We've rounded up the can't-miss Christmas desserts from coast to coast. Head to South Dakota for kuchen or New Mexico for biscochitos!
The Most Iconic Christmas Dessert in Every State

Visions of sugarplums are only the beginning. We found cakes and cookies, pies and pralines, divinities and doughnuts waltzing clear across the country. Pick up your Christmas baking supplies and bake the most iconic holiday dessert from a neighboring state!
Lane Cake
Made with pecans, cherries and raisins, Southern Lane cake might remind you of another seasonal staple (fruit cake!), but the Lane’s layers of vanilla-butter batter set it apart. Alabama resident Emma Rylander Lane first made her namesake cake in 1898.
[/rms_recipe]
Spumoni Baked Alaska
Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows
Desert dwellers enjoy a toasty treat when temperatures dip and hot chocolate hits the spot. In fact, Phoenix even hosts an annual hot chocolate run. For a frothy take, try fluffy hot chocolate, or spice up your mug with cinnamon-flavored Mexican hot chocolate.
[/rms_recipe]
Orange-Pistachio Divinity
December is divinity season in the South, and making these nougat-like candies with family is as much a tradition as eating them. This holiday divinity calls for a festive nod to Christmas with refreshing orange zest.
[/rms_recipe]
Buttermilk Doughnuts
Bread Pudding with Nutmeg
Snickerdoodles
Christmas Cutout Cookies
Key Lime Pie
Upside-Down Fruitcake
Triple Nut Snowballs
Potato Chip Clusters
Ice Cream Kolachkes
Sugar Cream Pie
Christmas Sugar Cookies
Christmas Morning Sweet Rolls
Bourbon Balls
Louisiana: Pralines

Maryland: Smith Island Cake
In the 1800s, women on Maryland’s Smith Island sent these layer cakes with their husbands on long fishing trips to remind them of home. Bake one for your own crew and they’ll appreciate family with every fudge-frosted bite.
Gingerbread Trifle
Cherry Chocolate Marble Cake
Molasses Cookies
Buttermilk Peach Ice Cream
Nebraska: Holiday Milkshakes
Cherry Biscochitos
Snickerdoodle Cheesecake
Cheesecake is a staple in New York’s Jewish delis and diners…and plenty of family dessert spreads, too. For the holidays, try gingerbread cheesecake, a snickerdoodle variation or peppermint cheesecake on a stick—they’re all here in these Christmas cheesecake recipes.
[/rms_recipe]
Sweet Potato Pie
Chocolaty Chips
Candy Cane Cookies
Linzer Cookies
Make-Ahead Tiramisu
Coconut Cake
Rich Fruit Kuchens
We have Germany to thank for mulled wine, eggnog, gingerbread and kuchen! It’s the German word for “cake,” and the official state dessert of South Dakota. For more European inspiration, check out these German Christmas recipes.
[/rms_recipe]
Banana Pudding
Tennessee hosts the National Banana Pudding Festival each October, complete with tastings and a Banana Bash Concert. The timing is ideal for home cooks to gather inspo for this beloved dish ahead of the holidays.
[/rms_recipe]
Macaroon Cherry Pie
Maple Syrup Pie
Vermont is the country’s top maple syrup producer, turning out over two million gallons a year. One way to make use of that scrumptious sap: maple syrup pie. Want more inspiration? Check out these maple desserts, too.
[/rms_recipe]
Chocolate Chess Pie
Apple Crisp
Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith—they’re all grown in Washington, the country’s top apple state. For a top apple dish, try apple crisp—the cinnamon-soaked apples baking will instantly fill your house with seasonal cheer.
[/rms_recipe]
Chocolate Eclair
Pecan Kringle Sticks
Originally a Danish dessert, in the late 1800s immigrants brought kringles to Racine, Wisconsin, where they’re still proudly baked today. For holiday brunch, make a classic kringle to share.
[/rms_recipe]