12 Treasured Family Desserts, Straight From Southern Living Readers

Our mothers and grandmothers did it best, didn’t they? In tight kitchens with uncomplicated ingredients and well-loved pans, they whipped up the desserts that live on pedestals in our homes and hearts.

These 12 recipes have been lovingly shared with us by our readers, transcribed from the back of their butter-stained and vanilla-splashed recipe cards that they’ve treasured for decades. From impressive pies to lovely bundt cakes to cookies, these fabulous fall desserts will keep you cozy all fall.

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely 

The only thing sweeter than this pie is the heart-melting story that reader Cassie Tidwell Tramel shared about her beloved grandmother. Grab a Kleenex before you click.

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely 

Shared with us by reader Susan Sartory from Juno Beach, Florida, this old-school cake cooks low and sluggish for the best evenly cooked texture.

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely 

These crackly, ginger-spiced cookies shared with us by North Carolina reader Kristin Stewart warmed our hearts with their sweet name and cozy, nostalgic flavor.

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely 

This “neighborhood cake” submitted by reader Mary Vail-Grube from Allen, Texas, wowed our editors and tasters. It’s like eating the best slice of homemade banana bread, but slathered with caramel frosting. Why didn’t we think of this sooner?

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely 

Reader Beverly Thompson of Willis, Texas, lost her mom Neddy a few years back, but celebrates her memory with this precious pie. “I love her little recipe card because it’s in her handwriting,” Beverly says.

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely 

Tennessee reader Connie Taylor loved this harvest-hued cake when she was a child, and notes that her mother had two versions: one for company that had a crown of cream cheese frosting, and one for family, that got by with uncomplicated dusting of powdered sugar.

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely 

Beth Lewis of Cary, North Carolina, remembers her mother making this pie every Thanksgiving for her grandsons. Beth has continued the tradition, sending the boys home with pies that often get eaten on the car ride home.

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely 

This humble cake was born during the Great Depression, when times were tough and ingredients got stretched a long way. But don’t let that fool you—this dessert is delicious. Reader Pat Ynesta from Navarre, Florida, remembers her mom baking this cake in her favorite pan. “It was handed down from our grandma to her and now me,” Pat remembers. “It’s probably almost 100 yers old.”

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely 

Texas reader Barbara Pachman treasures her mother’s cake for the memory and the flavor; we love the shortcuts of cake and pudding mixes that make it so uncomplicated. The amaretto doesn’t hurt, either.

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely 

Don’t adjust your dial—those are indeed potato chips the cookies! Reader Ruth Maicki from Tampa Bay, Florida, says these were her mom’s most-requested desserts. We love the salty crunch the chips bring to these sweet, slender cookies.

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely 

Reader Meghan Mays is sneaky! She got the recipe for her husband’s favorite cake that his grandmother used to make, and surprised him with it at Thanksgiving. Needless to say, she earned some gigantic brownie points!

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely 

Reader Vicki Casey from Huntersville, North Carolina, shared this lovely recipe created by her thrifty mother-in-law that uses the juice leftover from canned pineapple to make a lovely pie. It’s like lemon meringue with a tropical twist.