Food Seasonal & Holiday Our Best Thanksgiving Desserts By Midwest Living editors Midwest Living editors Midwest Living's experienced editors create best-in-class travel, lifestyle, food, home and garden content you won't find anywhere else. We're loudly, proudly Midwestern, and we're passionate about helping our audience explore and create through award-winning storytelling. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 17, 2023 Trending Videos Pecan't Pie. Photo: Adam Albright Top off your Thanksgiving feast with our recipes for pumpkin pie, apple crisp, pumpkin cheesecake, praline layer cake and other holiday favorites. 01 of 24 Apple Crumble Carson Downing One bite of this gloriously simple recipe will remind you that, sometimes, you don't mess with a good thing. Chef Jason Qureshi of River Roast in Chicago prefers to use Granny Smith apples for their firm texture and tart taste. Chicago Chef Jason Qureshi Shares His Best Thanksgiving Recipes View Recipe 02 of 24 Hazelnut Pumpkin Cheesecake Brie Passano Trot this one out at Thanksgiving and watch those pies quake in their aluminum plates. Gingersnaps in the base and tangy sour cream topping balance the pumpkin-spice sweetness. Rich and Creamy Cheesecakes View Recipe 03 of 24 Pecan't Pie Pecan't Pie. Adam Albright Gerard Klass, chef and co-owner of Soul Bowl in Minneapolis, created this genius sweet-and-salty pie. It calls for pretzels, so the nut allergy folks at the table can finally have in on the goodness of pecan pie. View Recipe 04 of 24 Pumpkin Chiffon Pie A whipped-cream-based spiced filling creates a lighter-tasting version of traditional pumpkin pie; the gingersnap crust adds more kick than classic crusts. "This is a fantastic recipe," writes one of our website reviewers. "You get the wonderful pumpkin in a light chiffon pie! A holiday must!" Favorite Holiday Pie Recipes View Recipe 05 of 24 Paradise Pumpkin Pie A cheesecake layer and nut topping help this pumpkin pie stand out from its peers. This recipe was a winner at the Morton, Illinois, Pumpkin Festival baking competition. Perfect Pumpkin Pies View Recipe 06 of 24 Brown Butter Apricot Bars Brown Butter Apricot Bars. Brie Passano These deceptively delicious bars deliver the perfect, rich balance of sweet-tart fruit and buttery pastry. Our Best Bar Cookies View Recipe 07 of 24 Mommy's Pumpkin Pie "This recipe is adapted from my mother's classic pumpkin pie," says Linda Hundt, owner of Sweetielicious Bakery Cafe in DeWitt, Michigan. "I added cream to make it a bit richer and orange zest for flavor." The result is a dark, mahogany pumpkin pie with ginger-cinnamon-clove spiciness. Pumpkin Recipes We Absolutely Love View Recipe 08 of 24 Caramel-Pecan French Silk Pie Mark Thomas Caramel and pecans form a gooey base for this chocolate dream pie. Make this decadent pie at least a day ahead so it has plenty of time to chill before guests arrive. Leaf-shape pastry bits create a festive finishing touch. View Recipe 09 of 24 Triple Pear Pie with Walnut Crust You can't mistake the fruit in this cardamom-spiced beauty. Pear nectar and dried pears complement thick slices of fresh, juicy Bosc pears. View Recipe 10 of 24 Pumpkin-Pecan Tassies These tiny pies, baked in a muffin tin, showcase the flavors of pumpkin and pecans in a one- or two-bite dessert. View Recipe 11 of 24 Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie Apple butter lends extra sweetness and a slightly softer texture to classic pumpkin pie. The streusel topping adds crunch. Make Your Best Pie Ever View Recipe 12 of 24 Pumpkin-Praline Layer Cake This nutty layer cake has a whipped cream topping over a moist filling of pumpkin, brown sugar, pecans, butter and more whipping cream. "What a beauty! Very impressive and pretty easy, too," writes one reviewer. "The praline layer is awesome!" Ultimate Cake Recipes View Recipe 13 of 24 Gooey Pecan Pie Bars Not into pie? These sweet, nutty and oh-so-buttery bars are a guaranteed showstopper on any cookie tray. View Recipe 14 of 24 Red Velvet Cheesecake We took the red velvet cake that we love and gave it a creamy twist. Don't let the red color fool you: The flavor is all chocolate. View Recipe 15 of 24 Crumb-Topped Apple Trio Pie Crisp on top, sweetly tender inside, this quintessential Thanksgiving dessert blends tart and sweet apples-Granny Smith, Jonagold and Braeburn-with sugar and cinnamon under a brown-sugar and walnut crumb topping. Favorite Apple Pie Recipes View Recipe 16 of 24 Danish Pastry Apple Bars This recipe for Danish Pastry Apple Bars comes from an Indiana teacher. "Excellent recipe!" says a reviewer. "It's just like apple pie in a cake pan." View Recipe 17 of 24 Pumpkin Cheesecake This creamy, cool cheesecake is lightly flavored with pumpkin and spices, perfect with a cup of coffee after your Thanksgiving meal. The recipe comes from a Seeley, Wisconsin, restaurant. View Recipe 18 of 24 Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pumpkin Cookies Top cake-like pumpkin cookies with a smooth brown sugar and butter frosting, then dust with cinnamon for a bite-size Thanksgiving treat. Holiday Cookie Recipes to Treasure View Recipe 19 of 24 Chocolate Cream Pie The filling of this chocolate-crust pie is luscious, but not too rich. (Think old-fashioned chocolate pudding.) A bit of sour cream in the whipped topping balances the chocolate perfectly. Decadent Chocolate Desserts View Recipe 20 of 24 Cider-Spiked Apple and Pecan Tart Apples are gently cooked in butter, then arranged in a prebaked crust and brushed with jelly. The result is an edible work of art. View Recipe 21 of 24 Caramel Heavenlies Graham crackers form the base for this bar cookie with layers of marshmallows, brown sugar, almonds and coconut. It's a holiday favorite from Georgine Simmonds of Genesee, Michigan. Favorite Family Holiday Recipes View Recipe 22 of 24 Double Chocolate-Espresso Truffle Pie Do you have a chocoholic in your family? Give them something to love with this über-rich pie. For pretty chocolate curls, warm a bar of milk chocolate in your pocket or hand, then shave with a sharp vegetable peeler. View Recipe 23 of 24 Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Bars This make-ahead bar cookie offers an irresistible stack of flavors: sweet graham cracker crust, rich chocolaty cheesecake, spicy pumpkin cheesecake and a topping of sour cream. View Recipe 24 of 24 Fantasy Chocolate Pie Dream about all the ingredients you'd like to see in a dessert, and you'll see why we named this Fantasy Chocolate Pie. It's made with three kinds of chocolate pieces (milk chocolate, semisweet, and semisweet-and-white- chocolate swirled)—plus coconut, pecans and almonds. For extra indulgence, top with whipped cream and chocolate curls. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit