Every Thanksgiving, the turkey may be the star, but dessert is the real moment everyone remembers. After years of baking for holiday tables, I've pulled together my favorite desserts that are make-ahead friendly, travel well, and look like you spent all day on it (even if you didn't).
Every recipe in this roundup is tested in my own kitchen, from rustic tarts and coffee cakes to pillowy sweet focaccia and spiced cookies that make the whole house smell like fall. And if you're hosting out-of-towners, my holiday brunch recipes collection has all the sweet & savory breakfast inspiration.
Muffin Tin Apple Pies
These mini apple pies are perfect for sharing at Thanksgiving since they're single-serving portions. Bonus: they're less likely to have a soggy, sad crust!
Pecan Pie Focaccia
Pecans are candied on the stovetop to add all the sweet, gooey, crunchy, spiced vibes to this dessert (or brunch) focaccia.
Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie
Homemade pie crust gets turned into cinnamon rolls and filled with an easy apple pie filling for a unique Thanksgiving dessert that will have everyone asking for the recipe!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Focaccia
Spiced pumpkin bread meets tangy cheesecake with crunchy graham crackers, all filled with a gooey brown sugar cinnamon swirl in this sweet autumn focaccia.
Apple Frangipane Tart
Celebrating autumn apples, this easy tart is flavored with almond frangipane and an almond flour crust.
Pumpkin Churro Focaccia
The cozy fall flavors of pumpkin spice are mixed into no-knead focaccia dough that's baked with a crackly cinnamon sugar crust for a fun pumpkin dessert that feeds a crowd.
Pear Frangipane Tart
If you want a Thanksgiving dessert without pumpkin or apples, this pear tart is made with an easy no-chill, no-roll crust.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
This sweet focaccia is as delicious for Thanksgiving dessert as it is served for holiday brunch or an afternoon snack devoured while everyone crowds around the kitchen.
Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers
These mini apple apples are easy to eat while standing and chatting with friends and family since they're encased in flaky, buttery pockets of store-bought puff pastry.
Mini APple Strudel
All the flavors of classic apple strudel with a fraction of the effort thanks to store-bought frozen phyllo dough that bakes up flaky and crisp.
German Apple Strudel
Made from scratch, this old fashioned fall dessert is based on my Oma's family recipe.
Pumpkin Pasties
Inspired by Harry Potter, these pumpkin pasties are made from scratch with buttery pie crust and spiced pumpkin pie filling. Perfect for sharing at a holiday party!
Chai Snickerdoodle FOcaccia
This no-knead dessert focaccia celebrates some of the most underrated fall flavors, all topped with tangy cream cheese frosting.
Apple Fritter Focaccia
A crowd-pleaser every time I bake it for an autumn brunch or holiday dessert, loaded with homemade spiced apple pie filling and topped with apple cider glaze.
Pull-Apart Monkey Bread
These gooey from-stratch buns are coated in a brown sugar sauce and baked in a Bundt pan for a fun tear-and-share holiday dessert (or brunch) for a crowd.
Apple Rose Puff Pastries
Thinly sliced apples are rolled in puff pastry dough to create a beautiful (yet secretly quick & easy!) autumn dessert. They're not too sweet, and perfect for sharing.
Apple Cider Donut Focaccia
This sweet bread never lasts long when I bring it to Thanksgiving! The spiced dough is filled with fresh chopped apples and made with apple cider in place of water.
German APple Cake
Made with butter, cozy spices, and fresh apples arranged on top for a showstopping Thanksgiving dessert that requires very little prep.
Applesauce Cookies
These chewy, moist cookies require zero chilling and are easy to transport to Thanksgiving dinner and share with loved ones.
Applesauce Cake
Keep the applesauce train going by putting it in cake batter! This streusel-topped cake is made with a layer of creamy applesauce in the middle to keep it moist for days.
German Nut Corners
If you're looking for a unique dessert to bring to Thanksgiving, these Nussecken are IT, made with a buttery shortbread base, apricot jam, and a brown sugar caramelized nuts.
Honey Poached Pears
If you're looking for a lighter holiday dessert, these poached pears are gently cooked on the stove in a honey and spice mixture. Serve them on their own, or with ice cream or yogurt.
Glazed Apple Fritter Cake
This easy fall coffee cake is on repeat throughout the whole season, and my family asks me to bake it every Thanksgiving.
Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake
Made for a crowd, this holiday Bundt cake is moist, buttery, and not-overly-sweet.
Sugar-Coated Molasses Cookies
These cookies are ready from start to finish in just 30 minutes with no chill and a quick roll of the dough in cinnamon sugar for that irresistible crackly finish.
15-Minute Caramel Apple Dip
Prep a batch of this foolproof stovetop caramel dip and serve it with freshly sliced apples for a sharable Thanksgiving dessert or sweet appetizer.
Butterscotch Cookies
Inspired by the flavors of Butterbeer from Harry Potter, these chunky & chewy frosted cookies never last long at a fall party!
Chocolate Corn Flour COokies
Dried corn always adorns our Thanksgiving table, so why not put those flavors in chewy cookies too? These corn flour cookies are made with just 15 minutes of prep.
Creamy Dairy-Free Cheesecake
If you're making Thanksgiving dessert for a crowd, chances are some people have special requests, and this classic cheesecake without cream cheese pleases everyone!
I'm eggcited to hear from you :)