People From These Midwestern States Proudly Bring Cookie Salads To Potlucks

Much of the thrill of a potluck comes from the surprise, as you never know what other guests are going to bring. It can be a fun way to discover new recipes, including ones you may have never imagined before. One such recipe, favored at Midwestern potluck dinners in states like Minnesota and the Dakotas, is the cookie salad. Like many unusual salads you discover at potlucks, the word "salad" is a bit of a misnomer in this case, but the cookie part is spot on.

To put your mind at ease, there are no greens in a cookie salad. There are no vegetables of any kind. It's a spiritual cousin to sweet and creamy ambrosia salad, though there are some key differences. The base, or fluff, of a cookie salad is a mixture of instant vanilla pudding and whipped topping like Cool Whip. The recipe also calls for buttermilk to contrast the sweetness, along with Mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple to add acidity and brightness. After that, all you need are fudge-stripe cookies, some crushed and mixed in, some placed whole on top.

You can also make an elevated version of the cookie salad by swapping out those pre-made ingredients for homemade ones. That means making your own pudding and whipped cream, and even baking your own cookies. Doing it this way gives you more control over the taste and textures. The pudding, the cookies, and even the fruit can all be customized as you like.

Like many potluck classics, it's impossible to pin down the origins of the cookie salad. Church cookbooks throughout the Midwest in the 1970s and 1980s helped spread it around, getting as far as Montana in some cases. Traditionally made with mostly shelf-stable ingredients, it may have been the product of thrifty home cooks who wanted to make use of leftover cookies and canned fruit.

There's room for variation in cookie salad. The orange and pineapple are typically must-haves, but other fruits can be used as well. Fresh bananas, grapes, or even strawberries can be added. Ideally, you'd use fruit that is not too juicy so there's less risk of the salad becoming runny. Some versions include Greek yogurt, coconut cream, or pistachio pudding.

The cookies are almost always fudge-stripe cookies, but you could easily swap in any kind of popular cookie, from chocolate chip cookies to Oreos. The chocolate element is a great balance to the vanilla and Cool Whip, so it's good to keep at least a hint of it. Other versions include rugelach cookies or ginger cookies. It's hard to imagine any kind of cookie not working with the other ingredients. Like a pistachio Cool Whip salad, cookie salad seems like it should be a dessert, but it's never presented that way. At family cookouts and potlucks, these dishes are always served as sides next to pasta and potato salads. And if you think this one sounds extreme, you may want to take a seat before reading about candy bar salad.