yield: 12 balls (1 per serving) prep time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour to chill cook time: 3 minutes Bourbon balls are a true Southern delicacy. Owing to Kentucky’s many bourbon distilleries, they may be particularly popular there, in my home state. Bourbon balls often…

yield: 18 truffles (1 per serving) prep time: 15 minutes, plus 2 hours to chill Who knew truffles could be so easy to make? And they’re pretty, too! Experiment with different toppings. If you tire of cocoa powder or shredded coconut, try a coating of crushed nuts. I…

yield: 2 servings prep time: 5 minutes cook time: 2 minutes I have a special place in my heart for blackberry cobbler. In Kentucky, when blackberries were in season, my mom and I would walk up the road from our house and pick a bunch of them. We would come directly…

yield: 6 servings prep time: 10 minutes cook time: 15 minutes In the South, we serve anything with (or on!) biscuits—yes, even dessert! Whether you call these shortcake-style biscuits or biscuit-y shortcakes, you will love them. Though fresh strawberries and whipped…

yield: 12 cookies (2 per serving) prep time: 5 minutes cook time: 14 minutes These cookies are the easiest I’ve ever made, and they sacrifice nothing in flavor. We love them just like this, but you could experiment by adding different flavor extracts. • ½ cup (1…

yield: 8 servings prep time: 5 minutes cook time: 20 minutes My husband’s parents in west Tennessee have pecan trees, so I always have pecans on hand. One of the things I used to make with them was sugared pecans. These pecans are even more delicious and don’t contain…

yield: 8 servings prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour I was so excited to create this keto version of the beloved pie I grew up eating. It’s a Kentucky Derby party tradition. In some recipes, the filling is spiked with bourbon, but I opted to leave it out of…

yield: 15 bites (3 per serving) prep time: 10 minutes, plus 1 hour to freeze Peanut butter pie is a popular dessert in the South. I always loved making mine with a chocolate crust. These pie bites are easier to make but still taste like peanut butter pie! I like to…

yield: 8 servings prep time: 15 minutes, plus 2 hours to chill cook time: 14 minutes Different variations of fruit pizza or, as some people call it, dessert pizza, can be found at brunches and special events (especially showers!) in the South. The version I used to…

yield: 12 bars (1 per serving) prep time: 10 minutes cook time: 16 minutes Southerners have long enjoyed peanuts; colonists in Virginia enjoyed savory peanut soup made with hand-ground peanuts. When peanut butter came along, dessert recipes using it proliferated—think…

yield: 16 servings prep time: 20 minutes, plus 8 hours to chill cook time: 1 hour, 45 minutes Cheesecake is not a Southern dessert, but it is beloved by many Southerners, including my husband. Because it is his favorite dessert and often serves as his birthday cake,…