Old-fashioned desserts from the Depression Era, including puddings, pies, cakes and cookies, offer comfort during trying times.
33 Comforting Depression-Era Desserts
Updated on Oct. 02, 2024
Cocoa Cake
This cake is so moist it doesn’t need frosting. I simply sprinkle powdered sugar over the top. It’s my favorite dessert to bring for potlucks, and there’s never a piece left to take home! -Beulah Sak, Fairport, New York
1/33
2/33
Grandma Pruit’s Vinegar Pie
Total Time
1 hour 40 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
This historic pie has been in our family for many generations and is always served at our get-togethers.—Suzette Pruit, Houston, Texas
3/33
Oat & Coconut Icebox Cookies
Total Time
30 min
Servings
about 3-1/2 dozen.
From the Recipe Creator:
This recipe was passed down through my family from Grandma Irene and is a favorite of my dad and cousin Dennis. It's a true cookie lover's cookie: crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and perfectly dunkable. —Lori Rowe, Tigerton, Wisconsin
4/33
Delicious Potato Doughnuts
Total Time
1 hour
Servings
4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
I first tried these tasty treats at my sister's house and thought they were the best I'd ever had. They're easy to make, and the fudge frosting tops them off well. When I make them for friends, the recipe is always requested. —Pat Davis, Beulah, Michigan
5/33
Tillie's Ginger Crumb Cake
Total Time
55 min
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
This recipe goes back at least as far as my grandmother, who was born in the early 1900s. Our sons and I enjoy eating it in a bowl with milk poured on it—much to the dismay of my husband, who prefers it plain! —Kathy Nienow Clark, Byron, Michigan
6/33
Bread Pudding with Nutmeg
Total Time
55 min
Servings
6 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
I always make this bread pudding recipe for my dad on his birthday and holidays. He says it tastes exactly like the bread pudding he enjoyed as a child. —Donna Powell, Montgomery City, Missouri
7/33
Green Tomato Pie
Total Time
1 hour 15 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
When frost nips our garden, I quickly gather all the green tomatoes still on the vine and make this old family favorite. It's been handed down from my grandmother, and now my granddaughters are asking for the recipe.—Violet Thompson, Port Ludlow, Washington
8/33
Contest-Winning Chocolate Potato Cake
Total Time
1 hour 5 min
Servings
12 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
I won grand champion honors in a potato festival baking contest with this moist chocolate cake. The icing recipe can be doubled if you have a real sweet tooth. —Catherine Hahn, Winamac, Indiana
9/33
Sugar Cream Pie
Total Time
55 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
I absolutely love Indiana sugar cream pie, especially the one that my grandma made for me. Here, we serve it warm or chilled and call it “Hoosier” sugar cream pie. —Laura Kipper, Westfield, Indiana
10/33
Plum Pudding
Total Time
2 hours 30 min
Servings
12 servings (1-1/2 cups sauce)
From the Recipe Creator:
In A Christmas Carol, everyone claps for plum pudding. Our family has made this pudding our own tradition, and it really is something to clap for. —Ruthanne Karel, Hudsonville, Michigan
11/33
Grandma Davidson’s Baked Apple Pudding
Total Time
55 min
Servings
6 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
My savvy grandmother whipped up recipes like this homey cinnamon-scented apple pudding in the Depression years. Many of us still make them today. —Holly Sharp, Warren, Ontario
12/33
Cherry Coconut Treats
Total Time
50 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
My great-grandmother created this recipe more than 100 years ago, so these tasty bites have appeared at many family parties. If you're preparing these for the holidays, make them festive by using both red and green maraschino cherries. —Anne Mullen, Windsor, Ontario
13/33
Chocolate Cream Pie
Total Time
1 hour 15 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
Our teenage son, John, has done lots of 4-H baking. This old-fashioned chocolate cream pie recipe with a flaky crust was his favorite thing to make. —Mary Anderson, De Valls Bluff, Arkansas
14/33
Peanut Butter Cookies
Total Time
25 min
Servings
3 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
When she got married, my mother insisted my grandmother write down one recipe for her. Grandma was a traditional pioneer-type cook who used a little of this or that until it felt right. This treasured recipe is the only one she ever wrote down! —Janet Hall, Clinton, Wisconsin
15/33
Sour Cream Raisin Pie
Total Time
40 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
The aroma of this pie baking in my farm kitchen oven reminds me of my dear grandma, who made this pretty pie for special occasions. —Beverly Medalen, Willow City, North Dakota
16/33
17/33
Apple-Walnut Cake with Orange Glaze
Total Time
1 hour 30 min
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
