A good dessert can turn a good dining experience into a great one. While you shouldn’t indulge in sweets too often, it’s essential to treat yourself every once in a while. Today I’m sharing my top 5 Southern Desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth!
#5 Peach Cobbler
What’s more Southern than a Georgia peach? Cobblers are very popular across the South and it’s not hard to see why. The combination of sweet fruit and delicious crust is irresistible.
Another reason for the peach cobbler’s popularity is how easy it is to make. All it takes is a can of peaches, flour, sugar, butter, and a baking dish. Baking time is between 30 and 45 minutes. The whole thing can be slapped together in about an hour.
Peach cobbler is a great summer dessert. It is best served warm, but many people enjoy it with ice cream. This makes for a nice treat once the weather turns hot. This cobbler is a fantastic choice for BBQs.
Need some inspiration for your next BBQ? Check out the 5 best types of meat for your summer BBQ!
#4 Sweet Potato Pie
Sweet potato pie is a Thanksgiving staple. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it any time of the year though! This sweet and savory dessert goes great with numerous Southern dishes.
This pie is super simple to make. A can of candied yams, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extra are all you need for a simple sweet potato pie recipe. To prepare the pie, all you need to do is smash the yams and mix in the ingredients. A mixer will definitely help, but this can be accomplished by hand.
Sweet potato pie is an excellent fall and winter dessert, hence its popularity at Thanksgiving. It goes amazingly with ham and turnip greens.
#3 Banana Pudding
Banana pudding is a delectable cold treat that tastes amazing and should satisfy most guests. Unless you have an aversion to bananas, there is not much in this dessert that most would find offensive. This makes for a great dessert for gatherings.
Banana pudding has 4 key ingredients: bananas, vanilla wafers, vanilla pudding, and cool whip. I typically like to jazz mine up with sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. This dessert can be mixed together in 10 to 15 minutes.
Like the peach cobbler, banana pudding makes for a great summer dessert. It is a good alternative for BBQs if your guest’s arent’ down for cobbler. The cool pudding is also handy if your BBQ is on the spicier side!
#2 Pecan Pie
Taking the second spot on my list is my favorite Thanksgiving dessert, pecan pie! Unlike sweet potato pie, I typically only eat pecan pie at Thanksgiving. It is a special treat. But it is so good I can’t let the rarity of consumption deny the pie its rightful place on the list.
(By the way, if you’ve ever wondered how to pronounce pecan pie, it’s pee-cawn, not pee-can. English is a funny language…)
The 2 core ingredients in a pecan pie are Karo’s syrup and pecans. Another entry that is not too hard to make. Aside from Thanksgiving, this is another good fall dessert.
#1 Southern Dessert: Hummingbird Cake
The first and only cake option on the list comes in at #1. I had never even heard of Hummingbird cake until my young adulthood despite being born and raised in the South. But once I discovered it, it was a revelation!
What sets Hummingbird cake apart from other cakes is that the actual cake is delicious. It’s almost like banana nut bread, but it’s topped with an amazing cream cheese frosting. Walnuts or pecans are sprinkled on top for good measure.
This is the most popular dessert at all of our family functions. If you have never tried Hummingbird cake, I highly suggest you rectify that situation in a hurry! It is my #1 in the top 5 Southern Desserts
That’s my list. What are your favorite desserts? Let me know in the comments below! And if you want to add these desserts to your Sunday dinner and need more ideas, check out my Ultimate Southern Sunday dinner ideas guide.
