Food and Recipes Desserts Dessert Recipes Just Like Grandma Used To Make By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna is a Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and assigns content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on February 11, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: CAITLIN BENSEL; FOOD STYLING: TORIE COX Grandma probably always had at least one dessert on the table every time you walked through the door, if not more. From cakes to pies to cookies to brownies, we're sure she didn't need a special occasion to bake up a homemade dessert. She may even have believed that dessert should be served after every meal.While Grandma might have been able to whip up these classic, no-fuss dessert recipes without even having to look at the directions or make a trip to the grocery store, we're here to provide some guidance to help you recreate classic sweet treats in your own kitchen. These dessert recipes are sure to bring back sweet memories of spending time at Grandma's house after just one bite. 01 of 20 Classic Southern Pound Cake Skyler Burt; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Karen Rankin To make sure your pound cake turns out as successful as Grandma's, make sure that the butter, cream cheese, and eggs are all at room temperature before you begin the baking process. 02 of 20 Fresh Peach Cobbler PHOTOGRAPHER: FRED HARDY II, FOOD STYLIST: EMILY NABORS HALL, PROPS STYLIST: CHRISTINA BROCKMAN Grandma has always known that peach cobbler is a must-make dessert when fresh peaches are in season. 03 of 20 Chocolate Delight Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely While Grandma may have a different name for this chocolate dessert that's made with layers of instant pudding, cream cheese, and whipped topping, we bet it was just as delicious. 04 of 20 Classic Chess Pie Photographer: Jen Causey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Refrigerated pie crust helps this classic pie come together quickly and easily. After prepping the pie crust, all that's left is stirring the ingredients together and pouring the mixture into the crust. 05 of 20 Strawberry-Pretzel Jello Salad CAITLIN BENSEL; FOOD STYLING: TORIE COX This layered dessert salad probably made an appearance at every cookout that Grandma was in charge of brining dessert to. It's a refreshing alternative to heavier desserts during sweltering Southern summers. 06 of 20 Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies Hannah Zimmerman / Southern Living There's a reason these cookies are referred to as the "easiest". They come together in just 35 minutes and require just four ingredients. 07 of 20 Texas Sheet Cake With Fudge Icing Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Grandma knew that sheet cakes were just as delicious as layer cakes, and much easier to frost and transport. 08 of 20 Pam Lolley's Pecan Pie Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis While we include directions for making a homemade crust for this classic pecan pie, you can use store-bought if you prefer or are in a bind. 09 of 20 German Chocolate Cake Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Coconut-Pecan Frosting is the true star of this classic cake that rose to popularity in the 1950s. 10 of 20 Cinnamon Coffee Cake Antonis Achilleos Coffee cake is a great excuse to have dessert for breakfast or as an afternoon snack accompanied by a cup of tea or coffee. 11 of 20 Mamie Eisenhower's Chocolate Fudge Photographer: Fred Hardy; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley This no-bake fudge can be stored in an air-tight container for up to two weeks, so it's great to keep on hand for guests who drop in at the last minute, just like Grandma did. 12 of 20 Old-Fashioned Apple Pie Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Unlike many other pies, apple pie is known for having crust on both the bottom and top. 13 of 20 Classic Caramel Cake Jennifer Davick While it may seem simple, classic caramel icing sandwiched between homemade cake layers is worthy of being served for any occasion year-round. 14 of 20 Best-Ever Brownies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall We can't argue with the fact that desserts just taste a little better when they're homemade, especially when they came from Grandma's kitchen. 15 of 20 Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox While the banana pudding doesn't require baking, we like browning the top of the meringue slightly before serving but you can skip that step if preferred. 16 of 20 Coca Cola Chocolate Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Southern grandmothers know Coca-Cola isn't just for drinking. You'll find it as an ingredient in both the cake layers and the frosting in this recipe. 17 of 20 Chocolate Chip Cookies Beth Dreiling Hontzas This no-frills recipe will take you back to Grandma's house as soon as the aromas of them baking fill the air in your kitchen, 18 of 20 Luscious Lemon Bars Jennifer Davick; Styling: Kacy Carroll Not only are lemon bars a welcome change from super sweet chocolate desserts, they can also be stored in the freezer for up to a month. 19 of 20 Coconut Cream Pie Southern Living This coconut pie is simple enough to serve for dinner after Sunday supper, but is also impressive enough to make an appearance on the menu for holidays. 20 of 20 Fudge Pie Iain Bagwell Fudge pie is decadent dessert that's best enjoyed with a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream on top. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit