What 1796 cookbook contained the first American apple pie recipe?

The 1796 cookbook that contained the first American apple pie recipe was American Cookery. Written by Amelia Simmons, it is regarded as the first known cookbook authored by an American and printed in the United States.

Published in Hartford, Connecticut, American Cookery was designed for American cooks rather than simply repeating British culinary traditions. It included two apple pie recipes, along with instructions adapted to locally available ingredients and cooking practices. Simmons’s recipes helped document how early Americans were reshaping inherited European dishes.

The book is historically important beyond apple pie. It includes early printed recipes for dishes such as pumpkin pie and johnnycake, recommends pearlash as a leavening agent, and pairs turkey with cranberries. Its title page described the work as adapted “to this country,” reflecting a developing American food identity.

A common mix-up is confusing the first American cookbook with the first apple pie recipe ever written. Apple pie existed in European cooking long before 1796; American Cookery is notable because it preserved an early printed American version.