The best dessert in every state
ALABAMA: Alabama is proud of its moon pies, and Felix's Fish Camp in Mobile takes the graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate-dipped dessert a step further, pairing it with ice cream in a Moon Pie Sundae.
ALASKA: Alaska is famous for its plentiful, fresh berries. You can sample them with the Triple Berry Pie, filled with local raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, from A Pie Stop in Anchorage.
ARIZONA: Phoenix's Urban Cookies may have spectacular cookies, but the bakery gained fame for its award-winning cupcakes, which took home the crown on the Food Network's "Cupcake Wars."
ARKANSAS: Arkansas is known for its strawberries, so naturally strawberry shortcake is the dessert to get here. The Bulldog Restaurant in Bald Knob serves the best in the state, made with fresh strawberries and nuts sprinkled on top. It's only served during the summer though.
CALIFORNIA: Health-conscious Californians are all about frozen yogurt, and one of the best fro-yo spots in LA is The Big Chill Frozen Yogurt, which serves a changing roster of unique flavors, like peanut butter and birthday cake icing.
COLORADO: Glaze The Baum Cake Shoppe specializes in baumkuchen, a type of layered cake that's popular in Germany and Japan. The Denver bakery's version is soft on the inside and coated with a sweet glaze on the outside.
CONNECTICUT: Buttonwood Farms in Griswold serves homemade ice cream in flavors like blueberry, maple-walnut, and pumpkin. The ice cream is made from scratch with farm-fresh ingredients, including strawberries, blueberries, and of course, milk. The working farm also makes its own waffle cones.
DELAWARE: The best frozen custard on the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk is the original Kohr Brothers Frozen Custard. One cone, and you'll be coming back all summer.
FLORIDA: Key Lime Pie is the official state pie of Florida, and Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe makes a delicious version with graham cracker crust, a smooth tart filling, and whipped cream dotted along the edges.
GEORGIA: Known for its juicy peaches, Georgia is also famous for its peach cobbler. Buckner's Family Restaurant in Jackson makes some of the best in the state, filled with fresh peaches, sugar, cinnamon, and other tasty mystery ingredients.
HAWAII: In this warm, tropical state, shave ice is the ultimate sweet treat. Ululani's in Luhaina boasts the best in the world, with flavors made from exotic, natural fruit juices.
IDAHO: The banana splits at Goody's Soda Fountain & Candy Store in Boise are legendary, but the shop also features chocolate truffles, fruity gummies, and a host of homemade ice cream.
ILLINOIS: Combat Chicago's cold gusts of wind with a cup of steaming hot cocoa from Mindy's Hot Chocolate. Here you'll find the classic hot chocolate, as well as creative versions made with caramel, chai tea, hot fudge, and espresso.
INDIANA: Sugar Cream Pies are an Indiana staple, and Wick's has been making them from a family recipe since the 19th century. Ingredients include milk, sugar, flour, vanilla, shortening, and nutmeg.
IOWA: Can't decide between a slice of pie or a creamy milkshake? Head to The Hamburg Inn No. 2 in Iowa City, which blends pie and milkshakes together to create a delicious "pie shake" concoction.
KANSAS: The artisanal chocolates from Elbow's Chocolates are easy on the eyes and taste buds. Sold at various venues across Kansas, these treats make for a truly beautiful snack.
KENTUCKY: Derby Pie, filled with rich chocolate chips and walnut chunks, is a Kentucky classic. Pick up a slice — or two — at Kern's Kitchen.
LOUISIANA: Beignets — deep-fried dough topped with powdered sugar — are an iconic New Orleans dish, and nowhere does them better than Cafe Du Monde. You can't visit NOLA without sampling the famous treat.
MAINE: Maine claims to be the birthplace of the Whoopie pie, a sandwich of cookies or cake filled with creamy frosting. Cranberry Island Kitchen in Freeport makes gourmet Whoopie pies of all kinds, with the soft, oyster-shaped cakes sandwiching fluffy frosting.
MARYLAND: Berger Cookies, made by DeBaufre Bakery in Baltimore, are a delicious creation of vanilla cookies covered with thick fudge. Locals recognize their iconic packaging anywhere.
MASSACHUSETTS: Boston Cream Pie, a spongy yellow cake filled with cream or custard, was invented back in the 1860s at Boston's Omni Parker House. Today, the restaurant continues to serve the decadent treat.
MICHIGAN: Traverse City is the largest cherry producer in the US, and Grand Traverse Pie Company makes a mean cherry pie with a crumbling crust and gooey filling.
MINNESOTA: Chocolate chip cookies may not be a Minnesota signature, but they are an American classic, and Salty Tart in Minneapolis makes some of the most gooey chocolate chunk cookies on the market.
MISSISSIPPI: The Crown in Indianola serves a mouthwatering Mississippi Delta Fudge Cake, a delicious version of Mississippi Mud Pie. The rich, chocolatey pie is beloved throughout the state.
MISSOURI: Gooey Louie's in St. Louis is famous for its gooey butter cake, an incredibly buttery, brownie-like dessert offered in a range of flavors, from Chocolate Chippewa to Let's Go Blueberries.
MONTANA: At Woodside Bakery in West Yellowstone, you'll come for the heavenly cinnamon rolls, but stay for the assortment of flavored scones, brownies, and cookies.
NEBRASKA: Known as the Cornhusker state, it seems natural for Nebraska to incorporate corn into every kind of dish. One of the most popular ones is sweet corn ice cream, and a delicious honey cornbread variation can be found at Omaha's Ted and Wally's Premium Homemade Ice Cream.
