Thanksgiving gatherings may be large or small, & dessert should follow suit. Try one of these pies, cakes, & sweets, adjusted to your needs!
Yes, I know Thanksgiving is sacrosanct (at least it is for me). And it doesn't matter how large or small the group is.
Certain food must be there. You know, roast turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, and cranberry sauce.
And then there are the usual suspects for Thanksgiving desserts. I'm looking at you pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and apple pie.
Smaller groups means adjusting the dessert menu, and maybe try something new.
Full-sized or mini-fied (yes, I've decided that's a word), you can have your cake or pie, or candy, and eat it, too!
Jump to:
Pumpkin Desserts
If pumpkin must make an appearance, consider Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread. One recipe makes two standard loaves, but it's easily halved to make a small bundt cake or four mini loaves.
This pumpkin-spiced, chocolate-studded Sourdough Pumpkin Cake is already scaled down for you. And no, you can't tell there's sourdough starter in the batter.
For for the indecisive, or lovers of both pumpkin pie and pecan pie, there's Praline Pumpkin Pie. It's a mini version of pumpkin custard with a pecan praline topping in a graham cracker crust.
Pecan Desserts
Dress up that pecan pie for a change and eliminate the corn syrup in the process. You can make a whole pie, or halve the recipe and serve in a 7-inch pie pan.
How about serving the pecan pie in finger-food-friendly pecan bars? They freeze well for future snacking!
Pecans as pralines are another great portion-controlled idea. Don't forget to use a candy or digital thermometer.
Fruit Desserts
Give the lowly cranberry a chance to shine in a delicious Orange-Glazed Cranberry Bread. Like the Pumpkin Bread above, it's easy to scale the recipe to make the amount you want.
Here the all-American Apple Pie can get a rustic makeover with an Apple Galette or Apple Almond Tart. Galettes are especially easy to scale because you don't need any special pan.
Start a new tradition
It might be time to introduce new flavors for Thanksgiving desserts. Butterscotch Pie, Brown Sugar Pie (or Pie Bars), and Shoofly Pie are wonderful for your Fall baking.
As we've already discussed, pies are scalable up or down. If the recipe is for a mini pie, scale up by doubling the filling ingredients and use a standard 9-inch pie pan.
Sourdough bakers, I haven't forgotten about you! Add a Sourdough Spice Cake for a bit of Autumn flair.
Back to Basics
Here's a refresher on making a pastry or graham cracker pie crust, just in case.
No matter the size, you can still give a double-crust pie a pretty lattice design.
Thanksgiving dinner may have a food focus (and there's nothing wrong about that!), the holiday is really about stopping for a moment of appreciation.
Whatever you have for dinner (or dessert), and however many are there with you in person, I hope you get to celebrate with people you love and who love you.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
