![Five Sweet Treats to Try When in The United States! Afterall desserts are a serious thing here in the US!! #USA #Food #TopFive #Traditional #WhenInUS Five Sweet Treats to Try When in The United States! Afterall desserts are a serious thing here in the US!! #USA #Food #TopFive #Traditional #WhenInUS](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AqWRQAglaHk/Xx5oEUD4RwI/AAAAAAAAis0/wHbb-F74rD4beKy4uGdG2NWuCu9A13FfgCLcBGAsYHQ/w673-h800/IMG_20190907_151121_901.jpg) |
Just relax and think of sweet treats! |
Fall is here and so are pumpkin, pecan and apple pies, pumpkin spice cupcakes, cranberry-carrot layer cakes, cinnamon rolls, apple fritters, maple bars, gingerbreads and fudges and so many more sweet treats! Also, for anyone who had lived in the US or has some idea about food in the US in
general, one thing he or she would always agree on it that most of the edible
things here in the US have a lot of sugar. And Americans are very serious about
their sweets and desserts! From the number of sweet treats on the shelves of American
grocery stores and bakeries to the elaborate dessert menus at the restaurants
here, you can surely get overwhelmed. So, I thought of making things a little
simple for you when you plan to visit the US and also take you around some
places here in the US with a good amount of sugar but no guilt of calories.
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Banana nut bread has become a comfort food for me off late |
1. Banana Bread - Staying in Seattle meant Starbucks
became my constant go to every morning, and my cup of coffee was always
accompanied with banana nut bread. Little did I know, it was actually invented
here in the US and that too as a comfort recipe during a depressing era!
Apparently, during the great depression (1930s), people tried to use vegetables
and fruits to the maximum limit and since bananas were mostly imported, they
were precious, and people wanted to come up with ways to use even the overly
ripe bananas in their household. And with recent popularization of baking
powder, people found this ingenious way to use those ripe bananas just before
they went bad. And that is how banana bread was invented. While need and
community can be credited for the invention of this amazing quick bread, we
cannot thank Pillsbury Flour’s Recipe book of 1933 enough for making this bread
a country wide favorite! And it became so famous that US also has a National
Banana Bread Day, celebrated every year on the 23rd February. Almost
all cafes in the country serve banana and banana nut (walnut) bread, my forever
go to for Banana Nut Bread is going to be Starbucks, only because that was my
very first introduction to it!
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New York Style, Red Velvet and Tiramisu cheesecake
|
2. New York Style Cheesecake and Red Velvet cheesecake
– I don’t like cheese much in general, so before I was actually introduced to
cheesecake, the idea of cheesecake was not something I fancied but still wanted
to try – thanks to Rachel and Chandler going to the lengths of stealing and
eating cheesecake off the floor. The first time I was in New York, the very
first trip to New York City, I had about 3 hours in the city before I had to
head back to Poughkeepsie where I was living back then. And in the flood of
suggestions for famous places like Central Park, the MET, New York Public
Library etc, I was asked to go near Time Square only for a small Cheesecake
place called Junior’s. It wasn’t the first time I had Cheesecake, but this
place is often considered the birthplace of New York Style Cheesecake. Okay,
cheesecake in general is an age-old Greek thing and used to be made from
ricotta cheese but the magic of New York Style Cheesecake comes from heavy
cream, cream cheese, and sour cream and just vanilla for flavour and thin
crumbly layer of graham cracker for support. I know it sounds very simple, this
melts in your mouth dessert is a definite must have when in New York, possibly
from Juniors or Eileen's Special Cheesecake. But remember I had mentioned
Juniors was not the first time I tried a cheesecake. The very first cheesecake
I was introduced to was Red Velvet Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory and I
knew why Rachel (who ate fat free ice cream by the way) didn’t care about the
calories in the cheesecake! Red velvet cakes were invented in the US at Waldorf-Astoria,
New York by adding beetroot juices with chocolate to make the cake with
buttercream icing, and this recipe in its bare-bones was used to modify the New
York Style cheesecake to make Red Velvet Cheesecake - my 2nd most favourite
cheesecake flavour. Then you have the Floridian modification with Key Lime
Cheesecake and my absolute favorite Tiramisu Cheesecake! Hence, I am not just
suggesting you indulge in New York Cheesecake but also try out its variations when
in the country!
