No matter how stuffed you or your guests are after the main meal, everyone will be sure to make room for these delicious tempting sweets! Here are a few of our favorite desserts that will make your Thanksgiving holiday the best day ever.

Chocolate Brownie Pudding

Recipe courtesy of What’s Gaby Cooking

INGREDIENTS

2 sticks unsalted butter
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup dutch cocoa powder
1/2 cup AP flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Kahlua
Vanilla ice cream, for serving 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9×9 baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.

2. Sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside. **Quick tip – whenever I sift flours together, I do it onto a piece of parchment so it’s easy to pick up and add to the mixing bowl)

3. In your mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. (see the image above) After 10 minutes, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla, Kahlua, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix very slowly until everything is just combined. Slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

4. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add warm water to the pan until it comes halfway up the side of the dish Carefully place it into the oven, making sure not to slosh the water around and bake for 1 hour.

5. When it’s time to take it out – don’t fear – it’s absolutely going to look like it’s under-baked. (that’s normal) Remove from the water and place in the fridge to cool. Because obviously there isn’t enough calories in the brownie pudding, serve it with vanilla ice cream

Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes

Recipe courtesy of Hungry Couple

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 Cup all purpose flour
2 Teaspoons baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 Cup canola oil
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon vanilla
3/4 Cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 Cup milk

COATING:
1/2 Stick unsalted butter, melted
3/4 Cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin puree and milk until smooth.  Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

2. Spray a 24 cup mini muffin tin with non-stick spray and scoop 1 oz. of batter into each cup.  Use a 1 oz. scoop for even distribution.  Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for approximately 12 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  While the doughnuts are baking, prepare a bowl with the melted butter and another with the sugar and cinnamon combination.

3. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and allow to cool just enough to handle.  Dip each doughnut quickly into the melted butter and then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat.

Cranberry-Pear Crisp

Recipe courtesy of Katie At The Kitchen Door

INGREDIENTS

2 pears, peeled and thinly sliced
2 1/2 c. cranberries, washed and picked over
3/4 c. plus 1/3 c. sugar, divided
3/4 c. flour
6 tbs cold salted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp ground ginger

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Layer half of the pear slices on the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Cover with the cranberries, and sprinkle 1/3 c. sugar over the berries. Layer the remaining pear slices on top of the cranberries.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, the remaining 3/4 c. sugar, and the ground ginger. Use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut the cold butter into the flour, until a crumbly mixture with chunks no larger than a pea is formed. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the fruit.

3. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips, and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the top of the crisp is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Baked Apples

Recipe courtesy of Greatist

INGREDIENTS

4 large apples (honeycrisp is a favorite)
3/4 cup whole oats
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 pinch of allspice
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3/4 cup water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, combine oats, pecans, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and maple syrup and mix thoroughly.

3. Remove the apple cores without cutting through the bottom of the apples. An apple corer works great; otherwise use a paring knife to cut out the core and a spoon to scoop out any remaining seeds.

4. Fill apple centers with the oat mixture.

5. Place apples in a small baking dish, and add water to the bottom of the dish.

6. Bake 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the apples, until tender but not mushy.

7. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Maple Pecan Caramel Brown Butter Blondie<

Recipe courtesy of American Heritage Cooking

INGREDIENTS

For the Blondie:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Maple Pecan “Caramel”:
4 cups pecan halves and pieces
2 cups grade B maple syrup
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup sweet cream, unsalted butter
2 large pinches sea salt
Fleur de sel or more sea salt for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the Blondie:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line 13x9x2 inch metal baking pan with parchment paper.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, swirling several times a minute, until browned bits cling to the bottom of the pan and the butter takes on a slightly nutty aroma. Transfer brown butter to a medium bowl.

4. Add brown sugar and beat, with an electric mixer, until well combined and mixture resembles wet sand, 2-3 minutes.

5. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until fluffy, 2 minutes. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. The batter will be very thick.6

6. Using an offset spatula, evenly spread batter in pan.

7. Bake blondie until golden brown or a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. 

To make the Maple Pecan “Caramel”:

1. Toast pecans in 350° oven until the toasted nut aroma starts wafting through your kitchen, 10-12 minutes. Toss them about and check on them every several minutes. They will burn in a matter of minutes if you aren’t careful.

2. Pour maple syrup in a deep pot with a thick bottom. Being to a boil over medium heat and let boil softly for ~15 minutes. Stir every few minutes with a heat proof spatula or spoon to reduce the bubbles. You will notice that the syrup will start to coat the outside of the spatula or spoon and will cool quickly into a caramel-like consistency. It will resemble candy at the softball stage.

3. Stir in the butter until it is completely melted and then add the cream, stirring constantly. It will not bubble up dangerously like caramel but it will still be very hot. Add the salt and then stir to mix.

