One of the most challenging parts of Thanksgiving dinner is making a dessert that will please everyone.
“People have different tastes,” says food blogger Elizabeth Booth. “So it’s good to have variety.”
Aside from trying to appeal to several different palates, you may also find yourself struggling to bake your delicacies if you don’t plan ahead.
“Your oven is pretty much occupied all day. The turkey is either in the oven, or you’re putting your side dishes in… you don’t want to be baking a pie on the big day.”
Booth suggests taking on a few small recipes that you can prepare the day before, or something that cooks quickly and can be completed while you eat.
Below, check out five dessert recipes to try this Thanksgiving:
5 delicious Thanksgiving desserts
Pumpkin Pie with Maple Cookie Crust
Adapted from Kate Boothman’s book Sing For Your Supper
This is a pumpkin pie with a twist — maple cookies in the crust give it an extra sweetness. Baked in a spring form pan rather than a pie plate, it’s big enough to serve a crowd.
Serves 12
- 40 maple cookies, cream centres removied
- 1/3 cup butter
- 6 cups pure pumpkin puree
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 2 cups sweetened condensed milk
- 2 twp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place the cookies and butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you get a fine crumb. Line the bottom and sides of a 10” spring form pan with parchment paper and pour the crumbs into the pan, pressing on the bottom to form a solid base. Bake for 7 minutes and allow to cool.
Place the pumpkin puree in a large bowl and stir in the condensed milk, eggs, and spices. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the cookie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Let the pie cool completely (about an hour), take off the siders of the spring form pan and serve with whipped cream.
Apple Crisp
A classic. Prep it while your turkey is in the oven and then bake it while you’re eating Thanksgiving dinner. Serve with ice cream.
Serves 6-8
- 6 medium apples
- ¼ cup sugar
- cinnamon to taste
- ¼ cup cold butter, cubed
- ½ cup flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Peel and slice apples and place in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and sugar and work the cold butter in with your hands until it becomes crumbly. Spread the butter mixture on top of the apples and bake for 30 minutes.
Peanut Butter Pie
This is adapted from one of Dolly Parton’s cookbooks. We updated it with real whipping cream in place of frozen dessert topping.
Serves 6-8
Crust:
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Filling:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 3/4 cup icing sugar
- 1 8 oz (250 g) package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
In a medium bowl, stir together the graham crumbs, brown sugar and butter; mix with a fork until well blended, then press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Chill until firm while you make the filling.
In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter, icing sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form, and fold it into the peanut butter mixture (or vice versa). Pour into the crust and chill until it firms up and is sliceable. Serves 6-8.
Cherry-Cranberry Cheesecake in a Jar
Sweet-tart cherries and cranberries make the perfect pairing for creamy cheesecake – and because they’re assembled in jrs and refrigerated, they can be ready to go ahead of time. Let everyone grab a jar and a spoon and get comfy on the couch for the perfect ending to the big feast. This recipe is easily doubled (or tripled) to feed a larger crowd.
Crust:
- 1 cup graham crumbs
- 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
Cheesecake filling:
- 1 8 oz. (250 g) pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ -3/4 cup whipping cream
- ¼ tsp. vanilla
Topping:
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup frozen cherries
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup orange juice or water
To make the crust, stir together the graham crumbs and melted butter; divide between the bottoms of 6-8 small (125 mL) ring-top jars.
In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, cream and vanilla until smooth. Spoon into the jars over the crust.
To make the topping, bring the cranberries, cherries, sugar and juice to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Once the cranberries burst, remove it from the heat and let it cool, squishing the berries with the back of a spoon against the side of the pan. Once completely cool, spoon over the cheesecakes. Screw on the lids and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve them, or for up to 3 days.
Makes 6-8 cheesecakes.
Chocolate Crackle Cookies
I like to add a little bit of chocolate to my Thanksgiving dessert spread. These little bites of fudgy sweetness do the trick.
- 4 oz unsweetened chocolate
- 1/4 cup butter
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup Skor bits
- powdered sugar (for rolling)
Melt together the chocolate and the butter, either in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stove. Scrape into the bowl of a stand mixer and turn the mixer onto medium. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the sugar, the vanilla, the flour, baking powder, and salt (preferably the last three should be whisked together beforehand, but if you’re lazy you can just add them in). Stir in the Skor bits and refrigerate for about two hours.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment. Roll the cookie dough into 1″ balls and roll in powdered sugar to coat. Place the cookies 2″ apart on the cookie sheets and bake for 18-20 minutes, until cookies have cracked and are set. Makes about 3 dozen.
– All recipes are courtesy Elizabeth Booth from Rolling Spoon
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