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Sugar Glazed Classic Krispy Kreme Donuts
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3. Donuts – A confession here, I still love donuts
from a donuts chain called “Mad Over Donuts aka MOD” in India. We had a MOD
close to where I used to work back in India, and it used to be our go to place
for treats at least once a couple months and I absolutely loved their
varieties. Then came the fateful day when a Krispy Kreme opened in the vicinity
and my friends couldn’t stop gushing over the donuts there. I chose my loyalty
to MOD’s Double Trouble never bothering to even try Krispy Krème. Then I came
to the US and finally gave in to Krispy Kreme magic, and yes it was magic! We
were sometimes treated with Donuts in our college classes, and I noticed often my
classmates choose donuts for breakfast over bagels. This made it clear that
donuts were a part of American life, but it wasn’t until recently that I knew donuts
are actually an American dish (thanks to an episode of ‘Great British Bake Off’).
Apparently, it is such an American thing that Red Cross Service Clubs during 2nd
world war served Donuts to American soldiers to give them the comfort of home
since they were fighting in Europe, away from home. Traditional donuts were
actually a gift to the US by the Dutch settlers in New York, who modified the
Dutch Olykoeks (oil cakes) by filling them with jam – no holes, just fried
dough coated in sugar and filled with jam. And then in late 1930s, Krispy Kreme
came with the first set of variations of fillings and shapes of donuts, making
donuts famous all over the country. Now donuts are famous all over the world
and even in the US the world of donuts has a lot more prominent players like Dunkin
Donuts and Doughnut Project, but I finally get what is the craze of Krispy
Kreme donuts! And, other than the famous chains try out Voodoo Donuts in
Portland and Supermoon Bakehouse in New York, and literally any place in Los Angeles which is called the donut capital of USA! Basically, when in US,
forget calories and get a donut!
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Strawberry Rose Cobbler (source) |
4. Cobblers – Last year, I had apple cobbler for the
first time ever in Texas. Till then I didn’t even know what a Cobbler was. I
still remember when I saw ‘cobbler’ in the menu at the Homewood Suites I was
staying at, I asked the chef if it contained yogurt, and she replied, “No dear
this is just a cobbler, apple cobbler”. Embarrassed a bit, I told her I had
only heard of peach cobbler once (an episode of Friends!) but never tried it, so was not sure what it contained and she was more than happy to tell me how a cobbler
was made – just to convince me there was no yogurt in it and to convince me to
take a big portion of the dessert. And oh boy, how scrumptious was this heavy,
fruity pudding! Cobblers are created by combining fruit or "cobbling"
fruits with generous amount of biscuit dough and dry fruits and baked like a
pie. This was what she told me, and later I did a bit of my own research and
found there were actually made from peach or vegetables in the southern states
by farm owners as part of main meal and not dessert. But now a days, it is
mostly made from fruits, with peach taking the crown and apple, strawberry and cherry following
close behind. I have only had the apple version of cobblers but can’t wait to
try out a peach cobbler with ice cream and would recommend you try the same if
visiting South Eastern USA!
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b1kQ_oyveVM/Xx5paCBUnvI/AAAAAAAAitU/NweGyit34pIF776AjgbFi5TP55bOeu1OwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/funnelcake.jpg) |
Funnel Cake
|
5. Funnel Cake – In an attempt to end this series with
a fun dish, I bring to you the funnel cake from the funfairs of the US! Funnel
cakes are made by pouring batter into hot cooking oil in a circular but still
sort of random pattern from a funnel like structure, deep frying until
golden-brown, removed and coated with powdered sugar, chocolate syrup and
sometimes cinnamon, and that is it. The origin of the dish is sometime credited
to Persian Zolbiya (Jalebi) or the French Choux Pastry or Beignets. But it came
to the US with the Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants in form of Drechderkuche and
in the 1940s, this dish evolved into the funnel cake we know today courtesy
baking powder. Frankly, the only place I can recommend is any of the pop-up
shops near Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia to try this super simple yet super
yum dish, but it is very common in regional carnivals and fairs, and I too had
it for the very first time during an autumn harvest festival. I am not sure if
it was the chilly weather that made this piping hot cake so irresistible or if
it was the combination of cinnamon with chocolate and strawberry preserve that
made it totally scrumptious – but no matter the reason, Funnel Cakes are
something I will totally recommend when in the US!
Believe
me I wanted to go on and on with this list – after all America has given us
lovely desserts like pies, sundaes, brownies and chocolate chip cookie and it
is also the land where interesting and unique desserts like Florida Alaska or
Baked Alaska which is a baked toasted meringue ice cream cake (fancy right) and
lemon and coconut bar which are a cross over between a brownie and a shortbread
with lemon or coconut custard (it is as yum as it sounds). But okay, I will not
overwhelm you like the menus I had mentioned earlier. So, here is my small
sweet list for you to enjoy at home during these trying times and plan your
United States Trip a little better when the world finally goes back to normal!
