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The start of September brings with it the national holiday of Labor Day. A day of pause to toast to the workers of the world, it’s a time to get friends and family together to celebrate with parties and, of course, delicious food. If you’re on the hunt for unique desserts for Labor Day this year then we’ve got you covered. Read on below for our top Labor Day dessert ideas from American classics like the Mississippi mud pie, to a late summer refresher like citrus pie.
Apricot cobbler
Apricots come into season around May and finish in September time, so Labor Day is the last opportune moment to enjoy this delectably sweet fruit at its ripest. An apricot cobbler is one of our favorite desserts to make using this ingredient, and it’s ideal for serving to a large group of friends and family if you’re hosting on Labor Day. It also ticks the box of one of the straightforward Labor Day desserts to tackle. This dish actually has its origins in the British American colonies, thus created on American soil, so it’s an inherently patriotic recipe too. Cobblers have long been considered some of the best comfort food, and no cobbler is complete without a helping of delectable vanilla ice cream or creamy custard on the side. Sweet, stewed apricots blend together seamlessly with the biscuity, cobbler top for a match made in Labor Day dessert heaven. Once you’ve got the hang of the basic cobbler recipe this is one you can make throughout the year for many other occasions using a selection of fruit depending on the season.
Citrus pie
Citrus pie is quite literally summer in a dessert. Tangy and zesty, a combination of citrus fruits including lemon, lime, and orange blend together for an irresistibly refreshing pie. Similar to the more well-known Key lime pie, a citrus pie makes use of the best of summer flavors and is often an underrated dessert in our opinion. It’s easy to serve when you’re hosting lots of guests too. With a dusting of powdered sugar and a quick dollop of whipped cream, you have an elegant and mouth-watering pudding ready to dish out to your friends and family. For more citrus-based dessert inspiration a lemon curd cheesecake is a sure crowd-pleaser. It takes a little while to prepare, so you’ll need to plan ahead, but it can be made the day before your Labor Day party and simply rest in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Plate this one up just as it is and let the smooth, bright flavors speak for themselves.
Banoffee pie
If you want to take inspiration from across the pond for your Labor Day celebrations, then you could do no better than the magnificent banoffee pie, invented in England. The banana and toffee flavors paired so well together when this powerhouse of a dessert was invented, that an entirely new word was created to describe this flavor duo. And so the word “banoffee” entered the English language. Bananas, condensed milk, and cream all come together to create one of the most famous puddings in the world. For a Labor Day desserts no-bake option, a slice of banoffee pie is complete perfection. Traditionally decorated with slices of banana and chocolate shavings, you can easily add a sprinkle of strawberries and blueberries to the top for a more patriotic decoration. For an adults-only Labor Day banoffee pie, some chefs even like to add a helping of spiced rum to their recipes, for a flavorful kick.
Mississippi mud pie
Is there any dessert that sounds more American than a Mississippi mud pie? If you want a truly American menu for your Labor Day celebrations then you’ll need to get this dessert onto the table. The origins of the recipe are a little vague, though it’s of course thought to have been created in and named after Mississippi, with the cake resembling the mudbanks of the Mississippi river. Traditionally made with a chocolate pie crust there are all sorts of twists that have been put on this recipe over the years. Oreos have often found their way into this recipe, to add an even more authentically American feel to this dish. Incredibly easy to make, this dessert comes with a very short list of just five ingredients. It’s a great one to whip up for large groups and gatherings for Labor Day, and has the added bonus of looking much fancier than it actually is. A crunchy biscuit base meets with the rich, creamy indulgence of the pie filing. For a patriotic topping, try sourcing edible gold star glitter to sprinkle over the top of your pie.
Chocolate fudge brownies
Last, but not least, no Labor Day celebration would be complete without a tray of classic, good old-fashioned, American chocolate fudge brownies. Tantalizingly gooey, there’s something that feels intrinsically American about a helping of brownies. They’re one of those brilliant desserts that take minimal time to make, but put a smile on everyone’s faces without fail. Served warm straight from the oven, or slightly chilled, they can be enjoyed in every form. To add an extra special decoration for your Labor Day menu, top your chocolate fudge brownies with red, white, and blue sweets as a tribute to the American flag. Or, if you prefer, source some mini stars and stripe flags to fix to cocktail sticks that can sit in the brownies. You could try assembling the brownies into a delicious tower stack and top with the star-spangled flags. In the rare case that the brownies aren’t all eaten at your Labor Day party, bag them up and give them to guests to take home so none go to waste.
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