These Delicious Thanksgiving Desserts Are Our New Traditions

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One of the best parts about Thanksgiving is the desserts. I think we’re all mature enough to admit that we sometimes slog through the green bean casseroles and salads to get to the good stuff — the sweet stuff. And why shouldn’t we? But we’re also all mature enough to admit that the classic pumpkin pie is getting a bit old. So today, we’re shaking things up with some new Thanksgiving desserts that will make people forget about pumpkin pie completely.

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Every Flavor Thanksgiving Pie Bars

Thank you Food Network for the recipe!

Ingredients

Pie Dough Layer:

  • 3 refrigerated rolled pie crusts 

  • All-purpose flour (for dusting)

Pecan Pie Layer:

  • ¾ cup packed light brown sugar

  • ½ cup light corn syrup

  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)

  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

  • Pinch kosher salt

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1 + ½ cups pecans (toasted and roughly chopped)

Pumpkin Pie Layer:

  • 1 + ½ cups pure pumpkin puree

  • ½ cup heavy cream 

  • ½ cup granulated sugar

  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

  • ⅓ tsp ground cinnamon

  • Pinch ground nutmeg

  • Pinch kosher salt

  • 2 large eggs

Apple Pie Layer:

  • 2 Gala or McIntosh apples (peeled, cored, and thinly sliced)

  • 2 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, and thinly sliced)

  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar

  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)

  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon 

  • Pinch kosher salt

Crumb Topping:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour 

  • ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar

  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

  • ¼ tsp kosher salt

  • 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

  2. Roll 1 sheet of pie dough out on a lightly floured work surface, trimming and squaring off the edges as needed. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick them all over with a fork. Top it with a layer of parchment and another baking sheet. Bake the dough until it’s just starting to brown and cook it through, 10-14 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and parchment, then continue to bake the crust until it’s golden brown — 3-5 minutes. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool and repeat with the remaining 2 pieces of dough. 

  3. Whisk all the ingredients for the pecan pie layer except for the pecans in a large bowl and set it aside. 

  4. Whisk all the ingredients for the pumpkin pie layer in a large bowl and set it aside. 

  5. Toss all the ingredients for the apple pie layer in a large bowl and set it aside. 

  6. Whisk all the dry ingredients for the crumb topping together. Add the butter until the flour mixture is completely moistened and starts to clump and set it aside. 

  7. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish generously with cooking spray and line it with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both of the longer sides. Spray the lined pan with cooking spray again. Lay 1 sheet of the cooked pie dough in the bottom of the pan, top with the pecan pie filling, and let it hit the edges. Top with the pecans. Add another layer of pie dough, then the pumpkin pie filling. Place the third and final piece of pie dough on top and top that with the apple filling. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top. 

  8. Bake until the edges and crumb topping are golden brown and the center is set  — 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool the bars completely in the pan for about 2 hours. Once they’re cool, use the foil overhang to lift the bars out onto a cutting board. Cut it into squares and serve!


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Easy Cranberry-Pecan Sandwich Cookies

Thank you PureWow for the recipe!

Ingredients

Cookies:

  • 6 oz. pecans

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 + ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

  • 1 + ½ cups all-purpose flour 

  • ¾ tsp fine sea salt 

  • Confectioners’ sugar (as needed)

Filling:

  • 10 oz. cranberries

  • ½ cup granulated sugar

  • ½ cup light brown sugar

  • Zest and juice from 1 orange

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon 

  • ¾ tsp ground ginger

  • Pinch ground cloves

  • Pinch fine sea salt

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, grind the pecans into a fine powder and set the mixture aside. 

  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy for about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix well to combine. Add the flour, pecan mixture, and salt. Mix well to combine. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a 1-inch thick disk. Wrap it up and refrigerate it for 1 + ½ hours or overnight. 

  3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to ¼-inch thick. Use a 2-inch round cutter to cut 24 circles from the dough. 

  4. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Meanwhile, transfer the cookies to the baking sheets and chill for 15 minutes. Then, bake the cookies until they’re lightly browned — 15-17 minutes. 

  5. Dust 12 of the cookies with confectioners’ sugar while they’re still warm and cool them completely. 

  6. In a medium pot, stir the cranberries, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, orange zest and juice, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and sea salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the berries burst and begin to break down — 8-10 minutes. 

  7. Puree the mixture with an immersion blender in the pot or transfer it to a blender or food processor. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened slightly — 5-7 minutes. 

  8. Turn over the un-sugared cookies and scoop a heaping tablespoon of filling on top. Sandwich each sugared cookie and gently press them together.


