Thanksgiving Pie Recipes

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.

To make this recipe in less time, you can substitute organic canned butternut-squash puree for the fresh squash. For the decorating technique, see our step-by-step photos.

Layering pecans between sheets of store-bought phyllo adds a nice crunch to this tart's flaky foundation.

Wild Maine blueberries make a surprisingly delicious partner for roasted Granny Smith apples in this deep-dish pie and tint the filling a vivid shade of fuchsia.

This is peak season for coconuts, and the fresh, creamy meat is well worth the effort in this pie. To crack a coconut, pierce its eyes with a screwdriver and drain liquid. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and bake coconut until it cracks, 15 to 30 minutes. Remove coconut, wrap in a dish towel, and tap with a hammer to separate the meat from the shell. Remove the skin with a vegetable peeler, and grate meat on a box grater.

Pair leftover pie dough and cranberry sauce for a tasty post-turkey-sandwich dessert.

For a sure-fire winner this time of year, nothing beats pecan pie. Let your little helpers add the pecans and chocolate chips, then measure and mix the easy filling ingredients.

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.

For this pie's crumbly crust, Gabrielle Langholtz uses lard rendered from farm-raised pork. For a similarly memorable pie, use leaf lard; it comes from the fat around the pig's kidneys and is famed for yielding flaky baked goods. You can order it from your local butcher.

Spicy gingersnaps stand in for the more traditional graham crackers in the crust of this Pumpkin-Cheesecake Pie, and make an excellent foil for the rich pumpkin-cream cheese filling. A border of meringue piped into leaves and bruleed with a kitchen torch takes the pie to the next level.

A homemade apple pie is definitely a labor of love -- what better reason to make one? If this is your first attempt, don't worry if the crust has a tear or two; the pie will still be juicy and delicious. Pie-making just takes a little patience -- but watching your friends and family enjoy the results makes it all worthwhile.

Perfecting the pie that plucks at American heartstrings is simple when an assortment of apples is used. Try mixing some Macoun with Granny Smith, Cortland, Jonagold, and Empire. Most important, buy the fruits fresh and firm.

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.

We like to think of this dessert as the turducken of pies -- spiced, cranberry-stuffed apples are baked in a pie shell, surrounded by cake batter. It's inspired by the bird's-nest pudding in Laura Ingalls Wilder's classic "Farmer Boy."

Add a pecan crumble topping for a new twist on traditional pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving.

We've made this beloved Southern dessert even more tempting by adding dark chocolate. The pie filling puffs up during baking but settles as it cools.

The delicate flavor of Meyer lemons can get lost in the shuffle of most lemon desserts. But this recipe is the perfect reason to seek out the special citrus; the simple curd filling really lets them shine. The dish was inspired by recipes in " Chez Panisse Desserts," by Lindsey Remolif Shere.

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.

For the best flavor, use a sugar pumpkin to make a homemade Pumpkin Purée. This variety of pumpkin, also known as "New England Pie" and "Sugar Pie" weighs from five to eight pounds and is known for its sweet, fine-grained flesh.

Pate brisee is cut into diamonds and used to embellish this apple pie. Half are brushed with egg yolk, and the other half are finished with egg white and sanding sugar, yielding a beautifully patterned, jewel-like top crust. For the decorating technique, see our step-by-step photos.

This luscious chocolate tart is topped with sliced pears.

Chocolate complements the sweetness of pumpkin in this sophisticated alternative to pumpkin pie. A rich layer of melted chocolate is poured on top of the baked chocolate crust for a bonus creamy layer. Top with a light-as-air pumpkin filling and bake until set. 

Traditional pumpkin pie gains depth of flavor with roasted fresh pumpkin and just the right amount of warming spices.

This pie can be made up to two days ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.