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Perfect Thanksgiving Pies

November 01, 2011
Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Everyone saves room for pie at Thanksgiving dinner, right? This year, don't make the same pie again. We took the classics and jazzed them up for a fun new take on Thanksgiving dessert. Pair them with a few new fun, creative pies, and you're sure to have a spread the whole family will love. You need not limit yourself to classic pie or pumpkin versions. Add adventure to your Thanksgiving menu with ingredients like lavender, pomegranate seeds, or chai, and you can take your dessert table from basic to wow-worthy. To save yourself some time (and oven space), you could even add a no-bake pie or pick one that freezes well so you can make in advance and thaw for the Turkey Day meal.
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Pecan-Date Pie

Photo: Justin Walker
View Recipe: Pecan-Date Pie

Our 100% whole-grain pie shaves more than one-third of the sugar and calories off the classic, and it cuts saturated fat in half. Toasting the pecans intensifies their flavor and adds notes of caramel.

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Salted Caramel Apple Pie

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Salted Caramel Apple Pie

A quick homemade caramel sauce that’s folded into fresh apple slices and baked in a whole-grain crust takes this classic holiday pie to the next level. A hint of salt in the sauce intensifies the apple flavor and balances the sweetness. Apples contain a natural thickener called pectin; grating some of the fruit will ensure a gooey, cohesive mixture once baked. Crisp, sweet Fuji apples bake beautifully and will contrast the salty caramel. You can also use Cripps Pink or Honeycrisp apples.

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Pumpkin-Praline Pie

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Pumpkin-Praline Pie

If you can’t decide between pecan and pumpkin pie, this dessert will give you a taste of both in one slice. A quick brown sugar–pecan streusel tops the pie after it bakes; the topping will set into a crunchy layer as the pie cools. Be sure to use a standard 9-inch pie plate rather than a deep-dish one to ensure an evenly baked crust.

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Miso Caramel-Apple Pie

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Miso Caramel-Apple Pie

You've no doubt heard of--and enjoyed--salted caramel. Miso caramel takes that concept one step further, offering te irresistible salty-sweet flavor combo along with a richness that's unparalleled. You may just love this caramel so much that you want to make a big batch for yourself or to give as holiday gifts; we won't blame you. And even though this pie is rather decadent, it still comes in with 12g less sugar than a popular online version of caramel apple pie. Ever been disappointed by an apple pie where the fruit was still just a little crunchy, not tender as you'd hoped for? This recipe makes sure you end up with buttery-soft fruit by first covering the raw apple slices with boiling water to soften them before they even go in the crust.

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Coffee-Hazelnut Pie

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Coffee-Hazelnut Pie

Shake up your Thanksgiving buffet with this incredible offering. Taking inspiration from the best part of classic pecan pie (the sweet goo!), this nutty treat serves several tasty upgrades while still cutting sugar by more than a third. Toasted hazelnuts offer supreme crunch and a sweetness unsurpassed by any other nut, while instant coffee and coffee liqueur deepen the flavor with delightful bitter nuances. And that dollop of chocolate-hazelnut spread? That's simply a touch of sweet genius, as is the sprinkling of flaky salt on top. Make the pie up to a day ahead and refrigerate; be sure to let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving to wake up all the flavors. 

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Chai Carrot Pie

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Chai Carrot Pie

Staple spice-rack spices create all the depth of classic chai tea in this luscious, carrot-packed, whole-grain dessert. It's a cross between a play on pumpkin pie and carrot cake: The texture and flavor are reminiscent of the former, and the layers--cream cheese mixture on the bottom, spiced carrot filling on top--are inspired by the latter. To get a big head start, you can make and freeze the crust up to a week ahead. A combination of butter and shortening in the crust is ideal--butter for its rich flavor, and shortening to create a flaky texture. We recommend Earth Balance shortening (found with the other shortenings in large supermarkets or health-focused stores) because, unlike most other shortenings, it contains no trans fats. 

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Chessame Pie

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Chessame Pie

A playful and delicious twist on traditional chess pie, this treat gets a triple shot of rich sesame flavor—white sesame seeds in the crust, tahini in the filling, and black sesame seeds on top (feel free to use white sesame seeds there if you can’t find black). These nutty touches allow Darcy to use less sugar than traditional chess pie recipes, which often call for 2 cups. If you’d like to play up the “chess” pie angle, do as Darcy does, and arrange the black sesame seeds in a checkerboard pattern on top of the pie. A touch of vodka in the pie crust is a great baker’s trick; it makes it the crust more flaky and tender, and it evaporates out as the crust bakes so you have no residual alcohol flavor. We like the depth that sherry vinegar adds to the filling, but you can also use apple cider vinegar for similar results.