I tinkered with a plain apple cake recipe to create this moist, delicious winner. The result: old-fashioned goodness with a heavenly aroma! This cake is the perfect fall treat or holiday dessert, but it’s also great as a special breakfast or brunch item. —Lisa Speer, Palm Beach, Florida
18/33
Rice Pudding
Total Time
3 hours 15 min
Servings
4 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
For an old-fashioned sweet treat just like Grandma made, try this creamy pudding. It has a rich cinnamon flavor. The whipped cream folded in at the end gives it a wonderful light texture. —Jennifer Bennett, Salem, Indiana
19/33
Raisin Pecan Pie
Total Time
55 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
I remember my Grandmother Voltie and Great-Aunt Ophelia making this southern-style pie for Thanksgiving. It was always one of the many cakes and pies lined up for dessert. —Angie Price, Bradford, Tennessee
20/33
Apple Cornbread Crisp
Total Time
40 min
Servings
6 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
With hearty ingredients and quick prep time, this warm apple crisp makes a delicious, wholesome dessert for any fall night. It reminds me of the recipe my grandmother would serve after our big family seafood dinners. It's absolutely wonderful topped with ice cream. —Julie Peterson, Crofton, Maryland
21/33
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Total Time
30 min
Servings
about 3-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
A friend gave me the recipe for these cookies many years ago, and they’re as delicious as the ones Mom used to make. The secret to the recipe is to measure exactly (no guessing on the amounts) and to not overbake. —Wendy Coalwell, Abbeville, Georgia
23/33
Icebox Cookies
Total Time
30 min
Servings
7 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
This cookie recipe from my 91-year-old grandmother was my grandfather's favorite. She still makes them and sends us home with the dough so that we can make more whenever we want, I love to make a fresh batch when company drops in. —Chris Paulsen, Glendale, Arizona
24/33
Grandma Pietz's Cranberry Cake Pudding
Total Time
50 min
Servings
15 servings (2 cups sauce)
From the Recipe Creator:
For generations, our family has handed down this cake recipe starring cranberries. Simple and unusual, it remains a treasured family heirloom. —Lisa Potter, Camp Douglas, Wisconsin
25/33
Bread Pudding Pie
Total Time
1 hour 10 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
This unique dessert, a combination of pie and bread pudding, was created by my paternal grandmother's family. They had a farm and made their own bread, which made this a low-cost dessert. — Kelly Barnes, Lexington, Indiana
26/33
Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Total Time
50 min
Servings
about 3-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
When my two daughters were young, their great-grandma made them coconut cookies with oats. Thankfully, she shared the recipe. —Debra Dorn, Dunnellon, Florida
27/33
Mom-Mom Bessie's Coconut Molasses Pie
Total Time
55 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
I'm the keeper of my husband's grandmother's handwritten recipe book. Mom-Mom Bessie was one of the best cooks I knew, and we think of her every time we make this pie. The flavor combination of coconut and molasses is a family favorite. —Susan Bickta, Kutztown, Pennsylvania
28/33
Pennsylvania Dutch Funny Cake
Total Time
1 hour
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
I can still remember my grandma serving this delicious cake on the big wooden table in her farm kitchen. Every time I bake this unusual cake, it takes me back to those special days at Grandma's. —Diane Ganssle, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
29/33
Steamed Carrot Pudding
Total Time
1 hour 35 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
This recipe, passed down from my Canadian grandmother, has been in my family for at least three generations. It's been a favorite wintertime dessert for us and is always served for Easter and other holiday meals. —Ann Searcey, Kettering, Ohio
30/33
Coconut Cookies
Total Time
35 min
Servings
9 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
This simple yet satisfying coconut cookie recipe has been around for generations. Pressing a fork into the top gives the look of an old-fashioned washboard. —Tommie Sue Shaw, McAlester, Oklahoma
31/33
Shoofly Pie
Total Time
1 hour 25 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
My grandmother made the best shoofly pie in the tradition of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Shoofly pie is to the Pennsylvania Dutch as pecan pie is to a Southerner. —Mark Morgan, Waterford, Wisconsin
32/33
Rice Pudding
Total Time
55 min
Servings
6 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
My sisters and I always loved the recipe for rice pudding our grandma made. After she passed away, I took it upon myself to try and find the secret to her rice pudding. It took quite a bit of experimentation, but I finally got it right! And I'm glad to share this easy recipe here. —Margaret DeChant, Newberry, Michigan
33/33