4. Remove from heat and stir in pecans to coat. Pour over cooled blondie and spread evenly.

5. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Then remove from pan and cut into bars. Sprinkle with fleur de sel or sea salt.

6. Make ahead: you can store the bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Let the bars come to room temperature before serving.

Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue

Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit

INGREDIENTS

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (made from about 7 1/2 ounces graham crackers, finely ground in processor)
3 tablespoons sugar
6 to 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
3 pounds medium red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams)
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Marshmallow Meringue:
1 7-ounce jar Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
3 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt1/4 cup sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add 6 tablespoons melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips, adding 1 tablespoon melted butter if crumb mixture is dry. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish, building up sides 1/4 inch above rim of dish. Bake crust until set and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on rack.

2. DO AHEAD Pie crust can be made 2 days ahead. Cover pie crust and let stand at room temperature.

Filling:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pierce sweet potatoes all over with fork; place potatoes on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until potatoes are very tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut potatoes open and scoop out pulp. Transfer pulp to processor and puree until smooth. Set aside 2 cups sweet potato puree for filling; cool completely (reserve any remaining puree for another use). DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine 2 cups sweet potato puree, sweetened condensed milk, and all remaining ingredients in large bowl; whisk until well blended and smooth. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie until puffed around edges and set in center, about 50 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool. Refrigerate pie at least 4 hours or overnight.

Marshmallow Meringue:

1. Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Using rubber spatula, scrape marshmallow creme into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in another large bowl until foamy. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff and glossy peaks form. Add 1/2 cup beaten egg whites to marshmallow creme and stir with rubber spatula or spoon just until incorporated to lighten (marshmallow creme is very sticky and will be difficult to blend at first, but blending will become easier as remaining whites are folded in). Fold in remaining whites in two additions just until incorporated. Spread meringue over top of cold pie, mounding slightly in center and swirling with knife to create peaks.

2. Bake pie just until peaks and ridges of marshmallow meringue are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Let stand at room temperature until meringue is cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill. Let pie stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Brown Butter Apple Tart

Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit 

INGREDIENTS

Crust:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg, beaten to blend
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Filling:
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 firm, tart apples (such as Pink Lady or Braeburn), peeled, cored, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rings
Whipped cream

INSTRUCTIONS

Crust:

1. Coat tart pan with nonstick spray. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix butter, sugar, and salt until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.

2. Add egg, cream, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Add flour all at once and beat until dough almost comes together. Turn dough out onto a work surface. Knead until dough just comes together, 4-5 times. Divide dough in half; form each half into a smooth ball. Flatten into disks and wrap each disk tightly in plastic. Chill 1 disk overnight; freeze second disk for another use.

3. Roll out chilled dough disk between two sheets of plastic wrap, lifting and adjusting plastic as needed, until 1/8-inch thick and 2-inch wider than tart pan. Transfer dough in plastic wrap to a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm enough to handle, about 30 minutes.

4. Remove top piece of plastic from dough. Invert dough into tart pan; press onto bottom and up sides. If dough is soft, chill until firm enough for remaining sheet of plastic to be removed. Trim edges of dough (patch up any holes or tears with extra dough). Chill until firm, about 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 350°. Line dough with parchment paper or heavy-duty foil, leaving a 1-inch-2-inch overhang. Fill paper with dried beans or pie weights. Bake tart shell just until dough has dried and does not look wet in any spots, about 20 minutes. (If center still looks wet, bake crust without weights until dried and opaque, a few minutes longer.)

Filling:

1. Whisk eggs and sugar in a medium bowl just to blend. Place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Cook, stirring often, until butter foams, then browns (do not burn), about 5 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes; remove bean. Slowly whisk brown butter into egg mixture; whisk in flour and salt.

2. Line tart shell with apples. Pour filling over (if using rectangular pan, you may have 1/2 cup excess filling). Bake until apples are deep golden brown and filling is puffed, cracked, and set in center, 70-80 minutes.

3. Let tart cool in pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Remove pan sides. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

Poached Pear Crumble With Chocolate, Coffee and Nuts

Recipe courtesy of Sips and Spoonfuls

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
120 gms butter, room temperature
120 gms dark chocolate, chopped
3 tbs cocoa powder
4 tbs coffee powder
½ cup hazel nuts, chopped
5 pears
Mixture of whole spices such as 1 cinnamon, 1 star anise and 3 cloves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade. Peel the pears but leave the stalks intact. Put the pears into a pan with 1 tbs coffee and your spice mixture. Add enough water so that they are fully immersed. Boil on medium heat until a skewer can easily pierce the pears (about 30 minutes). Set the pears aside on a cooling rack.

2. Mix all the rest of the ingredients together so that it resembles breadcrumbs. Take 5 ramekins and place a poached pear into each one. Fill the ramekins all the way to the top with the crumble mixture. Pat down gently. Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. Serve immediately with hazel nut ice cream.

3. Makes 5 pear crumbles.