Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes

Try this deep-dish pumpkin pie when you need to please both traditional and modern palates at the Thanksgiving table. Adding Chinese five-spice powder to the filling may seem unorthodox, but two of its components (cinnamon and clove) can already be found in standard pumpkin-pie spice. The dramatic crust is delightfully easy to create—just brush butter onto sheets of store-bought phyllo and layer them at different angles in the pan. Finish with freshly whipped cream, and you'll have one mighty fine, crowd-pleasing dessert.

This mash-up recipe combines two holiday dessert favorites: apple pie and pecan pie. Delicious on its own, this pie also pairs well with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

To make this knockout dessert appear, you'll need reinforcements: a springform pan, a food processor (to blitz the chocolate wafers for the crust), and a mixer (to beat the cheesecake ingredients). After that, just a few simple steps result in a firm, delicately flavored pumpkin filling and a deliciously intense chocolate crust. Serve it as is, or pour a stove-top chocolate-caramel glaze on top for a glossy, glamorous finish.

Your kids may not like pumpkin pie, but these moist pumpkin bars studded with chocolate chips are simply irresistible.

Apples spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg serve as the filling for this double-crust Thanksgiving pie. A generous sprinkling of sanding sugar before baking makes the top sparkle.

Serve this pie with a dollop of whipped cream.

A hidden layer of bittersweet chocolate coats the crumb crust, semisweet imparts a silken smoothness to the customary custard, and a drizzle of milk chocolate on top teases the eye -- and the appetite.

Like a lot of filling to pastry in your apple pie? Try this fall recipe that's filled with three pounds of apples. We like to use an assortment of different varieties such as Granny Smith, Rome, Fuji, and Jonagold.

Sweet potatoes are spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and enriched with cream, brown sugar, and maple syrup for the flavorful filling of this pie. A candied pecan topping takes it over the top.

Take advantage of fresh cranberries while they're plentiful. This homey creation takes just minutes to make and would be a festive treat throughout the holiday season.

Tart apples, sweet raisins, and a crumb topping make for a blue-ribbon dessert. Pack the apples in tightly to minimize gaps between filling and crust once the pie is baked.

Two kinds of persimmons are recruited for steamed pudding; soft, ripe hachiyas are used in the batter, and oven-dried slices of fuyu -- resembling orange flowers -- form a ring around the dessert. The pudding is full of golden raisins, pecans, and candied ginger and warmed by brandy's sweet heat.

Apple tarts deliver a more concentrated apple flavor than the more common double-crust pies, and you don't have to wait hours for them to cool. Using different apple varieties pays off in both taste and beauty here. A peeled Granny Smith makes a tart center; unpeeled Pink Ladies give the outer petals a delicate blush. A mandolin makes quick work out of thinly (and evenly!) slicing the apples, and a little grated ginger mixed with apricot jam provides a spicy-sweet base that lets the fruit truly blossom.

Because the dough isn't rolled out, you don't need a rolling pin -- just a mixing bowl and a spoon. The finished crust is crisp, cookielike, and sophisticated. Use this recipe as a crust for our Pumpkin Tart.

For a fall treat, this moist and delicious pumpkin spice cake can't be beat. It's an easy snacking cake made with canned pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice. The recipe calls for a 9-inch square pan, but a loaf pan works well, too. Either way, don't skip the delicious honey frosting made with cream cheese, butter, and honey.

Whether they're paired in a casserole or a pie, sweet potatoes and marshmallows are a classic Thanksgiving combination. Here, roasted sweet potatoes are enriched with eggs, half-and-half, and warming spices for the custard filling, and the baked pie is crowned with rings of toasted marshmallows.

Celebrate seasonal spices with a simple syrup infused with cinnamon, cloves, star anise, orange peel, and black peppercorns.

Purists looking to deviate only slightly from the familiar will find the nuanced flavors they expect within these whimsically exaggerated fluted edges.

These tart-like cookies feature the flavors and textures of pecan pie -- tender, buttery crust, crunchy pecans, and brown-sugar filling -- all in one bite. Martha made this recipe on Martha Bakes 409.

Underneath a golden layer of pecans, a sweet and sticky filling awaits. A dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream is an ideal topping.

The creamy, bittersweet-chocolate "bottom" of this early-twentieth-century icebox pie rests on a graham cracker crust. The pile of ethereal meringue on top includes a hint of rum.

This mile-high pumpkin pie has major curb-appeal, thanks to a simple meringue topping. For just the right texture, whip the whites until they hold stiff, glossy peaks—but keep the mixture still spreadable enough that you can make decorative swirls in it as you top the pie. Keep in mind that the baked pie needs at least 6 hours to chill, so it's best to make it the day before you need it. 

Martha bakes this spectacular cranberry tart at Thanksgiving. It has an easy press-in crust made with a buttery mixture of crushed saltines which balances out the pucker-perfect curd filling. The finishing touch is a creamy meringue "wreath" piped on top.