Thanksgiving (non-traditional) desserts

These desserts are part of our Thanksgiving tradition but they’re each a spinoff from what might be most people’s traditional dessert bounty. If you’re already planning ahead to what you want to serve next week and are looking for something a little different, you might want to give these a try.

Instead of pecan pie, I make butter pecan tartlets – easier to consume and serve and, after a full turkey meal, much better portion control than a piece of pie without sacrificing the good elements of a pecan pie.

I’ve never liked pumpkin pie but that’s no reason not to have a pumpkin-based dessert like this Pumpkin Upside Down Cake with caramelized pecans and cranberries.

I’ve nothing against apple pie but when there’s a lot of baking going on and I don’t want to deal with the intricacies of pie crust, I go with apple crumble bars made as apple cobbler and it’s always the biggest hit at the post-dinner table.

If you can’t bear to have dessert that excludes chocolate, this Black & White Pudding Cake is super easy to make, served warm, is decadent and goes beautifully with vanilla ice cream. In fact, the ice cream might be mandatory.