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Can't Be Beet Tart with Goat Cheese

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Can't Be Beet Tart with Goat Cheese

This is the dessert you cook when you want to make a big impression. Everything about it, from the ginger kick in the crust to the sweet earthiness of the beets in the filling to the rich goat cheese in the topping, comes together in beautiful harmony. Be sure to use an 11-inch tart pan to accommodate the filling; a 10-inch pie plate will work in a pinch. Look for buttermilk powder on the baking or with the powdered milk.

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Lavender Rice Pudding Tarts

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Lavender Rice Pudding Tarts

In a stroke of pure genius, Darcy transforms the homey, comforting dessert of rice pudding into pie. And why not? Rice pudding is a starchy, creamy delight, so it makes a perfect pie filling—especially when it’s going into a pine nut–flavored crust. Some traditional rice pudding recipes use lots of sweetened condensed milk, but this one uses just 1/3 cup sugar for a not-too-sweet treat. Dried lavender, used judiciously, adds just the right amount of floral essence to lend an air of elegance, while blueberry jam spooned on at the end brightens with a tangy, fruity lift (raspberry jam would be delicious as well). If you don’t have rectangular tart pans, you can make 2 larger tarts in 14- x 41⁄2-inch pans.

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Roasted Pumpkin Pie

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Pie

By roasting the pumpkin whole, you avoid cutting it open and scooping out the seeds and membrane. If you'd like, serve pie with a dollop of lightly sweetened 2% reduced-fat yogurt.

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Pomegranate-Orange Tart with Pistachio Shortbread Crust

Photo: Christopher Testani
View Recipe: Pomegranate-Orange Tart with Pistachio Shortbread Crust

A handful of blueberries boosts the color of the filling and deliver irresistible sweetness.

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Double-Crust Apple Pie

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Double-Crust Apple Pie

A double crust seals in the apples' natural juices as the pie bakes for full-on apple flavor. Tossing the apples with apple juice keeps them from browning as you peel and slice them, and it adds a boost of apple flavor.

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Cranberry-Orange Tart

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Cranberry-Orange Tart
This fall dessert takes you straight into winter with its citrus flavor and warm berry filling. It makes a beautiful finale for a dinner party, or a memorable weeknight treat.

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Maple Pumpkin Pie With a Message

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Maple Pumpkin Pie With a Message

To use up the leftover pumpkin, try adding some to a breakfast smoothie, or stir into pancake batter. Or combine with a splash of half-and-half, season with sage, and toss with pasta.

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Port-Glazed Pear Tart with Rosemary-Cornmeal Crust

Photo: Chris Court
View Recipe: Port-Glazed Pear Tart with Rosemary-Cornmeal Crust

The shortbread-like crust stands up well to a luscious ricotta filling that's topped with pretty port-stained pears. Larger pear wedges (as shown) are stunning; you can also cut the pears into thin slices and arrange spokelike on top. Prepare the crust and pears up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate. Assemble just before serving.

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Hasselback Apple Tart

Katherine Flynn
View Recipe: Hasselback Apple Tart

We already love our Hasselback Apples but we thought, how can we take this individually sized dessert and turn it into something that is easy and portable for holiday dinners? By following our recipe, we just took it a step further by nuzzling each cinnamon-streusel apple onto a sheet of puff pastry. The final result? The Hasselback Apple Tart.

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Maple-Walnut Cranberry Pie

Photo: Chris Court
View Recipe: Maple-Walnut Cranberry Pie

While the buttery, maple-scented filling is inspired by classic pecan pie, we swap in toasted walnuts and add chopped fresh cranberries for a beautiful pop of color and tart flavor contrast that cuts the sweetness.

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Maple-Pecan Pie

Photo: Courtesy of Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Maple-Pecan Pie
No Thanksgiving dinner is complete without a pecan pie. If you have gluten-free family members, this pie will be a real treat for them.
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Mocha Pie with Coffee Whipped Cream

Photo: Chris Court
View Recipe: Mocha Pie with Coffee Whipped Cream

This pie comes together quickly and won't hog oven space as it chills and sets in the fridge (a great make-ahead option). You can use decaf instant coffee granules instead of regular, or leave them out entirely for a silky-smooth chocolate pie with vanilla topping.

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Sweet Potato Pie

Photo: Courtesy of Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Sweet Potato Pie
An alternative to the old-fashioned pumpkin pie, this gluten-free sweet potato dessert is seasoned to perfection with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Serve with a large dollop of light whipped topping dusted with nutmeg, and savor each heavenly bite.

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Cheddar-Apple Pie

Photo: Courtesy of Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Cheddar-Apple Pie

Tart and tangy, sweet and spiced, this intensely flavored homemade apple pie is thickly layered into a sharp cheddar cheese-enhanced crust. It's a gluten-free remake of an American classic.

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Double-Banana Cream Pie

Photo Courtesy of Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Double-Banana Cream Pie

Thick vanilla custard is layered with ripe bananas in a sweet arrowroot-cookie crust. You'll hear "mmm" with each bite.

