Dessert Recipes to Fill the Thanksgiving Table

Thanksgiving is a time of sharing, especially when it comes to the dessert table. While pumpkin pie is essential to Thanksgiving, there are plenty of other dessert recipes you can make instead. Or, you can even make these recipes in addition to your holiday favorites just to add a little something new to the table. Whether it’s a batch of sweet, decadent pumpkin cookies or a cake full of spice and tart cranberries, we’re sure your guests will enjoy a delectable treat to end the feast. Just be sure not to eat too much during dinner, you’ll want to save room for dessert.

Dessert Recipes to Fill the Thanksgiving Table

Spiced Cranberry Tart

A cranberry tart garnished for fall
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If you don’t have a tart on your dessert table then this recipe is the perfect addition. Cranberry season is a gift to our taste buds and we’re taking full advantage of this time. Our Spiced Cranberry Tart takes this winter staple ingredient and blankets it in a crunchy, oat-based crust and cinnamon. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

A plate of Halloween cookies on a black background
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Can’t decide between cheesecake and pumpkin pie? Turns out you don’t have to if you make our Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies. These flavorful cookies have a smooth and luxurious cheesecake center that leaves you needing more than one. Plus when you decorate these cookies with pumpkins on top, it makes for a festive centerpiece to any table. 

Apple Crisp

A green pan with apple crisp in it sits on a wood table surrounded by apples, brown sugar, and walnuts, and a spoon.
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If you choose to go more traditional this holiday season, make up an Apple Crisp that’s warm and gooey, fresh out of the oven. Here, fresh orchard-picked apples join a medley of brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon for a bite of fall in every spoonful. If you really want to treat your guests, you can add a scoop of ice cream on the side. 

Spiced Mascarpone Cranberry Cake

Half a cranberry cake with cranberries and powdered sugar on top.

Store bought cakes or box mix just won’t work for this special gathering of friends and family. Bake up a Spiced Mascarpone Cranberry Cake that truly infuses all the essential ingredients of the transition to winter. Think cinnamon, orange zest, nutmeg, mascarpone cheese, and of course, plenty of cranberries. Not to mention, the presentation of this dessert is simply gorgeous. 

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

A Sweet Potato Cheesecake with a wreath of gingerbread cookies and whipped topping garnished with fall springs and pecans on a wooden surface.

Rather than sweet potato pie, try a Sweet Potato Cheesecake instead. It’s got a combination of sweet potato and pumpkin pie spice along with cream cheese to make a mouthwatering filling. The crust is also made of gingersnap cookies to add a little extra spice and some crunch to each bite you take.

Dutch Apple Pie with a Twist

A slice of Dutch Apple Pie sits on a white plate. Dutch Apple Pie recipe

Pie and the holidays go together like peanut butter and jelly. This Dutch Apple Pie with a Twist uses sour cream to create a creamy, tangy apple filling unlike any pie you’ve had before. Though, we have to say, the crumbly, crispy topping may be our favorite part of this warm slice of deliciousness. 

Dark Rum Blondies

Dark Rum Blondies with butter spread on a serving plate with wild flowers scattered around.

These Dark Rum Blondies offer a rich and sophisticated twist on the classic dessert bar, making them an ideal, grown-up treat for Thanksgiving. The chewy, buttery blondies are infused with dark rum, which deepens the sweetness of this treat.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

Three slices of pumpkin cheesecake on brown plates are arranged on a multicolored surface, each slice topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Forget the pie this year, our Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust is the elegant, spiced centerpiece your holiday table needs. A velvety, pumpkin cream cheese filling cushions the warm, aromatic embrace of classic fall spices and a buttery crust made of gingersnaps.

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

A green plate full of Martha Stewart cookies in chocolate chip and white chocolate strawberry varieties.

Inspired by Martha Stewart, these Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies are a quintessential holiday dessert. After all, who doesn’t love a chocolate chip cookie? But in case you want to switch things up there’s also a recipe here for a white chocolate strawberry version.

Story by Kylie Thomas

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