26 Thanksgiving Desserts for last minute baking
Procrastinators, I’ve got you covered with these Thanksgiving desserts for every kind of baking project you want to get yourself into.
I’m one of those crazy people who doesn’t shop for turkey until Wednesday. Why? Because I despise, loathe, and abhor defrosting a whole turkey. So I pay a little more and buy a fresh turkey, spatchcock that thing, and go on my merry way making this and that all morning while listening to opera, watching my family decorate, and making one of the easy breads from my Thanksgiving rolls and bread ideas. I do not get into the stress of Thanksgiving because frankly I love to cook. My philosophy about baking is the same: if it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing.
As such, I put together a list of Thanksgiving desserts that are geared for my fellow procrastinators. Nothing should take you a lot of time unless that’s something you want to do. I know I’m making apple strudel but with pears because pulling strudel dough is relaxing to me. Maybe that sounds nuts; if so, check out the quick dessert recipes on this list. I promise there’s something that’s geared towards the amount of time you have!
Bake the ultimate cranberry cookies
These cookies show off the best things about cranberry. With bright jeweled cranberry curd and chunks of both dried cranberries and candied orange peel and a sprinkle of pistachios, these cookies are a symphony of Holiday flavors and textures. Take advantage of the fresh cranberries you can get this time of year to make one of the prettiest cookies ever.
Crazy easy apple tarts might be better than apple pie
Make quick little tarts with puff pastry and simply spiced apple slices that are best eaten without ceremony standing in your kitchen maybe with a little pumpkin ice cream. If you’re short on time, these little tarts are so much faster than apple pie.
Palmiers are stupid easy to make and maybe the best thing from puff pastry
Crispy little heart pastries made from puff pastry sprinkled with what will seem like a lot of sugar. Serve these alongside ice cream, on a sweet charcuterie board, or just as an appetizer for those pre-Thanksgiving nibbles.
Dairy Free Peanut Butter Pie that’ll always bring a smile
Peanut butter pie is the easiest frozen pie there is; that’s it’s no-bake if you buy an Oreo crust is even better. You’ll love the smooth creamy filling that’s not too sweet and has a little bit of tang from the cream cheese. This no-bake wonder will keep your oven free for other things and takes just 5 minutes to put together.
Traditional apple strudel recipe that brings out all my opinions
There is nothing under the sun that beats perfectly crisp apple strudel. Practicing this dough is 1000% worth your effort. Once you get it, you might want to toss out every apple pie recipe you own; it’s that good and better.
Mini pumpkin pies: how to hack your way to adorable for your Thanksgiving feast
Everything you love about pumpkin pie is in miniature form here. The pie crust and the filling bake at the same rate, meaning you get perfect crisp crust while getting lovely custardy filling too. Add in the cuteness factor, and there’s nothing to hate about these happy little pies.
The best whipped cream frosting has a secret
This easy stabilized whipped cream frosting will keep in the fridge for a couple days without collapsing into a watery mess. Every Thanksgiving dessert you have planned will be made more awesome with a dollop of this.
Hands down the best chocolate pie ever
With a smooth silky starch-free filling that’s mostly chocolate, this is the chocolate pie that only a chocolate lover would ever dream up. Save your best chocolate for this pie and serve it with a dollop of whipped cream frosting.
Mini Easy Apple Hand Pies are the cutest way to enjoy homemade apple pie
These are simple to make hand held baby apple turnovers giving you all the feeling of apple pie with none of the guesswork. If you’re smart and made your apple pie filling ahead of time, you can make these in just over 30 minutes.
Cranberry Curd is the beauty queen of Fall jams
Bright gorgeous tart cranberry filling thickened with egg yolks and flavored with ginger, orange and a little vanilla sugar. Use it for tarts or any place you’d use jam or mix a little into your whipped cream for stunning pink cream that’ll brighten up any dessert.
Apple Crumble Bars are the best Sunday lunch dessert
Take cozy apple crisp and put it in a bar form, and then you’ll get these juicy crumb bars with buttery crisp streusel doing double duty up top and also as a crisp crust that lets you cut perfect bars. Serve these warm with your favorite ice cream or better yet, a drizzle of cream. Think of these as apple crisp in a bar format complete with all the warm comforting feels of apple crisp.
