4 Jaw-Dropping Thanksgiving Desserts

Everyone is excited to go home for the Thanksgiving holiday, and I know many of us are especially excited for all the delicious food! When many people think of Thanksgiving food, they think of the turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry, but don’t overlook the desserts! HC Bryant has four special holiday recipes you should try to make during your little break. Thank you Food Network for all these recipes:

1. Pumpkin Cake Pops

It seems to me that cake pops have become increasingly popular! They are so cute and easy enough to eat in three bites. I do have to warn you though—they do take a lot of time and patience to bake, so make sure you block out enough time to create these yummy treats:

Cake:

• Unflavored nonstick cooking spray

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

• 2 large eggs

• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 3/4 cup nonfat milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree

Frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 pound confectioners’ sugar

• 1 1/2 pounds finely chopped white chocolate (or two 11-ounce bags white chocolate chips)

• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. For the cake: Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars together. Stir in the milk and vanilla, and then add the oil. Whisk in the pumpkin puree and pour the liquid mixture over the dry mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir the batter together, and then switch to a whisk and give the batter a good 3 or 4 beats before pouring it into the prepared baking dish. Use a rubber spatula to smooth out the batter and place it in the oven until the cake is golden and springs back to light pressure, 25 to 28 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.

3. Meanwhile, place the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast them until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a large plate to cool, then transfer to a cutting board and finely chop. Place the nuts in a medium bowl and set aside.

4. Divide the cake into quarters and crumble it into a large bowl. Once all of the cake is crumbled, drag 2 forks through the cake in opposite directions to crumble it into a very fine crumb (you can also use a food processor to pulse the cake into fine crumbs). Set aside.

5. For the frosting: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper and set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until airy, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stir the cream cheese frosting into the cake crumbs and, once the mixture looks like wet graham crackers crumbs, roll it into ping pong-size balls. Place the cake balls on the prepared baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour.

6. Place the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl and melt at 50-percent power, stirring every 30 seconds until the chocolate is completely melted, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes (or melt the chocolate over a double boiler, stirring often, until the chocolate is melted).

7. Remove the cake balls from the freezer and insert a lollypop stick or small appetizer-length skewer into the top of each one (stick it in far enough so it is more than halfway through but doesn’t puncture the other side of the ball). Dip each ball into the white chocolate, using a spoon to help coat the underside. Tap the stick against the side of the bowl a few times and swirl the stick to encourage the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Dip the top of the ball into the nuts, and then place the cake pop back on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, nut-side down (so the stick points straight up). Repeat with the remaining cake balls. Let the cake pops stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Serve that day or refrigerate for up to 3 days and then serve.

2. Pumpkin Pie

Of course we couldn’t forget the traditional pumpkin pie! To add some extra flavor, put some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top of the pie!

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

• 2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

• 1 cup half-and-half

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional

• 1 piece pre-made pie dough

• Whipped cream, for topping

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes.

2. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

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3. Cranberry Orange Quickbread

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for loaf pan

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 stick cold butter, cut into pea size pieces, plus extra for loaf pan

• 1 orange, zested

• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice

• 1 orange, peeled, sections removed and diced

• 1 egg

• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a food processor combine the flour, sugars, salt, baking soda and butter. Pulse, pulse, pulse until the mixture resembles finely grated cheese. Add the orange zest, juice and the egg. Pulse, pulse, pulse until the mixture is just combined. Remove to a bowl and stir in the diced orange and cranberries.

3. Grease and flour the loaf pan and add the batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through the cooking time to insure even cooking.

4. When done let cool for about 20 minutes and remove from loaf pan. Let cool completely before cutting.

4. Baked Apples with Rum and Cinnamon

The Glaze:

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

• 1/2 cup dark rum

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 6 whole cloves

The Apples:

• 6 small to medium apples, preferably a sturdy variety like Rome or Granny Smith, washed and cored

• 6 cinnamon sticks

• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

• 1 cup unsweetened apple cider

• Rum raisin ice cream, optional

For the glaze:

• In a medium saucepan, combine the dark brown sugar, rum, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir to blend and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook and reduce for 3 to 4 minutes to allow the sugar and other ingredients to blend together.

• For the apples: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

• In a baking dish large enough to hold all of the apples, arrange the apples in a single layer. Put a cinnamon stick inside the cavity made from coring each apple. Pour the glaze over the apples and top each with pieces of butter. Add the cider to the bottom of the dish and place it in the center of the oven.

• Cook the apples, basting them from time to time, until they are tender but not mushy, 25 to 30 minutes (smaller apples will take less time). Serve with scoops of ice cream, sour cream, or just by themselves. They are also delicious leftover.

All of these treats are courtesy of Food Network…thank you!

• Bryant University
• holiday desserts
• thanksgiving desserts