Forget the pumpkin pie and serve these unique Thanksgiving desserts instead
While Thanksgiving meals are typically finished off with a slice of pumpkin, sweet potato or pecan pie, there are plenty of other fall-inspired desserts you can serve that will wow your guests.
From “addictive” chocolate chip cookies to a make-ahead cherry tart, these Thanksgiving dessert recipes are easy to make and guaranteed to please any palate.
Cherry and Hazelnut Bread Pudding
“This recipe is very simple and a good one if you have some stale bread,” says Jürgen Krauss, former Great British Baking Show contestant and author of The German Baking Book.
7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into ½-in. cubes, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
1 (10-oz.) baguette, cut into ¼-in. slices (about 9 cups)
2 to 2¼ cups whole milk
1 czp hazelnuts
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. (1 oz.) kirsch or brandy
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. ground cloves
3 large eggs, separated
2 lbs. fresh cherries, pitted, or 4 (15-oz.) jars dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup, drained
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9-inch-square baking pan with butter; set aside. Place bread slices in a large bowl; set aside.
2. Bring 2 cups milk just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium. Immediately remove from heat, and pour over bread slices; toss until evenly coated. Let bread soak at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until bowl is cool to the touch, about 15 minutes.
3. Process hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Whisk together ground hazelnuts, sugar, brandy, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cloves and egg yolks in a small bowl until fully combined. Fold into bread mixture until just combined. If mixture is clumping, add remaining ¼ cup of milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to loosen.
4. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute; gently fold into bread mixture. Fold in butter cubes and cherries until evenly incorporated. Transfer bread mixture to prepared pan.
5. Bake in oven until top is crisp but not too dark and pudding is set in the center, 1 hour to 1 hour, 20 minutes. Let cool slightly on a wire rack, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Serves: 8
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Salted Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Reba McEntire‘s boyfriend Rex Linn begs her to keep these cookies in the house — so they’re bound to be a hit with Thanksgiving guests.
“I used to offer these cookies to my friends until my boyfriend Rex said, ‘Would you please quit giving those away? They’re way too good!’” the country singer told PEOPLE.
“They’re seriously addictive, and the key is the flaky salt on top,” McEntire adds of the recipe included in her new Not That Fancy cookbook.
1 cup (8 oz.) salted butter, at room temperature
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup semisweet and/or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. flaky sea salt
1. Beat together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce to medium low. Add flour in two batches, waiting until first addition is fully incorporated before adding the next; beat until just combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Gently stir in chocolate chips.
2. Divide dough evenly between two large sheets of plastic wrap. Shape each dough into 2 logs (1½ inches in diameter and 6 inches long). Twist ends of plastic wrap until taut and uniform in shape, and then gently roll logs to smooth out edges. Chill in refrigerator until firm, at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350° with racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove logs from plastic wrap; slice each into ½-inch-thick rounds. Arrange 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Sprinkle each with a pinch of flaky salt. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
4. Bake until edges are golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating position of baking sheets halfway through. Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes: 12
Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 50 minutes
Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Bars
“The bars are somewhere between a cookie and cake, packed with warm spices and lots of chocolate, so there is something for everyone,” says Yossy Arefi , author of the Snacking Bakes cookbook. “Pumpkin, spice and chocolate are a delicious trio and these bars combine the three in an easy to make and easy to love package.”
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, melted
⅓ cup canned unsweetened pumpkin
1 Tbsp. neutral oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cardamom
½ tsp. fine sea salt
¼ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. baking soda
1½ cups (about 6⅜ oz.) all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1. Preheat oven to 350º with a rack in center position. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray, or brush with butter. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Set aside.
2. Whisk together brown sugar and melted butter in a large bowl until well combined. Add pumpkin, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, salt and allspice; whisk until smooth and glossy. Stir in baking soda. Gently fold in flour and ¾ cup of the chocolate chips until just combined.
3. Transfer dough to prepared pan, and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips over top, and press them gently into surface.
4. Bake until light golden brown but still jiggles slightly in center, about 30 minutes.
5. Cool in pan for 20 minutes, then use parchment overhangs to lift bars out of pan. Slice and serve.
Serves: 9
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Chocolate & Macadamia Monkey Bread
Using store-bought biscuit dough means this decadent stunner couldn’t be easier. Each piece gets dipped in butter and brown sugar and then tossed with a trio of nuts and dark chocolate chips. Trust us: No one will even remember that pie exists.
Serves 12
¾ cup salted butter, melted
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
¾ cup plus 1 tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
⅓ cup chopped macadamia nuts
⅓ cup chopped pecans
⅓ cup chopped almonds
¾ cup dark chocolate chips
4 (7.5-oz.) cans refrigerated biscuit dough
1. Position rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat to 350°. Lightly coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with some of the melted butter. Place remaining melted butter in a large bowl.
2. Stir together brown sugar, salt and ¾ cup of the granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Stir together macadamia nuts, pecans, almonds and chocolate chips in another medium bowl.
