Ready for Those Thanksgiving Desserts?

Nothing says autumn quite like pumpkin. This Thanksgiving, when you’re digging into the Turkey Day feast with your friends and family, be sure to save some room for two decadent pumpkin desserts. And when the holiday is over, you’ll want to have some special detox items on hand. Be sure to check out our “Post-Thanksgiving Detox Plan” while you’re planning your grocery shopping list!

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Working Class Foodies shows off the classic side of Thanksgiving with this Perfect Pumpkin Pie:

What you’ll need for the Perfect Pumpkin Pie crust:

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled & cubed
• 1/4 cup water
• 1-2 ice cubes

What you’ll need for the Perfect Pumpkin Pie filling:

• 3 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon (fresh or pre-ground)
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves (or 2 whole cloves)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground star anise (or 1/2 pod of fresh star anise)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk or cream
• Pie dish

How it’s done:

1. Stir dry pie crust ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda) together.
2. Add butter and mix by hand or in a food processor.
3. Add ice water to the mix (or pulse in the food processor) until the dough begins to form.
4. Take dough out of the bowl or processer and knead it gently.
5. Cover ball of dough in plastic and let it rest in the fridge for about 1 hour.
6. While the dough is in the fridge, add ground spices to the pumpkin puree & mix.
7. Add 1 egg and brown sugar to the pumpkin puree & mix.
8. Add milk (or cream) & mix.
9. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
10. Once your filling is done, take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out (~1/8 inch thick) on a floured work surface.
11. Place dough in a pie dish and press along edges.
12. Scoop filling into pie crust.
13. For a shiny crust, rub the edges with an egg wash (1 yolk + 1 tablespoon milk/water).
14. Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).
15. Cool for 15 minutes and enjoy!

  For a more unconventional dessert idea, let’s check out how to make Pumpkin Woopie Pies!

What you’ll need to make the Pumpkin Whoopie Pie cookies (to make 8 pies)

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 tablespoon ginger
• 1/2 tablespoon cloves
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 cup chilled pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Greased or lined baking sheet

What you’ll need to make the Pumpkin Whoopie Pie filling:

• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 4-6 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( or seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean)
• Zip-top bag

How it’s done

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (including spices) & whisk them together.
3. In a 2nd large bowl, combine brown sugar and vegetable oil. Mix together.
4. Add pumpkin puree to brown sugar mixture & stir together.
5. Then add the egg and vanilla & mix together.
6. Fold dry ingredients into brown sugar mixture. Stir gently until just combined.
7. Scoop heaping tablespoons ~1 inch apart onto greased or lined baking sheet.
8. Bake ~15 minutes or until the tops begin to crack.
9. While the cookies are baking, combine powdered sugar, cream cheese & vanilla. Mix together until smooth & uniform.
10. Once the cookies are out of the oven and cooled completely, add frosting to a zip-top bag and cut off the tip.
11. Pipe the frosting onto the flat bottom of 1/2 of the cookies.
12. Press cookies together to make sandwiches.
13. Let them refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for serving.

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Need even more pumpkin treats on your Thanksgiving dessert table? Try some Pumpkin Pie Pockets, or snack on a bowl of Pumpkin Pie Roasted Almonds.