32 Vintage Church Desserts Worth Praising

If we had to pick a favorite cookbook from the kitchen shelf, it wouldn't be the shiny new one that looks as good on the counter as its new-age recipes taste. It wouldn't even be the special one that holds the holiday essentials, things like glazed ham and fruitcake. No, those wouldn't be saved in this fictional house fire. It'd be the tattered, faded, stain-covered spiral notebook hidden away at the end of the stack. It'd be the church cookbook. Through the generations, Southerners have published their most trusted recipes in these collections, whether it dubbed a church cookbook or community cookbook, and we've gathered lots of our favorites here on Southern Living.

These are the vintage Southern Living dessert recipes we swear by. From classic cold salads to warm, creamy casseroles, these recipes simply don't go out of style. We'll never pass up a bowl of banana pudding, a square of Texas sheet cake, or a slice of buttermilk pie. There's really nothing like the old-fashioned desserts you can find in your mama's old church cookbook. We rounded up the most classic desserts that have been coming out of Southern kitchens for generations. We're warning you, these'll have you singing some praises.