Just a Bite: 10 Cute, Mini Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes

Bryan Gardner

From mini pies to pumpkin cupcakes to sugary puff pastry turkeys, guest will gobble up these fun bite-size Thanksgiving desserts.

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Bryan Gardner

Instead baking a classic pumpkin or pecan pie, consider whipping up a mini Thanksgiving dessert this year. Without breaking too much from tradition, you can serve adorable, bite-size treats that speak to the holiday thanks to fall flavors like pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, and apples. From kid-friendly cupcakes to mini pastry cups and tartlets, these Thanksgiving desserts mean that family and friends have the opportunity to try a variety of desserts rather than fill up on one large slice of pie. And if you can't do without the ubiquitous apple pie on Thanksgiving, bake one (or more!) of these fun bites in addition to the main dish. After all, there's no such thing as too much dessert.

Since it's not Thanksgiving without turkey, why not take it one step further and also serve turkey for dessert? Our sweet Puff-Pastry Turkeys are so simple to create—just four easy, store-bought ingredients are needed—and they have such a charming effect. You could also use a variety of candy pieces to create mini turkeys atop chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. It's also a fun activity for kids to help out with too after the main meal.

Don't think there won't be pumpkin at the table. For the cutest Thanksgiving dessert that delivers maximum fall flavor, adorn moist pumpkin cupcakes with a light cream cheese frosting and handcrafted edible marzipan pumpkins, as we did here. Guests who want to taste a little bit of everything will love these Spiced Custard Mini Pies, which are bite-sized versions of pumpkin pie. They're small enough so that you still have room for more sweet treats.

Since food is the center of this holiday, these cute and creative dessert recipes for Thanksgiving are sure to bring a smile to the dinner table.

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Puff-Pastry Turkeys

Alpha Smoot

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Kids and adults alike will gobble up these easy treats made with store-bought puff pastry. They're inspired by a traditional French palmier and are possibly the cutest desserts we've ever seen.

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Popcorn on the Cob

Aaron Dyer

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A fun Thanksgiving version of the popular Halloween treat, popcorn balls. These "cobs" are made by combining homemade popcorn, melted marshmallows, and brown sugar, then shaping them to resemble harvest corn.

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Easy Tuile Leaves

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These delicate French wafer cookies are an elegant treat. Use our own leaf stencil or a leaf-shaped cookie cutter, then garnish the baked cookies atop a spice cake, a bowl of ice cream, or just enjoy them on their own.

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Football Cupcakes

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It's not Thanksgiving without turkeys…and football! Classic chocolate cupcakes get decorated with green sprinkles and football-shaped chocolate mint candies. They're sure to be a touchdown after the big meal.

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Spiced Custard Mini Pies

Anna Williams

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The perfect dessert for when you want just one more bite. The key to these delicious individual pies is an infused custard made with warm spices used in pumpkin pie including ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.

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Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Gentl & Hyers

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Keep the kids entertained on Thanksgiving with a DIY cupcake decorating station using toasted coconut, sprinkles, marshmallows, and gummy candy. This recipe calls for chocolate cupcakes and a chocolate buttercream, but feel free to use any cupcake or frosting flavor you prefer.

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Pecan Pastry Cups

Ryan Liebe

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Nothing says Thanksgiving like pie, but after a plate of turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and who knows how many sides, who has room for a slice? This bite-size version lets guests get their pecan fix—with a cranberry bonus.

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Cranberry Tartlets

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Cranberry sauce can be utilized in the sweet or savory courses of the Thanksgiving meal. Sure, these pie dough-cranberry creations can be made with leftovers, but they look and taste so good, you'll want to make these tiny treats ahead of time.

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Mini Apple Raspberry Pies

Ryan Liebe

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A gathering of friends and family is as sweet as these pies. Apple and raspberry is an unexpected combination but the sweetness from Gala apples and slightly tart flavor from thawed frozen raspberries really works.

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Pumpkin Cupcakes

Bryan Gardner

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Pie or cupcakes? How about both? Topped with a generous layer of cream cheese frosting and crowned with an almond paste pumpkin, these diminutive treats beat a slice any day.

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Just a Bite: 10 Cute, Mini Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes

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