Texas is known for its cowboys, oil, huge ranches, rodeos, barbecue, and country music, among other things. But do you know Texas is also famous for its desserts? They have some pretty amazing sweet stuff! Take a look at Texas’s most famous desserts, so next time you visit you’ll know which ones to try!
1. Texas-Style Peach Cobbler
You might be thinking what makes a Texas cobbler different from a regular cobbler? Regular cobblers have a biscuit-like topping, while a Texas cobbler has a more creamy cake-like topping, and this recipe is truly amazing! To me, it’s one of the best Texas desserts.
2. Texas Pecan Pie
Did you know the Pecan tree is a Texas state tree? No wonder they love their pecan pie, and there are recipes for it dating back to late 1800. Texas Pecan Pie is thick, sweet, and delicious. The most famous of Texas pie desserts!
3. Sopapillas
A lot of countries have their own version of these heavenly fried pastries that are sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with honey. Texan sopapillas are similar to their Mexican cousins, and are just as delicious!
4. Texas Sheet Cake
Sheet cake is a Texas state cake, and here we will talk about several versions. This one is chocolate flavored and covered in warm chocolate frosting that, when cool, has a delicate crust-like texture.
5. Bourbon Buttermilk Pie
You would never imagine what this Texas pie tastes like just by looking at it. It is rather plain-looking but tastes like lemon, bourbon, nutmeg, and vanilla and has the creamiest texture with a crinkly sugary topping!
6. Texas Best Loaded Carrot Cake
What’s the secret to this amazing cake? Using not only nuts in the batter, but also dried cranberries, coconut, and orange zest. And the cream cheese frosting has lemon zest or lemon oil in it for added flavor!
7. Banana Pudding
Who doesn’t like banana pudding, right? This Texan version has a delicious crumbly topping made with crushed graham crackers, butter, and sugar that are baked until crispy before placing it on top of the pudding. Clever, right?
8. Cowboy Cookies
Similar to chocolate chip cookies, these Texas sweets are crunchy on the outside, yet chewy on the inside. They use a mixture of regular and brown sugar, and the secret ingredient: Oatmeal. All of this combined makes for the perfect cookie!
9. Dr. Pepper Texas Sheet cake
Here we go, Texas sheet cake desserts #2. This cake has Dr. Pepper in the batter as well as cocoa and is topped with a fudge frosting that has pecans in it. It is decadent and the flavor from the soda really comes through!
10. Texas Trash Pie
An ugly name for such a delicious dessert! The name comes from the fact that you add anything you have on hand, but this Texas pie dessert is made with sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, coconut, graham crackers, caramel, and pretzels!
11. Texas-style Blueberry Cobbler
This beautiful Texas dessert is a mixture between a blueberry muffin and cake infused with lemon. It has a buttery crust to die for and a soft cake-like texture that will leave you wanting more!
12. White Texas Almond Sheet Cake
We already know sheet cakes are desserts Texas is known for, and this white almond sheet cake is super moist and buttery with rich almond and vanilla flavors. This Texas sheet cake dessert is made with a whole pound of butter!
13. Texas Sheetcake Cookies
Talk about unique Texas desserts! These sheet cake cookies are made with a cake mix that is scooped onto a baking sheet, baked, and covered in decadent chocolate frosting. One of my favorite easy Texas desserts!
14. Texas Flood Pie
Another one of Texas pie desserts, this one is similar to Mississippi Mud Pie but it is made with four kinds of chocolate. It has a layer of dark chocolate ganache, a thick layer of peanut butter and chocolate chip filling, and another layer of milk chocolate ganache frosting!
15. Texas Tornado Cake
This one goes under the “easy Texas desserts” list. Most of its ingredients come from a can, and it comes together in no time! AKA “Do-Nothing-Cake”, this one is a delicious mix-and-dump cake!
16. Junk Berry Pie
This unique Texas dessert is full of fruit. It has apples, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, strawberries, and blackberries, all topped with the most delicious concoction made with flour, sour cream, and sugar. This is an actual award-winning pie!
17. Easy Homemade Kolaches
This is a dessert Texas is known for. You can find them in most donut shops in the Lone Star State. With this recipe, you will learn how to make the softest and buttery dough puffs filled with fruit filling at home, maybe better than the ones in the shops!
18. Texas Sweet Tea Pie
Another one for the Texas Pie Desserts list, this sweet tea pie uses brewed tea as part of the ingredients as well as lemon, so you would get the amazing flavor of sweet tea in pie form. This is a perfect dessert for tea lovers.
19. Turtle Texas Sheet Cake
Calling all chocolate and caramel lovers! This indulgent cake is perfect for any Texas desserts party because you can easily feed a crowd with it. Its texture is a mixture between a cake and a brownie and the thin topping is full of chocolate chips, pecans, and caramel sauce!
20. Texas Sheet Cake Brownies
Making brownies in sheet cake form will deliver thin bites of moist brownie, and topping them with Texas sheet cake frosting makes them irresistible! The perfect chocolate-lover bite!
21. Texas Ranger Cookies
These unique Texas dessert cookies have a couple of secret ingredients that make them different: Frosted flakes and coconut flakes. The cookies are crunchy (but moist), buttery, and chocolatey. These thin cookies will most definitely win your heart!
22. Texas Cobbler
Literally a dump cake, this Texas dessert recipe uses cherry and blueberry pie filling as well as crushed pineapple, almonds, and coconut, all baked with butter cake mix and topped with extra butter for an amazingly rich and delicious combination.
23. Red Velvet Texas Sheet Cake
I think we have established that sheet cakes are desserts Texas is known for, they really are Texas state cake, and of course, there had to be a red velvet version. This one is topped with creamy cream cheese frosting and has the most gorgeous red color!
24. Texas Flag Pie
The most patriotic of Texas pie desserts, this easy-to-make pie uses blueberries for the blue, strawberries for the red, and the lone star is made out of pie crust. Festive-looking, delicious, and great for any of your Texas dessert parties!
25. Fresh Strawberry Cake
A beautiful pink version of the Texas sheet cake, this one has fresh strawberries mixed into the batter as well as into the frosting, and it also has a secret ingredient that makes the strawberry flavor more intense: strawberry-flavored gelatin!
Now every time someone asks me “What dessert is Texas known for?” I know how to answer the question! Texas Sheet Cake is the first thing that comes to my mind, as well as Pecan Pie, and of course Texas Cobbler!
If we are talking about famous Texas desserts, apart from the obvious sheet cake, cobbler, and pecan pie, Cowboy Cookies rank #1, closely followed by Sopapillas, and Kolaches, which are a Texan/Czech delicacy!
25 Best Texas Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 2 sticks of butter
- 1 cup water
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
For the frosting:
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
- 1 stick of butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan with butter-flavored cooking spray and sprinkle it with flour to coat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
- Using a hand-held or stand mixer, beat in the eggs and sour cream until smooth.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the water and cocoa. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let cool slightly.
- Stir it into the egg/flour mixture until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Make the frosting while the cake is baking: In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the milk, unsweetened cocoa, and butter. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
- Stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until dissolved and well combined.
- Spread the icing over the warm cake. Let it cool down to room temperature and serve.