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Glazed Old Fashioned Buttermilk Doughnut Bundt Cake

Thank you The View from Great Island for the recipe!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour 

  • 1 + ½ cups oat flour 

  • 1 + ½ cups sugar

  • 1 tsp nutmeg

  • 1 + ½ tsp baking powder

  • ½ tsp baking soda

  • ½ tsp salt

  • 1 + ¾ cups buttermilk

  • ¾ cup vegetable oil 

  • 3 large eggs

  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar

  • ~5 Tbsp water

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

  2. Prepare a bundt pan by carefully buttering the entire surface and dusting it with flour. 

  3. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Add them together and whisk until they’re just combined, but don’t overmix. 

  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. Set the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. 

  5. Invert the cake and once it’s safely out of the pan, gently flip it back over so the rough side is facing up. Let the cake cool completely.

  6. Make the glaze. Whisk the sugar with just enough water to make it pourable. 

  7. Once the cake is cool, brush the glaze on it.


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Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

Thank you PureWow for the recipe!

Ingredients

Filling: 

  • 6 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

  • 3 Tbsp granulated sugar

  • 1 large egg yolk

  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 

Dough: 

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour 

  • 1 + ¼ tsp baking powder

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon 

  • ½ tsp ground ginger

  • Pinch ground cloves

  • ½ tsp fine sea salt

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • ½ cup light brown sugar

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

  • ⅔ cup pumpkin puree

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese and sugar with a silicone spatula. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix well to combine. Stir in the flour and mix until smooth. Cover the bowl and chill for 1 hour. 

  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. 

  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. 

  4. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well to combine. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed to combine. Cover the bowl and chill for 30 minutes, or until the filling has fully chilled. 

  5. Use a tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop all the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Line two or three additional baking sheets with parchment. 

  6. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Flatten one piece of the scooped dough and place it on one of the prepared baking sheets. Scoop 1 teaspoon of the cheesecake filling into the center of the cookie. Flatten another piece of the scooped dough and place it on top. Press firmly around the center to seal it. 

  7. Repeat the process, using all the dough and filling. Bake the cookies until they’re golden all around and the edges appear set in the center — 12-15 minutes. Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheets before serving.


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Caramel Pumpkin Lava Cake

Thank you Grandbaby Cakes for the recipe!

Ingredients

  • 3 oz. white chocolate

  • 6 Tbsp salted butter

  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour

  • ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar

  • 1 tsp pumpkin spice

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 egg yolk

  • ⅓ cup canned pumpkin 

  • 1 + ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

  • 8 prepackaged caramel candies

  • Sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. 

  2. Add the white chocolate and butter to a microwave-safe medium-sized bowl and heat in intervals of 20 seconds, stirring after each session until it’s completely melted and smooth. 

  3. Whisk in the flour, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice until the batter is smooth. Whisk in the eggs, egg yolk, pumpkin, and vanilla extract until the batter is well-blended. 

  4. Using 3 ramekins that have been sprayed with non-stick spray, fill each halfway with cake batter. Add two caramels into each ramekin and sprinkle the top with sea salt. Spoon the remaining cake batter over each cake. 

  5. Bake the cakes for 14-17 minutes and remove them from the oven. Let the cakes cool for 2 minutes. Take a knife and run it along the inside of each ramekin to help release the cake. 

  6. Invert the cakes on the individual plates. Dust with sea salt or powdered sugar and serve warm.


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Apple Pie Sundaes

Thank you Minimalist Baker for the recipe!

Ingredients

Pecans:

  • 1 cup raw pecans

  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil 

  • 2 Tbsp coconut sugar

  • 2 tsp maple syrup 

  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon 

  • 1 pinch sea salt

Apples:

  • 4 medium-sized ripe apples 

  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil 

  • 3 Tbsp coconut sugar

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon 

  • ½ tsp fresh ginger

  • 1 medium lemon (juiced)

  • 2 tsp arrowroot 

Toppings:

  • 6-8 scoops vanilla bean ice cream 

  • Whipped cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and arrange the pecans on a baking sheet. While the oven is preheating, peel, core, and thinly slice the apples. 

  2. Once the oven is heated, bake the pecans for 7 minutes. Remove them from the oven, top them with coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt, and toss together until everything is evenly coated. Bake for 3-6 more minutes and set them aside. 

  3. While the pecans are baking, add the coconut oil and apples to a large-rimmed skillet and begin cooking them over medium heat. Add the coconut sugar, cinnamon, ginger, lemon juice, and arrowroot. Toss to combine. 

  4. Cover the apples and reduce the heat to medium-low for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the apples are tender, remove the cover and increase the heat to medium. Sprinkle a bit more cinnamon and coconut sugar, and stir to coat. Cook for 2-4 more minutes and set them aside. 

  5. To make the sundaes, divide the apples between the serving dishes and top each with 1-2 scoops of ice cream. Garnish with pecans.

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Which Thanksgiving dessert is your favorite? Comment below!


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