NEVADA: When in Vegas, go big or go home — even when it comes to dessert. Gluttons can order the King Kong sundae from The Sugar Factory, which comes with 24 scoops of ice cream, chocolate martinis, and a double chocolate chip cookie and mint ice cream sandwich.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Frappes are a New England tradition, and no place makes them better than Hayward's in Nashua. Since 1940, the shop has been handcrafting half-gallons of ice cream on-site. Top seasonal flavors include southern apple pie and pumpkin.
NEW JERSEY: Residents of the Garden State love their salt water taffy so much that there's currently a bill on the table to make it the official state candy. Shriver's Salt Water Taffy & Fudge in Ocean City serves delicious taffy in traditional and gourmet flavors, including tangerine and white chocolate strawberry.
NEW MEXICO: For over 30 years, the Golden Crown Panaderia in Albuquerque has been making traditional New Mexican Biscochito — crisp butter cookies — by hand. Every child that comes in gets to try one for free!
NEW YORK: The classic black and white cookie is made with soft, spongy cake and covered in black and white fondant. Locals say the best come from William Greenberg Desserts and Glaser's Bake Shop, both in Manhattan.
NORTH CAROLINA: As the country's top supplier of sweet potatoes, North Carolina makes use of the abundant vegetable in its confections. The restaurant Sweet Potatoes in Winston-Salem is known for its amazing desserts, including the namesake sweet potato pie.
NORTH DAKOTA: A treat particularly popular in North Dakota is chocolate-covered potato chips. Munch on some famous "Chippers" from Widman's Candy Shop. The thick-ridged Red River Valley Potato Chips come covered in chocolate, peanut butter, or white almond.
OHIO: Schmidt's Fudge Haus's buckeye candy has a creamy peanut butter center that's partially dipped in rich Belgian chocolate. Perfect for the Buckeye state.
OKLAHOMA: Pecan pie is an iconic Oklahoma dessert, and Field's Pies in Pauls Valley has been churning out the same mouthwatering pies since 1925. Be sure to stop by for a slice as you check out all that the quaint town has to offer.
OREGON: Portland's Voodoo Doughnut definitely reflects the city's self-proclaimed "weirdness" with its eclectic decor and flavors. Patrons rave about the bacon-maple bar doughnut, slathered in maple frosting and topped with two slices of crispy bacon.
PENNSYLVANIA: Set in Philly's Reading Terminal Market, Beiler's Bakery serves heavenly homemade Amish doughnuts and apple fritters. It was named one of the top 20 dessert places in America in 2013 by Fodor's.
RHODE ISLAND: Del's Frozen Lemonade may have originated in Italy, but it's been serving its delicious frozen treats in Cranston since the early 1900s. Bonus: One serving of the tart slush is only 110 calories.
SOUTH CAROLINA: The Benne Wafer is a thin, sweet and savory cookie made with flavorful toasted sesame. Charleston's Olde Colony is famous for the treat, and has been serving the wafers for over 100 years.
SOUTH DAKOTA: Kuchen is the official dessert of South Dakota, and Eureka Kuchen Factory serves such delicious cakes, including peach and sugar varieties, that the shop is featured on the state's official tourism website.
TENNESSEE: Voted "America's Best Chocolate" by Southern Living Magazine, Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Co.'s Chocuterie is a chocolate version of Charcuterie, a chocolate log that's topped with sugar and sliced like a salami.
TEXAS: You'd never guess it, but all the treats from Capital City Bakery are vegan. The bakery was named best birthday cake in Austin by the Austin Chronicle — no surprise given the creative flavors, such as s'more birthday cake with toasted marshmallows.
UTAH: There's no dessert more American than a classic apple pie. Sample one of the best iterations of the pie at Orem's Wild Mustang Grill & Bakery.
VERMONT: You've been living in a sad world if you haven't heard of Ben & Jerry's. The ice cream chain opened its first shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington and is now internationally-known with mouth-watering flavors such as Cherry Garcia, Half Baked, and Chunky Monkey.
VIRGINIA: Peanuts are a Virginia staple, and when they're mixed with chocolate, it makes for a delicious combo. One place that's mastered the craft of peanut butter and chocolate is Bakeshop in Arlington, which serves a PB&C cupcake and PB&C cream pie.
WASHINGTON: Washington is known for its apples, but we would be remiss to ignore Dahlia Bakery's triple coconut cream pie, which was featured on the Cooking Channel. The sweet pie has a flaky crust and is topped with a heap of coconut flakes.
WASHINGTON, DC: Georgetown Cupcakes not only has its own TV show on TLC, but has expanded with new shops in Boston, Los Angeles, and New York. Its best-selling cupcake is a classic: red velvet with vanilla cream cheese frosting.
WEST VIRGINIA: West Virginia's official favorite sweet treat is the classic sugar cookie, and Cathedral Cafe in Fayetteville serves oversized, freshly-made snickerdoodle cookies. The restaurant claims its cookies are made from a family friend's secret recipe.
WISCONSIN: Original Cream Puffs, a messy treat loaded with sweet cream between a scrumptious puff shell, have been a must-eat at Wisconsin's annual State Fair since 1924.
WYOMING: Meeteetse Chocolatier, in the tiny town of Meeteetse, creates some of the most unique truffles we've ever heard of. A sample of the northwestern shop's gourmet flavors include sage, prickly pear cactus, sarsaparilla, huckleberry, and Wyoming Whiskey and Coors.
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