Pie is a Thanksgiving classic, but these highly-rated desserts could bring some variety to your dessert spread this year. From flaky pastries to decadent cakes, these delicious seasonal desserts will have everyone asking for the recipe. Serve our Cranberry-Apple Streusel Bars or our Poached Pear Cake after dinner this year and impress everyone at the table.
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Cranberry-Apple Streusel Bars
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Lindsey Lower.
These fruity streusel bars are a standout dessert for holiday gatherings. The crust and crumb topping—made with a blend of all-purpose and whole-wheat flours—adds a nutty depth and sturdy bite that pairs beautifully with the sweet and tangy cranberry-apple blend.
Poached Pear Cake
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Marianne Williams, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
This elegant Poached Pear Cake looks like it came straight from a bakery window but feels right at home on your table. Fragrant Bosc pears are gently poached in spiced apple cider, then nestled upright into cake batter. As it bakes, the cake rises around the pears, creating a stunning centerpiece that slices beautifully to reveal the fruit within. Add a drizzle of maple glaze for a glossy, sweet finish. For the best results, use pears that are most symmetrical and uniform so they bake evenly and stand tall in the loaf.
Apple-Honey Cake
Photos: Jason Donnelly, Food: Sammy Mila, Props: Breanna Ghazali
This Apple-Honey Cake is a warm, tender dessert that celebrates the flavors of fall. Sweetened with honey and brown sugar and studded with chunks of juicy roasted apple, it’s rich with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. The cake stays moist thanks to the fruit and honey, and it gets even better as it sits—perfect for baking a day ahead.
Pumpkin–Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood.
These pumpkin–chocolate chip oatmeal cookies are a soft, chewy dessert that blends fall flavors with just the right amount of sweetness. Pumpkin puree adds moisture and a lovely orange hue, while warm pumpkin spice enhances the seasonal vibes. Studded with dark chocolate chips, each bite is the perfect balance of sweet and spice.
Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood.
This banana cake with cream cheese frosting is a warmly spiced dessert for fall gatherings, afternoon coffee breaks or anytime you have overripe bananas on hand. Mashed ripe bananas keep the cake moist, while ginger, cinnamon and cardamom add a fragrant, cozy depth. The tangy cream cheese frosting perfectly balances the sweetness and spice of the cake.
Bingka Labu Kuning (Pumpkin Cake)
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Sylist: Sammy Mila, Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali
This Indonesian bingka labu kuning, or pumpkin cake, is a wonderful alternative to pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. A versatile cake, bingka’s core ingredient can comprise assorted root vegetables, from cassava to sweet potato and, yes, pumpkin. Once baked, it has a firm outer skin and a rich, custardy filling. Roasting your own pumpkin flesh is preferred, but you can use canned pumpkin in a pinch.
Flaky Apple Pie Bars
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Sylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali
Grab your box of puff pastry for these easy and delicious apple pie bars. You can use any kind of nut you want, like almonds or pecans. These bars are a great choice for a fall dessert and would be ideal for a Thanksgiving meal.
Pumpkin Trifle
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf
We think this pumpkin trifle is the best dessert you’ll enjoy this fall, combining layers of pumpkin spice-flavored cake and a creamy pumpkin filling that captures the season perfectly. As a time-saving shortcut, we use vanilla pudding mixed with canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice for the filling, making it both easy to prepare and delicious. This festive dessert is sure to be a hit for the holidays or at any autumn gathering!
Carrot Cake Bars
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hausser, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling
Classic carrot cake flavors abound in these easy bars. They’re rich like brownies, but their cake-like texture helps keep them light. A yogurt and cream cheese–based frosting topped with nutty walnuts completes this crowd-pleasing dessert.
2-Bite Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
These mini pumpkin cheesecakes are a festive dessert for any gathering, especially Thanksgiving. Feel free to sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on top to amp up the warm, cozy flavors. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own with a mix of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Use leftover pumpkin puree in muffins, soup and more.
Puff-Pastry Apple Turnovers with Brown Butter
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
The filling of these flaky apple turnovers is made with browned butter, giving it a nutty flavor. Granny Smith apples offer a nice balance of sweet and tart, plus they hold their shape when cooked for a pleasant texture. If you want your turnovers sweeter without increasing the sugar, swap them out for a sweeter apple like Gala or Honeycrisp.
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
These super-tender pumpkin sugar cookies are perfectly spiced with just the right amount of pumpkin pie spice. The optional frosting is a sweet addition that adds even more warm fall flavors. Add just a touch of orange food coloring to the frosting to make these pumpkin sugar cookies pop. While you may be tempted to use all the dough, the cookies get tougher the more times you roll, so it’s best to re-roll the scraps only once.
Banana Bread Focaccia
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless.
This Banana Bread Focaccia is the mash-up you didn’t know you needed! Part banana bread, part focaccia, this unexpected twist on the classic quick bread is baked in a cast-iron skillet for crisp edges and a soft, tender center. Mashed ripe bananas add natural sweetness and moisture, while olive oil in the dough gives it that signature focaccia richness. It’s perfect warm from the pan or toasted the next day with a smear of nut butter.
Pumpkin Bread
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Ward, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall.
This cozy, fall-ready loaf is the only pumpkin bread recipe you need. Moist and tender, this pumpkin–chocolate chip bread combines pumpkin puree, a mix of all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, and aromatic spices like cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and cloves. Optional mini chocolate chips add little bursts of sweetness.
Apfelstrudel
Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali
This adaptation of apfelstrudel, a traditional Austrian baked apple dessert, is made with less added sugar, uses avocado oil instead of butter and calls for whole-wheat phyllo dough for a nutritious dessert. Tart Granny Smith apples are used, but any apple variety can be substituted. Enjoy this fruit-filled dessert warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cappuccino.
Cranberry Nut Bread
Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Sally McKay, Prop Stylist Hannah Greenwood
This cranberry nut bread brings together the tartness of fresh cranberries with the crunch of walnuts, all wrapped in a moist, tender loaf. Whether enjoyed as a breakfast, snack or dessert with coffee, cranberry nut bread offers a little bit of holiday cheer in every bite. To make it a little sweeter and to bring out more citrusy flavor, drizzle it with the optional orange glaze before slicing and serving.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies
Indulge your PSL obsession with these pumpkin spice cookies. Instant espresso powder gives these soft, cakey cookies a subtle yet recognizable coffee flavor. Spread with cream cheese frosting (with more pumpkin pie spice flavors) and sprinkle with cinnamon to finish. And, go ahead, drink a pumpkin spice latte while you eat them for the full PSL experience. After all, it’s only fall for so long (though we’d eat these cookies year-round). To make these cookies kid-friendly, simply omit the espresso powder.