Mini cranberry tarts are insanely simple and so so pretty
Simple little tartlets with a puff pastry shell, a spoonful of cranberry curd, and a dollop of cranberry whipped cream frosting. Top these with a candied cranberry and you’ll have a gorgeous little tart that is surprisingly quick and easy to make.
Pumpkin Ice Cream is the best unexpected treat of Fall
You’ll love this charming pastel orange ice cream with a little pumpkin spice that you can make in just 5 minutes to add to all manner of Fall desserts to make them even more awesome. Boost all the Fall flavors of your Thanksgiving pies with this easy ice cream.
Easy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are as cute as they are awesome
Soft and chewy snickerdoodles get a Fall makeover with some added pumpkin and some extra flavor from pumpkin pie spice. Pipe on some easy adorable pumpkins with a simple pumpkin glaze, and you’ve got a cute Fall snickerdoodle that’s as perfect as a lunchbox treat as they are for a Fall bake sale.
Nutella palmiers are the best of all possible pastry worlds
These have all the crispy buttery crunch of a classic palmier with an added touch of hazelnut chocolate flavor. Enjoy them on their own, with ice cream or with a layer of, you guessed it, more Nutella.
Sugared cranberries are the easiest fancy garnish ever
Sugared cranberries are an easy simple garnish for all kinds of holiday baking that you can make in 5 minutes. Be warned though; these will be stolen by sneaky snackers so make extra! These are incredible added to desserts for a beautiful little garnish, or serve them on your cheese tray next to some tangy goat cheese or on top of baked brie.
Pumpkin Hand Pies are the better pop-tart but for Fall
Homemade pumpkin pop-tarts made from flaky buttery cream cheese pastry with chai-spiced pumpkin pie filling. These little pies are a quick and easy way to get your pumpkin pie fix with less work.
Make Fall better with sweet and tangy pumpkin cookies
Pillowy comforting cookies with a dollop of cream cheese frosting and all the sweet spices of Fall. Simple to make, but better to eat! Make a batch ahead of time for the fridge, and you can pack these up for car rides to your Thanksgiving dinner.
Pear Streusel Muffins might be the ultimate Fall muffin recipe
Moist muffins loaded with pear chunks and double topped with crunchy oat streusel and a fig glaze perfumed with apple pie spice for a perfect Fall muffin perfect for Thanksgiving morning before all the big cooking gets started. Just add coffee and you’ll be all fueled up.
Skip the coffee shop line with these Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
Moist pumpkin spicy muffins with a simple cheesecake filling topped with cinnamon sugar. Use up your canned pumpkin in the best possible way that’s not pie.
Iced Pumpkin Bread with hard cider is the perfect mashup
Sweet pumpkin bread with the lively flavor of hard cider and the addictive crunch of toasted pumpkin seeds. This is a great alternative to pie and is easy to make ahead.
Easy overnight cinnamon rolls so soft your Grandma would approve
These are the lightest cinnamon rolls you’ll ever eat. The overnight rest of the dough in the fridge makes the dough a cinch to roll out and makes for a tastier roll. Seriously, is there ever a time that cinnamon rolls aren’t a good idea?
Chai Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls: the secret trick that makes these awesome
Pumpkin cinnamon rolls made with butter infused with chai tea, filled with chai spice brown sugar butter filling, then topped with zingy cream cheese frosting sprinkled with maple candied pecans. Make the dough the day before Turkey Day and leave it in the fridge for the day after Thanksgiving to have the perfect sweet roll for putting up the tree.
Pumpkin brownies are the rich mashup only Fall can bring
Cozy pumpkin pie filling is swirled into rich one pan brownies for quick and easy Fall brownies recipe that’s perfect for making ahead. Serve them chilled, and you’ll find a true rival to cheesecake’s decadence.
Cinnamon Apple Pie Rolls: the ultimate apple lover’s treat
Loaded with perfectly tender sautéed apples rolled up in soft applesauce overnight roll dough these rolls are an apple lover’s dream.
Caramel Apple Cookies are the perfect pillowy picnic cookie
Big puffy soft cookies with cozy cinnamon and nutmeg and chunks of sweet apple topped with caramel for the perfect Fall cookie.
Thanksgiving Desserts for every kind of baker
From quick desserts with big impact you can make in no time like palmiers, easy beautiful cookies and adorable mini tarts and pies for poppable desserts, there’s something fun to bake for however much time you have available in the pre-Thanksgiving rush. Put on some good music and nix the stress with one of these recipes!
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