I have baked a lot of pies for Thanksgiving, and I have noticed that pie is usually what is left on the counter on Friday. Everyone is full by the time dessert comes out, and a whole wedge of anything is a big ask after turkey and 4 sides. So I lean on desserts that slice small, hold overnight, or come in individual portions, and most of them get made 1 or 2 days ahead. Nobody misses the pie.
1) Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin cheesecake is the dessert I make for the people who only eat pie for the filling. A gingersnap crust, a spiced pumpkin filling, and a slow bake in a water bath at 325°F (165°C) keep the top smooth. Let it cool in the turned-off oven with the door cracked for an hour. Skip that and the top cracks down the middle, which is the most common cheesecake heartbreak there is. It needs a night in the fridge anyway, so it is built for making ahead.
2) Iced Pumpkin Cookies
These are soft, cakey pumpkin cookies with a maple glaze, and they are the first thing gone every year. Blot the pumpkin puree with a paper towel before it goes into the dough so the cookies hold their shape. They keep for 3 days in an airtight container, and the glaze actually sets better overnight.
3) Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin bread is the dessert that doubles as Friday breakfast, which is half the reason I make 2 loaves. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about an hour, until a skewer comes out clean from the center. Wrap it tightly once it cools and it gets moister by the next day. A thin slice with a smear of cream cheese is plenty after a big meal.
4) Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
Coffee cake at Thanksgiving is a quiet crowd pleaser, and it is the dessert I lean on when people are too full for anything rich. A tender sour cream cake gets a thick layer of cinnamon streusel on top and through the middle. Use cold butter for the streusel so it bakes into crunchy clumps instead of melting into the batter. It keeps covered at room temperature for 2 days.
5) Churro Bread Pudding
Bread pudding is the best thing that ever happened to stale bread, and this version tastes like a churro. Cubes of brioche soak in a cinnamon custard, bake until puffed, then get a heavy dusting of cinnamon sugar. Let the bread soak for at least 30 minutes before baking. Rush it and you get dry cubes floating in scrambled custard. Serve it warm with a drizzle of caramel or chocolate.
6) Vanilla Poached Pears
Poached pears look far fancier than the effort they require. Peel firm pears, leave the stems on, and simmer them gently in white wine, sugar, vanilla, and a strip of lemon peel until a knife slides in easily. They keep in their syrup in the fridge for 3 days and get better as they sit. Reduce the syrup and spoon it over each pear right before serving.
7) Foil Packet Apple Crisp
Apple crisp in foil packets is the dessert I make when the oven is spoken for. Sliced apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar go under an oat topping, get sealed in foil, and bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 25 minutes, or right on the grill. Everyone gets their own packet, so there is no slicing and no fighting over the corner pieces. Assemble them in the morning and keep them in the fridge until dinner.
8) Blueberry Crumble
Frozen blueberries make this crumble a year-round dessert, and nobody at my table has ever complained about summer fruit in November. Toss the berries with sugar, lemon zest, and a little cornstarch, then cover them with a buttery oat crumble. Bake at 375°F (190°C) until the fruit bubbles at the edges. Let it sit for 20 minutes before scooping so the juices thicken.
9) Eggnog Panna Cotta
Panna cotta is my favorite make-ahead dessert because it has to be made ahead. Warm eggnog and cream with gelatin, pour it into small glasses, and chill for at least 6 hours. Do not let the mixture boil once the gelatin is in, or it loses its setting power. Top each one with a few cranberries or a pinch of nutmeg right before serving.
10) Crème Brûlée
Crème brûlée is less work than its reputation suggests, and the custards can be baked 2 days ahead. Bake them in a water bath at 325°F (165°C) until the centers barely jiggle, then chill. The sugar crust is the only last-minute step. Torch it right before serving, because a crackly top turns soft and weepy after about an hour in the fridge.
11) Chocolate Lava Cakes
I keep chocolate lava cakes on the list for the one person at every Thanksgiving who does not like pumpkin anything. The batter can sit in greased ramekins in the fridge for a full day. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers still wobble. Pull them on time. Another 2 minutes and the molten center becomes a regular chocolate cake.
12) Raspberry Mousse Cake
This is the dessert I make when I want something light and pretty on a table full of brown food. A raspberry mousse sets over a thin cake base and gets topped with fresh berries. It needs at least 8 hours in the fridge, which makes it a natural make-ahead. Run a hot knife around the pan before releasing the sides and it comes out clean.
13) Lemon Ricotta Cake
Lemon ricotta cake is dense, moist, and bright, and it is a welcome change after a heavy meal. Ricotta keeps the crumb tender for days, so I bake it 2 days ahead without worry. Arrange thin lemon slices and blueberries on top before baking and it decorates itself. A dusting of powdered sugar is all it needs.
14) Chai Spice Cupcakes
Chai spice is the flavor of fall that is not pumpkin, and these cupcakes lean into it. Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and clove go into both the cake and the cream cheese frosting. Frost them only once they are completely cool. Warm cupcakes melt the frosting right off the top, and I have learned that one the hard way more than once.
15) Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies
Brown sugar cookies are chewy, caramel-flavored, and ready in under 30 minutes. Brown the butter first for a deeper, nutty flavor, and let it cool slightly before mixing. The dough can be scooped and frozen weeks ahead. Bake straight from frozen at 350°F (175°C), adding about 2 minutes to the time.
16) Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread cookies are usually a December thing, but I start making them the week of Thanksgiving. Molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and a little black pepper give them real warmth. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours before rolling it out, since warm dough sticks to everything. Leave them plain or pipe on simple royal icing.
17) Mini Cheesecakes
Mini cheesecakes solve the problem of everyone wanting just a little bite of dessert. Bake them in a muffin tin with a graham cracker crust at 325°F (165°C) for about 20 minutes, until the centers are just set. They freeze well for up to a month. Top them with caramel, crumble, or whatever fruit is left over from the salads.
18) Homemade Ice Cream With Berry Swirl
Homemade ice cream is a make-ahead dessert by definition, and it goes with half of this list. A simple vanilla base gets a ribbon of berry sauce folded in right before it goes into the freezer. Chill the base overnight before churning so it freezes smooth. Scoop it next to warm apple crisp or bread pudding.
19) Nutella Crepes With Strawberries
Crepes are the dessert I make when the kids at the table have run out of patience for grown-up food. The batter rests overnight in the fridge, and the crepes themselves can be cooked a day ahead and stacked between sheets of parchment. Warm each one in a dry pan for 30 seconds, spread it with Nutella, and fold it around sliced strawberries. I set up a little station and let people fill their own.
20) Chocolate Chip Shortbread Bites
Shortbread bites are the dessert I put out in a bowl and let people graze on for the rest of the evening. The dough is butter, sugar, flour, and mini chocolate chips, cut into small squares and baked until pale gold. Cut them before baking, since baked shortbread shatters instead of slicing. They keep for a week in a tin.
21) Lemon Bars
Lemon bars cut through the richness of a Thanksgiving meal better than anything else I know. A buttery shortbread crust gets a tart lemon filling and bakes at 350°F (175°C) until the center is set. Chill them completely before slicing, ideally overnight. Wipe the knife between cuts and dust them with powdered sugar right before serving so it does not dissolve.
