Crepes Cajeta
Helen Rosner
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Think outside the pumpkin pie this year as you plan the sweet side of your Thanksgiving feast: Guests will delight in any of our seasonal desserts, from sweet potato cake with marshmallow meringue icing, praline sauce, and candied pecans, to pears poached in spiced port wine, to a simple but elegant maple pot de crème.

"Crepes

Crepes Cajeta

"Pecan

Pecan Cream Cake

Pecan Cream Cake
"Pumpkin

Pumpkin Halvah (Assidat al-Boubar)

Like many traditional Emirati desserts, luscious pumpkin porridge (in Arabic it’s a halvah, or sweet food) straddles the line between sweet and savory. The dish thickens as it cools, so be sure to serve it while it’s still quite warm.

Pumpkin Pecan Gingersnap Ice Cream

Use up leftover pumpkin or squash puree in a sweet, spiced ice cream.
"Sweet

Sweet Potato Cake

Layers of spiced sweet potato cake alternate with marshmallowy meringue icing in a rich dessert that’s a riff on the classic Thanksgiving side.
"Pumpkin

Pumpkin and Bourbon Mousse

All the traditional flavors of pumpkin pie combine in this satisfying, creamy mousse. Get the recipe for Pumpkin and Bourbon Mousse »
"Pumpkin

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Rum and gingersnaps add a spicy, warming flavor to this rich fall dessert. Get the recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake »
"Nutmeg

Nutmeg Ice Cream

Serve this spiced ice cream on its own or scooped on top of warm fruit crisps, cobblers, or pies, particularly apple.
"Pumpkin

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap and Hazelnut Crust

The dessert’s delicate texture is achieved by cooking the cheesecake in a bain-marie, a water bath made by surrounding the springform pan with boiling water. Both the desserts need to be made at least a day before serving, and the ice cream can be made up to a week before serving.To save yourself more time on Thanksgiving day, you can also make the soup and the chutney up to two days ahead. Get the recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap and Hazelnut Crust »
"Navy

Navy Bean Pie

The silky, custardlike base of this autumnal pie is made from sweetened navy bean purée spiced with nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon. Get the recipe for Navy Bean Pie »
"Pumpkin

Pumpkin Bread (Fein Tau Weiyema)

"Maple

Maple Pot de Crème

Creamy custard sweetened with maple syrup makes a lovely ending to any meal. Get the recipe for Maple Pot de Crème »
"applesauce

Spice Applesauce Cake

Applesauce adds moisture and sweet apple flavor in a lovely cinnamon-spiced, autumnal cake. Get the recipe for Spice Applesauce Cake »
"Mexican

Mexican Bread Pudding (Capirotada)

"Roasted

Roasted Sugar-Glazed Pears

Roasted pears stuffed with almonds, currants, and raisins make a simple yet elegant dessert.
"Carrot
Shredded carrots turn soft and sweet in this cardamom-spiced rice pudding.
"Pumpkin

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Mascarpone

This batter also makes delicious muffins, perfect for a day-after-Thanksgiving brunch.
"Walnut

Walnut Spice Cake

Alternating layers of white and brown spiced cake are delicious sandwiched with a rich, chocolate fudge icing.

Apple Cider-Cinnamon Ice Cream

A refreshing, seasonal ice cream is a satisfying way to end your Thanksgiving meal. See the recipe for Apple Cider-Cinnamon Ice Cream »
"Spiced

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

A welcome addition to the holiday table, this simple frosted layer cake can be made with either canned or homemade puréed pumpkin.
"Apple

Apple and Cranberry Upside-Down Cakes

This recipe, from Fore Street restaurant in Portland, Maine, calls for using six 4″ steel blini pans. But you can make a single cake in an 8″ cast-iron skillet, if you prefer. If fresh or frozen cranberries aren’t available, use reconstituted dried berries. Get the recipe for Apple and Cranberry Upside-Down Cakes »

Cinnamon Rice Pudding

There’s nothing like homemade rice pudding—creamy, sweet, and comforting. The brown sugar lends a caramel-like sweetness, while cinnamon and rum-soaked raisins add warmth and depth. Get the recipe for Cinnamon Rice Pudding »
"Macerated

Macerated Fruit Conserve (Rumtopf)

This sweet-tart conserve is a luscious accompaniment to ice cream. It also adds a fruity dimension when stirred into champagne.
"Olive

Olive Oil Quatre Quarts with Chopped Fruit

This variation on a classic French pound cake, in which ingredient quantities are determined by relative weight, uses olive oil instead of butter for a light, fresh flavor. The recipe was developed by SAVEUR contributor Nancy Harmon Jenkins, who recommends using a Polder Kitchen Scale for accurate measure.
"Baked

Bratapfel mit Walnusseis (Baked Walnut-Stuffed Apples with White Wine)

Apples are roasted in wine and butter for this sweet and spicy dessert, a staple of holiday markets throughout Germany.
"Rum

Rum Bundt Cake

A supremely moist, boozy Southern bundt cake fitting for any holiday spread.
"Glazed

Glazed Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

Dough studded with dried cranberries and a drizzle of sweet, cinnamon-spiced glaze take oatmeal cookies from ordinary to perfect.
"Pecan

Pecan Pie Brittle

This twist on traditional pecan pie provides a snack-able ending to the holiday feast. This recipe first appeared in our November 2012 issue along with Ben Mims’s story Sugar and Spice. Get the recipe for Pecan Pie Brittle »
"English

English Sticky Toffee Pudding

In this version of the classic English dessert, adapted from one in Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Rose’s Heavenly Cakes (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009), dates are soaked in stout beer and then pureed, resulting in a super-moist crumb.

Chocolate Spice-Cake Pudding

Replacing bread with chocolate spice cake adds richness and dark chocolate flavor to this pudding.
"Honey-Nut

Honey-Nut Tart with Chocolate Rye Crust

The gooey filling in this tart is held together by a rye flour crust that gets its structure, and depth, from chocolate. Get the recipe for Honey-Nut Tart with Chocolate Rye Crust »

Maple Syrup Dumplings

The warm flavor of maple syrup enhances rich dumplings in a super-simple, comforting dessert.
"syrup
Acadian Syrup Cake »

Russian Punch Cake

Impress your guests with a show-stopping layer cake stuffed with a luscious custard filling and topped with meringue frosting.

Honey Ice Cream

Serve this simple, elegant ice cream with fresh fruit or on top of warm bread pudding. See the recipe for Honey Ice Cream »

Baked Apples with Caramel Sauce

Fuji apples hold their shape perfectly when baked and coated in caramel.

Indian Pudding

Vanilla ice cream makes the perfect topper for a warm, molasses-sweetened Indian Pudding.
"Squash

Squash Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce

This Mexican take on a Cajun-style bread pudding is studded with cubes of squash and plump raisins.

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