![Five Sweet Treats to Try When in The United States! Afterall desserts are a serious thing here in the US!! #USA #Food #TopFive #Traditional #WhenInUS Five Sweet Treats to Try When in The United States! Afterall desserts are a serious thing here in the US!! #USA #Food #TopFive #Traditional #WhenInUS](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1moy-B_MCOg/XyJcIRP9QVI/AAAAAAAAi1E/n6GGVyAQ30sS7DlJ4ZLLRWo73Y2KFCuXACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/US%2Bfood%2Bpin%2B2.png) |
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As a U.S. citizen, I can confidently say all of these sweet treats are incredible! If you are not from the U.S., my personal favorite on this list is donuts! Glazed donuts fresh from the oven paired with a cup of coffee is killer. Although these treats are definitely meant for moderation, they're the perfect splurge when you're visiting.
ReplyDeleteI totally concur with you! Fresh glazed donuts with a cup of coffee is totally a killer and one of my favourite long drive treats! And well it is indulgence for once in a blue moon, but so so worth it.
DeleteBanana Bread!!! I love banana bread and I actually started baking them too (like everyone else started in the beginning of Covid... Haha). Interesting to know there's a Banana Bread day in the USA. I love Red Velvet cake. Didn't know u guys have a cheesecake version of it! Now I'm intrigued to taste it. American version of Jalebi??? I need to try that...
ReplyDeleteI was surprised too to find about Banana Bread Day! Oh, and US has cheesecake version of so many cakes that I have lost track of the original cake versions (courtesy cheesecake factory)
DeleteI love banana bread. It is kind of soul food for me actually. And I am a big big fan of the decadent NY Cheesecake. I had so many when I was in the USA. I have tried cheesecakes across the world just in the hope of finding that same taste. But it is difficult. The stranger on this list for me was the cobbler. Honestly, I had no idea about and now I am intrigued to try it whenever I get a chance. It looks yummy.
ReplyDeleteMe too!!! Absolutely love Banana bread! Cobbler was a big surprise for me too. Infact it is probably the only dish that I have had just a couple of times. If you get a chance definitely give it a try,.I loved my cobbler experiences and I am sure you will too!
DeleteAs an American, I'm used to these sweet treats but I can't have them very often. Although very tasty, they are very unhealthy. My favorite one is the cobblers, which we usually buy at a place in Long Beach. I didn't realize they have Banana Bread at Starbucks.
ReplyDeleteDesserts usually are unhealthy unfortunately. But once in a while a little bit of indulgence is ok I guess. Btw are you talking about Cobblermania near Long beach? A friend had recommended that place to me recently!
DeleteI love Banana bread and I have always craved for good ones. I like to have them as part of my breakfast everyday, a good toasted banana bread. When I was in New York city, I did try the cheesecake and it was really nice. And I visited a cheesecake factory too which was really cool.
ReplyDeleteCheesecake factory is one place I think I will never get bored of, because every visit means trying a new kind of cheesecake! :D
DeleteCobbler is what drew my attention as have never tasted one and would be keen to try it out when in US. The sweet treats here brought me back to my days when I would try out anything that was sweet when traveling. But these days I have become a little more restrained. Donuts with a nice strong coffee is a welcome anytime and I love indulging.
ReplyDeleteCobbler is super yum and has a good helping of fruits so sort of is the healthier dessert in this list! I too used to eat anything and everything sweet during my travels, but of late I make a list of just 2 or 3 treats I just have to try and then hit the gym or go for hikes right after!
DeleteWow! I love banana bread but did not know its history. Taking note of the National Banana Bread Day as well. It's quite easy to remember since it's my daughter's birthday. I would love to try some funnel cake too. I haven't tried one but based on your description, seems really delicious.
ReplyDeleteOh!! That is so nice! Funnel cake is a fun sweet treat on a cold day, and if possible pair it with hot chocolate!
DeleteAll of these sound delicious and yes to banana nut loaf - I love anything with banana in it, as well as donuts, can never get enough of those. Laura x
ReplyDeleteBanana nut bread is magical even after been so simple! :D
DeleteNow I am gonna try all. Thanks for such a lovely share.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the article!
DeleteOh gosh, I love all these sinful sugary pleasures :-D I'm particularly intrigued by the funnel cake, I've never tried it!
ReplyDeleteLocal harvest markets might be your best option to try funnel cakes!
Delete