Turkeys are selfish. They steal the spotlight every Thanksgiving and leave the dessert menu up to whatever Walmart has left in stock. Don’t copy and paste the same store-bought leaf cookies from last year. Fix your priorities. Give the sweets a little TLC this Thanksgiving and make flavorful desserts with ease. These simple desserts will make Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving feast look difficult.
1. Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes
Pumpkin spice may be the most #basic flavor in the country, but it keeps that top spot because it leaves an impression in every Thanksgiving dessert. Give the PSL a day off and make a treat that no aunt, uncle or cousin will say no to. The best part? This seasonal recipe makes more than enough to serve every person in your extended family and that lady who says she’s your aunt but you truly can’t remember where she came from.
Total Time: 45 mins.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. melted butter
- oil, for frying
- Topping:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
2. Apple Pie Bake
This is one dessert you don’t want to mess with—grandma has made this family recipe religiously every year and God forbid she tastes the wrong amount of cinnamon. Apple pie deserves a spot somewhere on your Thanksgiving dessert menu, but serving it in a nontraditional form can’t hurt. Instead of baking with pie crust and a pie pan, mix apple pie filling with cubed cinnamon rolls to add even more flavor. Then just top with vanilla ice cream.
Total Time: 45 mins.
Ingredients:
- 2 packs cinnamon roll dough with icing
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 2 Granny Smith apples, diced
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- vanilla ice cream
3. Turtle Fudge
Fudge in November doesn’t seem like a Thanksgiving dessert, but it’s never a bad time to give thanks to sweet goodness. This dessert has pecans and caramel—both of which are typical fall fare—and adds some variety to the typical Thanksgiving Day dessert menu. The pumpkin pie and apple crumble aren’t going anywhere. By bringing a bite-sized dessert that’ll literally melt in people’s mouths, you quickly become the new favorite grandchild.
Total Time: 4 hrs.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk (about 1 ¼ cups, divided)
- 5 oz. marshmallow cream
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 8 oz. unwrapped caramels
- 2 cups whole pecans
4. Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Pumpkin screams Thanksgiving, and cheesecake is a timeless classic that finds its way to everyone’s plate. Combining the two flavors makes a dessert that’ll have the fam desperate for more. These cheesecake bars are a double-layered fantasy that look and taste like heaven. The total time to make this dessert seems intimidating, but most of that time is spent chillin’ (in the fridge that is) to get the perfect cheesecake consistency.
Total Time: 5 hrs.
Ingredients:
- Crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham crackers crumbs
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- dash of cinnamon
- Filling
- 4 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup (8 oz.) canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 2 pumpkin pie spice
- Garnish
- whipped cream
- pumpkin pie spice
5. Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
Who in their right mind would pass up a giant cinnamon monkey bread ring made of cream cheese-filled donut holes? While you do need a fluted mold pan—as if any college kid actually owns this—this dessert alone gives you reason to buy one. You could always re-gift if to your grandma for the holidays. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.
Total Time: 90 mins.
Ingredients:
- 2 (10 to 13 oz.) package cinnamon buns
- 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
6. Mini Pumpkin Pies
Pumpkin pie is a classic, so you can’t totally skip out on it on Thanksgiving. Why not try a twist on the tradition by making solo portions? At least this way you can avoid the mess that comes with cutting slices of pie—and the yelling aunts and uncles who think they got the smallest piece.
Total Time: 90 mins.
Ingredients:
- 1 box refrigerated pie crust (2 crusts in a box)
- 1 (15 oz.) can pureed pumpkin
- 2 eggs
- 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp. table salt
- whipped cream for topping
7. Apple Roses
People who really love dessert art need to get to Walmart asap to be able to make these. You also need competency with a knife. These Edible roses will be the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving dessert spread. The apple slivers have to be the perfect thinness if you want them to stand upright and adopt the right form. You don’t want a wilting flower, do you?
Total Time: 2 hrs.
Ingredients:
- 4 apples, cored and halved (leave the skin on)
- juice squeezed from 1/2 lemon
- 3 tbsp. fruit preserves (use whichever fruit you like most)
- 2 tbsp. water (plus more for the apple soak)
- 1 sheet of puff pastry
- cinnamon
8. Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
A vegan Thanksgiving doesn’t have to include those tasteless cookies your cousin’s girlfriend brings every year—vegans can enjoy dessert too! And for all you carnivores out there—don’t let the “vegan” part of this treat scare you. The reason it’s vegan is because the animal products are replaced with pumpkin…when did extra pumpkin hurt anyone? They’re also a great breakfast treat when you’re running to your 8 a.m. class, so don’t lose the recipe when you get back to campus after Thanksgiving break.
Total Time: 25 mins.
Ingredients:
- 1 box of cake mix (make sure you get one without milk!)
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 (15 oz.) can of 100% pureed pumpkin
- 1 cup of dark chocolate chips
9. Thanksgiving Mug Pies
Mug pies are perfect if you live in a dorm without an oven…or just don’t feel like walking over to the kitchen. Anyone who happens to be skyping their family during this holiday also deserves a taste of Thanksgiving at home. A microwave and a mug are all you need to make these personal desserts. Choose your fave from these three classic pies (or make all three if you’re feeling ambitious), turn on the Thanksgiving Day Parade, grab a warm blanket and dig in!
Total Time: 7-12 mins.
Ingredients:
- Pumpkin Pie
- 2 tbsp. of graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup (3 oz.) pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp. milk
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- Apple Crisp
- 3 tbsp. butter, melted
- 4 tbsp. cup oats
- 2 tbsp. chopped pecans
- 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 small apple (about 1 cup chopped)
- 1/2 tbsp. all purpose flour
- 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
- Pecan
- 1 1/2 tbsp. (1 1/2 oz.) butter, melted
- 2/3 cups (3 1/4 oz.) brown sugar
- 3 tbsp. (1 1/2 oz.) maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup (2 oz.) pecans, chopped and toasted
- 2 tbsp. of graham cracker crumbs
- extra pecans for decoration
10. Apple Dumplings
Apples are a Thanksgiving staple, and these individually wrapped bites are sure to make your taste buds explode. Not only do they showcase your gift-wrapping talents just before Christmas, they give your guests a break from the fallback apple crumble. To change tradition even more than before, make them an hour before guests arrive and serve them as appetizers—who says dessert has to go last? College has definitely taught us otherwise.
Total Time: 1 hr.
Ingredients:
- 2 (8 oz.) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and peeled
- 1 stick (4 oz.) salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 6 oz. lemon-lime soda
