The Fascinating Beginnings of 10 Delicious Delights

If you’re passionate about whoopie pies, obsessed with cotton candy, or always craving another s’more, delving into the history of these delightful desserts is an absolute treat.

1. S’mores

Although much is known about graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate, the creator of the delightful combination of these three remains unknown. The earliest documented recipe for “Some More,” attributed to Loretta Scott Crew, appears in the 1927 Girl Scouts handbook Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts. The term S’more was officially added to the dictionary in 1974.

2. Candy Corn

Whether you adore it or despise it, candy corn is arguably the most iconic Halloween candy ever created. A Philadelphia candy maker first crafted these sugary kernels in the 1880s, mixing the ingredients into a thick paste and carefully pouring the three distinct colored layers into molds by hand. Today, machines handle the entire process, allowing candy corn to be produced in various color schemes throughout the year.

3. Snow Cones

The world embraced the icy delight of snow cones once commercial ice became accessible in the 1850s, with people enhancing it by adding eggs, vanilla, and sugar for sweetness. By the 1870s, theatergoers could enjoy hand-shaved ice in an array of flavors. The 1890s saw the patenting of multiple electric ice shavers, streamlining snow cone production during the Great Depression, when the affordable treat was famously known as “the Hard Times Sundae.”

4. Cupcakes

Miniature, frosted cakes have their origins in the 1796 cookbook American Cookery by Amelia Simmons. She referred to her creation as “cake to be baked in small cups.” The term cupcake was later popularized in Eliza Leslie’s 1828 cookbook Seventy-Five Receipts.

5. Caramel Apples

The sugar-coated candy apple is believed to have originated in a Newark, New Jersey, candy shop in 1908. However, the softer, chewier caramel version is attributed to Dan Walker, a Kraft Foods employee who sought to repurpose leftover Halloween caramel. The first machine for making caramel apples was patented in 1960 by Vito Raimondi, whose company continues to manufacture these machines for other confectioners.

6. Whoopie Pie

Several U.S. states have passionately debated who deserves credit for this delightful cookie sandwich. Pennsylvania folklore suggests an Amish woman created the first whoopie pies using leftover cake batter and frosting, serving them to her family, who joyfully shouted “Whoopie!” Meanwhile, Maine residents tell a similar tale, crediting an unnamed bakery owner in Bangor. In Boston, some argue that a now-closed local bakery invented the treat in 1931. Regardless of its origins, let’s all agree to enjoy whoopie pies.

7. Cotton Candy

Spun sugar was a rare and labor-intensive delicacy when it debuted in the 18th century. The mass production of cotton candy at the 1904 World’s Fair was made possible by a dentist’s invention. Dr. William Morrison collaborated with confectioner John C. Wharton in 1897 to create the first cotton candy machine. Later, in 1921, another dentist patented his version of the machine and coined the term cotton candy. Whether these dentists believed cotton candy was a healthier option due to its airy texture or saw it as a way to boost their dental practice remains a mystery.

8. Jelly Beans

The history of jelly beans is somewhat unclear. One popular but unverified story suggests that Boston confectioner William Schrafft marketed jelly beans and urged customers to send them to Civil War soldiers. However, jelly beans weren’t documented in print until 1905. The term jelly bean quickly evolved into slang, referring to fashionable men who charmed women with their style but lacked substance, a deceitful individual, a sweetheart, or someone who “prioritizes pleasure over work,” as noted in Green’s Dictionary of Slang.

Naturally, the jelly bean wouldn’t exist without its precursor, Turkish delight, which is believed to have originated in Istanbul in 1777.

9. Ice Cream Sandwich

Before ice cream trucks roamed Manhattan, hokey-pokey vendors in the late 1800s sold single slabs of ice cream between sheets of paper. Eventually, someone innovated by sandwiching the ice cream between two wafers, making it more portable and easier to eat. Chocolate wafers with vanilla ice cream soon became the standard.

10. Salt Water Taffy

Atlantic City’s iconic treat was born from a disaster. Legend says a candy shop flooded during a storm in 1883, ruining its taffy stock—or so the owner believed. A young girl purchased the taffy, now called “salt water taffy,” and adored its sweet-salty flavor. Soon, it became a hit with both kids and adults. While the tale might be a marketing gimmick, the taffy became a boardwalk favorite. Enoch James and Joseph Fralinger both claimed to have created it. In the 1920s, John R. Edmiston of Wildwood, New Jersey, trademarked salt water taffy and attempted to sue competitors using the term, but the Supreme Court ruled against him.