Thanksgiving Desserts That Aren't Pie (But Everyone Will Ask For)

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Pie is traditional, not mandatory. If your oven is busy with the turkey, if you hate rolling crust, or if you just want a dessert table people actually talk about, these ten skip the pie dish entirely — no lattice, no blind baking, no soggy bottom. They use the same Thanksgiving flavours (pumpkin, apple, cranberry, maple, pecan) in bars, crisps, trifles and cakes that are easier to make ahead and easier to serve.

1. Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars



Prep: 20 min + 4 hrs chilling · Bake: 35 min · Makes: 16 bars

Ingredients — crust: 1½ cups graham crumbs · 6 tbsp butter, melted · 2 tbsp sugar. Filling: 16 oz cream cheese, softened · ½ cup sugar · 1 cup pumpkin purée · 2 eggs · 1 tsp pumpkin spice · 1 tsp vanilla.

Method:

  1. Press the crust into a lined 9×13-inch pan and bake at 325°F (165°C) for 10 minutes.
  2. Beat the cream cheese and sugar smooth, then beat in the pumpkin, eggs, spice and vanilla.
  3. Pour over the crust and bake 30–35 minutes until just set in the centre. Cool, chill 4 hours, and cut into bars.

2. Apple Crisp



Prep: 15 min · Bake: 40 min · Serves: 8

Ingredients — filling: 6 apples, sliced · 2 tbsp sugar · 1 tsp cinnamon · 1 tbsp lemon juice. Topping: 1 cup oats · ½ cup flour · ½ cup brown sugar · 6 tbsp cold butter, cubed.

Method:

  1. Toss the apples with sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice in a baking dish.
  2. Rub the topping ingredients together until crumbly and scatter over the apples.
  3. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 35–40 minutes until bubbling and golden. Serve warm with ice cream.

3. Cranberry Orange Trifle



Prep: 25 min + 2 hrs chilling · Serves: 10

Ingredients: 1 pound cake, cubed · 2 cups cranberry sauce · 1 orange, zested and juiced · 2 cups whipped cream · ½ cup candied pecans, chopped.

Method:

  1. Stir the orange zest and juice into the cranberry sauce.
  2. Layer cake, cranberry sauce and whipped cream in a trifle bowl, repeating twice.
  3. Top with whipped cream and candied pecans. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

4. Maple Pecan Blondies



Prep: 15 min · Bake: 25 min · Makes: 16 bars

Ingredients: ½ cup butter, melted · 1 cup brown sugar · ¼ cup maple syrup · 1 egg · 1 tsp vanilla · 1 cup flour · ½ tsp baking powder · 1 cup chopped pecans.

Method:

  1. Whisk butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, egg and vanilla.
  2. Fold in flour, baking powder and pecans.
  3. Spread in a lined 8×8-inch pan and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 22–25 minutes until the edges are set and the centre is still slightly soft. Cool before cutting.

5. Sweet Potato Bread Pudding



Prep: 20 min · Bake: 45 min · Serves: 8

Ingredients: 4 cups cubed day-old bread · 1½ cups mashed sweet potato · 2 cups milk · 3 eggs · ½ cup sugar · 1 tsp cinnamon · ½ tsp nutmeg · 1 tsp vanilla.

Method:

  1. Whisk milk, eggs, sugar, spices and vanilla, then stir in the sweet potato until smooth.
  2. Pour over the bread in a buttered baking dish and soak 15 minutes.
  3. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40–45 minutes until puffed and golden. Serve with cream or caramel sauce.

6. Pumpkin Tiramisu



Prep: 25 min + 4 hrs chilling · Serves: 8

Ingredients: 1 cup pumpkin purée · 8 oz mascarpone · 1 cup heavy cream, whipped · ½ cup sugar · 1 tsp pumpkin spice · 24 ladyfingers · 1 cup strong coffee, cooled · cocoa, to dust.

Method:

  1. Whisk pumpkin, mascarpone, sugar and spice, then fold in the whipped cream.
  2. Dip ladyfingers briefly in coffee and layer with the pumpkin cream in a dish, twice.
  3. Chill at least 4 hours (overnight is better) and dust with cocoa before serving.

7. Caramel Apple Dump Cake



Prep: 10 min · Bake: 45 min · Serves: 10

Ingredients: 2 cans (21 oz each) apple pie filling · 1 box yellow cake mix · ½ cup butter, melted · ½ cup caramel sauce · ½ cup chopped pecans.

Method:

  1. Spread the apple filling in a 9×13-inch dish and drizzle with half the caramel.
  2. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the top — do not stir.
  3. Pour over the melted butter, scatter the pecans, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40–45 minutes until golden. Drizzle with the rest of the caramel.

8. Cranberry Cheesecake Bars



Prep: 20 min + 4 hrs chilling · Bake: 30 min · Makes: 16 bars

Ingredients — crust: 1½ cups graham crumbs · 6 tbsp butter, melted.

Filling: 16 oz cream cheese, softened · ½ cup sugar · 2 eggs · 1 tsp vanilla · 1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce, swirled.

Method:

  1. Press the crust into a lined 9×13-inch pan.
  2. Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla smooth and pour over the crust.
  3. Spoon cranberry sauce over the top and swirl with a knife. Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 28–30 minutes, cool, chill 4 hours, and cut into bars.

9. Pumpkin Roll



Prep: 25 min + 1 hr chilling · Bake: 15 min · Serves: 10

Ingredients — cake: ¾ cup flour · ½ tsp baking powder · ½ tsp baking soda · 1 tsp pumpkin spice · 3 eggs · 1 cup sugar · ⅔ cup pumpkin purée.

Filling: 8 oz cream cheese, softened · 1 cup powdered sugar · 6 tbsp butter, softened · 1 tsp vanilla.

Method:

  1. Whisk the cake batter, spread in a lined 10×15-inch jelly-roll pan, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 13–15 minutes.
  2. Turn out onto a towel dusted with powdered sugar, roll up with the towel, and cool completely.
  3. Unroll, spread with the cream cheese filling, re-roll, and chill 1 hour before slicing.

10. Gingerbread Trifle



Prep: 20 min + 2 hrs chilling · Serves: 10

Ingredients: 1 gingerbread loaf or cake, cubed · 2 cups vanilla pudding · 2 cups whipped cream · ½ cup crushed gingersnaps · 1 tsp cinnamon.

Method:

  1. Stir the cinnamon into the pudding.
  2. Layer gingerbread, pudding and whipped cream in a trifle bowl, repeating twice.
  3. Top with whipped cream and crushed gingersnaps. Chill at least 2 hours.

Make-Ahead Plan for Thanksgiving Day

Two days ahead: bake the blondies and the pumpkin roll; both keep well wrapped. One day ahead: assemble both trifles and the tiramisu; they are better on day two. Morning of: bake the apple crisp and the bread pudding, and chill the cheesecake bars. Nothing needs the oven at the same time as the turkey except the crisp — and it can go in while the turkey rests.

The Bottom Line

No pie, no problem. The pumpkin cheesecake bars and the caramel apple dump cake are the two to make first — one looks impressive, one takes ten minutes — and the trifles are the ones that save you when the oven is full. Pie can sit this year out.

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