business that started in 1946.
What exactly could the flavor be?
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The answer is a mysteryusually a group of fruit or saccharin adjectives.
Get the recipe fromAtlas Obscura.
Typically, the pie crust is infused with cream cheese, giving a nice complementary tang to the dessert.
Lolly’s Creamery/Facebook
Kraft made the perfect midwestern version of cherry pie and shared it on their site for home cooks.
Get the recipe fromKraft.
This was the first recipe to go viral for the site, viewed by over 50 million Jello lovers!
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Get the recipe fromNatasha’s Kitchen.
The jelly or cream-filled treat, pronounced POONCHH-kee, is deep-fried and dusted with powdered sugar.
A typical Paczki is filled with prunes, but other fruits or cream are often substituted.
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Get the recipe fromThe Spruce Eats.
Oreo Fluff Salad
How can you beat Cool Whip, marshmallows, and Oreos?
Midwesterners will just say, “you’re free to’t.”
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Just like so many practical recipes from the area, Oreo Fluff Salad is old-fashioned perfection and super easy.
Get the recipe fromThe Recipe Critic.
A previous version of this article was originally published on May 20, 2022.
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