Life
11 Pumpkin Desserts for Thanksgiving, Because We Love You
Unless you’ve been living underneath some kind of a food rock (or in some city where Starbucks does not exist), you know that pumpkin is, undoubtedly, kind of a big thing this time of year. Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin-scented candles... ‘Tis the season for pumpkin everything. And I really mean everything. Thanks to Pringles, you can even enjoy your potato chips coated in “pumpkin spice” flavor crystals.
Pumpkin is delicious, and therefore deserves the highest degree of recognition. But I think our obsession with King Pumpkin goes so much further than our taste buds. The arrival of pumpkin everything truly marks the beginning of the season. Pumpkin pie makes Thanksgiving. It is what we sit down and eat after we have already been sitting down and eating for a very long time. Pumpkin pie is what we have when we are with our families, feeling relaxed, satisfied, full to the brim, and very, very happy. And so it only makes sense that, each fall, we would want to recreate that food moment over and over, as many times as we can, by hungrily — voraciously, even — seeking out every single foodstuff in its obligatory pumpkin spice variety. This Thanksgiving, bring it home with these great pumpkin spice treats. There is something here for every kind of dessert lover, whether your preference is for the classic pie or for something a little more unique — gingerbread-pumpkin trifle, for instance, or a pan of hot, gooey, ridiculous pecan pumpkin butter cinnamon rolls (with, um, a cream cheese and BOURBON icing). It’s Thanksgiving, and it’s dessert. So make way for pumpkin.
Image: A Spicy Perspective
Pumpkin Blondies
Blondie is brownie’s cooler, more sophisticated big sister. And Table for Two has her all decked out with pumpkin, warm fall spices, butterscotch chips, white chocolate, and hazelnuts. So fancy! And so gooey.
Image: Table for Two
The Pumpkin Pie
No, you’re reading it wrong. It’s not ‘the pumpkin pie,’ it’s ‘the pumpkin pie.’ When a classic pie is done as well as this one from A Sweet Simple Life, there is unequivocally no substitute.
Image: A Sweet Simple Life
Pumpkin Pie Bars
These pumpkin pie bars from What’s Cooking Love? take away all the fuss of eating traditional pie from off a plate and with silverware. Silverware is for people who are too fancy to lick their fingers.
Image: What's Cooking Love?
Pumpkin Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Want to eat three different pies while modestly pretending you’re only eating one? Try this game changer from Bakerella. The first layer is cheesecake, the second is pumpkin pie, and the third is a pecan pie. So, yup, you’re welcome.
Image: Bakerella
Pumpkin Pie Fudge Brownies
The Internet is abuzz with pumpkin brownie recipes, but this one from How Sweet It Is is truly special. They’re just so majestically fudgy. Is this love?
Image: How Sweet It Is
Soft Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Spiced Buttercream Frosting
This pumpkin spice cake from Averie Cooks is so soft and moist, you will not believe that it's also vegan! Even the spiced buttercream frosting can be made vegan. Look at you! You’re so smart! And well fed.
Image: Averie Cooks
Maple Pumpkin Custard
Custard is basically pie that’s been set free. Celebrate custard’s independence by having seconds of this creation from Against All Grain. According to Thanksgiving math, skipping the pie crust means you can have all the custard. Because that's how calories work.
Image: Against All Grain
Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle with Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce
This is not your everyday Thanksgiving dessert. This glorious trifle from A Spicy Perspective layers big hunks of spiced gingerbread with a thick pumpkin cream and a tart and sweet cranberry pomegranate sauce. Top this beauty with bright pomegranate arils for the full effect.
Image: A Spicy Perspective
Pecan Pumpkin Butter Rolls with Bourbon Cream Cheese Icing
When I was a kid, cinnamon rolls were a breakfast food. But food pioneers like The Foodie Bride have changed all that — and 100% for the better. These rolls are wrapped with pecan pumpkin butter, baked, and then lacquered in a bourbon cream cheese icing, pushing them straight into the dessert territory. Is dessert after breakfast a thing?
Image: The Foodie Bride
Paleo Pumpkin Pie
Searching for a pumpkin pie recipe that you won’t have to modify like crazy in order to make it Paleo-friendly? Look no further! The Healthy Foodie has done all the heavy lifting here. This Paleo pie uses coconut milk, dates, and blackstrap molasses and features a coconut-pecan-raisin crumble. Yes, please!
Image: The Healthy Foodie
Pumpkin Butter Oat Squares with Candied Pecans
Looking to justify cooking up yet another batch of pumpkin butter this season? Oh She Glows is here to enable you. These hearty oat squares are filled with homemade pumpkin butter and then covered in candied pecans. But, shhhhhh, don't tell Dad — they’re vegan!
Image: Angela Liddon