3. Cut each biscuit into quarters. Toss about one-third of the biscuit pieces in the remaining melted butter; roll in the sugar mixture to lightly coat, and place in an even layer in the Bundt pan. Sprinkle about one third of the nut mixture over biscuit layer. Repeat layers twice. Stir together remaining 1 tbsp. granulated sugar and any remaining melted butter from large bowl, and pour over the top of the monkey bread. Cover with aluminum foil.
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cherry Clafoutis
This fruity dessert, from Meghan Markle and Price Harry’s wedding cake maker, is similar to a pie, but without all the fussiness of making the crust.
“You can prep all the components ahead of time, and you can bake while you’re eating dinner — then it’s ready to go as soon as you’re ready for dessert!” says Claire Ptak.
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
1 lb., 5 oz. fresh cherries (about 2½ cups), pitted
½ cup (about 2⅛ oz.) all-purpose flour
⅛ tsp. fine sea salt
¾ cup superfine sugar, divided
3 large eggs
1¼ cups whole milk
Whipped cream, for serving
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 9-inch round baking dish or oven-safe skillet with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Spread cherries evenly in dish. Set aside.
2. Whisk together flour, salt and ½ cup of the sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time. Whisk in milk. Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer over cherries to remove lumps; discard strained solids.
3. Sprinkle mixture in baking dish with remaining ¼ cup sugar. Cut remaining 2 tablespoons butter into about ¼-inch cubes, and scatter evenly over top.
4. Bake in oven until clafoutis is puffed and golden, 35 to 40 minutes, covering edges with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Let cool 5 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.
Serves: 6
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Peanut Butter Cup Blondies
Samuel’s Sweet Shop in Rhinebeck, N.Y., which Paul Rudd co-owns with Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton, carries everything from old-school candies, like Pop Rocks and astronaut ice cream (and some of Rudd’s favorite sweets) to baked treats made by dozens of local artisans.
These peanut-butter-packed blondies have been on their menu for more than a decade. They can be made up to three days in advance so you can prep them now and only worry about the savory stuff come Thanksgiving.
2 cups (about 8½ oz.) all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1½ cups peanut butter chips
12 peanut butter cups (regular size), frozen
1. Preheat oven to 350°, and line bottom and sides of a 13×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
2. In another large bowl, beat together brown sugar, granulated sugar, peanut butter and melted butter with an electric mixer on medium speed, until well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl, and beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to medium low; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add flour mixture; beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in peanut butter chips.
3. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Gently press the frozen peanut butter cups evenly spaced into the dough in 3×4 rows (so that when cut into squares, there will be a peanut butter cup in the center of each blondie).
4. Bake for 20 minutes; rotate pan from front to back, and continue baking until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let cool in pan or on a wire rack.
5. Cut into 12 squares. Serve or store blondies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
Serves: 12
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
California Almond Cake
For those who don’t like decadent desserts, this simple, nutty confection will hit the spot. Sweet tooth or not, everyone at your table will want a piece.
Makes: One 9-in. cake
16 oz. almond paste
1 cup butter, softened
1¾ cups sugar
⅓ cup triple sec
3 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Sliced toasted almonds
Powdered sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350°. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream together the almond paste, butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
2. Reduce speed to medium-low, and slowly add the triple sec and eggs. Do not overmix.
3. Sift together the flour and baking powder; add to butter mixture and mix only until blended.
4. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9-in. springform pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Cover the cake with foil to prevent over-browning, and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes.
5. Allow the cake to cool in the pan, and turn out onto a platter. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and powdered sugar before serving.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Pumpkin Dulce de Leche Bars
Milk Bar chef-owner Christina Tosi called these pumpkin and dulce de leche a “killer combo.” These crumbly yet smooth bars are sure to surprise and delight guests. They’re easy to make and transport, too.
Cooking spray
⅔ cup (about 2⅞ oz.) plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided
½ tsp. plus ⅛ tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
⅔ cup dulce de leche (from 1 [13.4-oz.] can)
6 oz. (about ¾ cup) cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
⅓ cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat an 8-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray. Whisk together flour, ¼ cup of the sugar and ½ teaspoon each of the salt and cinnamon in a large bowl until combined. Stir in melted butter until fully moistened. Spoon batter evenly into baking pan. Using your hands, firmly press into bottom of pan in an even layer. Spoon dulce de leche over crust, and spread evenly. Set aside.
2. Using a rubber spatula, vigorously stir together cream cheese and remaining ½ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon in a large bowl until smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk in egg, pumpkin and vanilla; whisk until smooth and well combined.
3. Pour pumpkin mixture over dulce de leche, spreading evenly to cover completely. Bake in preheated oven until pumpkin top is set but still jiggles, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven; transfer pan to a wire rack. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Transfer pan to refrigerator, and chill, uncovered, until completely cooled, about 2 hours. Cut into 9 squares.
Serves: 9
Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: 3 hours, 30 minutes