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Cranberry-Walnut Tart

Photo Courtesy of Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Cranberry-Walnut Tart
This tart has a great basic gluten-free crust. The white rice flour and tapioca flour have a neutral taste that allows the flavor of the butter to stand out, while the shortening ensures flakiness. Fresh cranberries and walnuts in the filling make this the perfect tart to serve around the holidays.

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Sweet Potato Pie with Spiced Cream Topping

Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Sweet Potato Pie with Spiced Cream Topping

Tangy cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk combine for a creamy contrast to the sweet potato layer. You can prepare this pie up to two days ahead and refrigerate.

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Shaker-ish Lemon Pie

Photo: Andrew Purcell
View Recipe: Shaker-ish Lemon Pie

Traditional Shaker lemon pie uses the whole lemon, pith and all. This version uses only the rind and the meaty-juicy lemon part, leaving the pith for those hearty Shakers. Macerating the rinds in sugar for 24 hours tenderizes them and reduces bitterness. There's rich caramel flavor in the golden cane syrup; light-colored corn syrup will work fine, too, but the flavor won't be quite as rich.

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Chai Cream Pie

Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Chai Cream Pie

Cinnamon, ginger, and black tea combine for an enticing and unexpected blend of spices and flavors in our Chai Cream Pie. Serve with after-dinner coffee for a new dessert that is sure to become an instant favorite.

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Meyer Lemon Curd Tart

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Meyer Lemon Curd Tart

The Meyer adds a gorgeous tang to a tasty twist on classic citrus curd.

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Mississippi Mud Pie

Photo: John Kernick
View Recipe: Mississippi Mud Pie

It may not be the prettiest pie, but many folks speculate this cross between a chocolate-bottomed pie and a chocolate cake was named for its textural similarity to the rich, gooey mud found all along America's greatest river.

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Silky Sweet Potato and Pecan Pie

Photo: Andrew Purcell
View Recipe: Silky Sweet Potato and Pecan Pie

Toasted pecans make a delicious garnish, adding crunch and adorning it like a necklace.

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Double Nut-Chocolate Tart

Photo Courtesy of Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Double Nut-Chocolate Tart

This dark, almondy, and rich-tasting tart requires much less sugar and butter than the standard fare. It's almost a flourless chocolate cake, but a little bit of brown rice flour is added to give it some structure and help it develop a nice crust.

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Rich Chocolate Pudding Pie

Photo: Anna Williams
View Recipe: Rich Chocolate Pudding Pie

Melted chocolate binds cookie crumbs for the crust—and makes it extra delicious. Substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the rum.

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Gingery Cranberry-Pear Pie with Oatmeal Streusel

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Gingery Cranberry-Pear Pie with Oatmeal Streusel

Combine the best of fall and winter flavors in this must-try pie recipe. The oatmeal streusel topping shines as a crunchy companion to the tart-sweet filling.

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Honey-Pecan Tart with Bittersweet Chocolate Drizzle

Photo: Andrew Purcell
View Recipe: Honey-Pecan Tart with Bittersweet Chocolate Drizzle

Traditional pecan pie gets a delicious flavor update, with honey's sweet-tangy touch countered by bittersweet chocolate. If you'd like a more casual pie, you can make this in a 9-inch pie plate; you'll probably need to bake the filling an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

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Meringue-Topped Cranberry Curd Tart Recipe

View Recipe: Meringue-Topped Cranberry Curd Tart

Making perfect pastry depends mostly on how well you coat flour proteins with fat—more difficult in a low-fat recipe. You want to leave small clumps of fat in the dough (here, from vegetable shortening) so they'll melt during cooking and give off steam, creating luscious layers. Meanwhile, we melted the butter so it would coat more than it would in solid form.

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Spiced Apple Two-Bite Tarts

Photo: Andrew Purcell
View Recipe: Spiced Apple Two-Bite Tarts

The nutty pastry is absolutely delicious, like pecan shortbread. You can make the tart shells and filling the day before and assemble just before serving: Place the shells in an airtight container and chill the filling, bringing it to room temperature before placing it in the shells so it's not ice-cold. The crème fraîche dollop is more than just a pretty garnish; its rich, tangy flavor makes these sublime.

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Rustic Apple Tart

Photo: José Picayo
View Recipe: Rustic Apple Tart

Purchased piecrust dough is a convenient time-saver. We like the flavor combo of sweet Golden Delicious and tart Granny Smith apples, but you can use any apple variety (or combination of apples) you like.

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Chocolate-Walnut Meringue Pie

Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Chocolate-Walnut Meringue Pie

This is a pie that's dressed up for the prom. Inside, it's an old-fashioned, dense, sweet chocolate pie, but it's encased in a refined walnut crust and topped with elegant toasted meringue.

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Pear Tarte Tatin

Photo: Jonny Valiant
View Recipe: Pear Tarte Tatin

This dessert may be just as beautiful as it is delicious. Pears, always a festive holiday fruit, are surrounded by crispy sheets of phyllo dough to create an absolute palate pleaser.

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