Media - Thanksgiving Desserts: Delicious ideas for easy holiday celebrations

Holiday Entertaining Essentials:
Thanksgiving Desserts

Delicious ideas for easy holiday celebrations

Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Avon, Massachusetts

Contents

Introduction

No matter how stuffed your guests are, everyone leaves room for dessert on Thanksgiving, and with these twenty-five recipes to choose from, you will have plenty of options for sweet treats to round out the meal.

Whether this is your first Thanksgiving or your fiftieth, you know that desserts are almost as anticipated as Tom Turkey himself, so break the same-old pumpkin pie streak and try something new, exciting, and delicious to wow your family and friends.

These recipes consist of reimagined old classics and new dishes, and include everything from Vanilla Poached Pears and Rich and Fluffy Chocolate Souffl to Sinful Peanut Butter Pie and White Chocolate Fruit Tart. No matter which dishes you pick, your guests will be truly thankful they saved room for your delicious finale!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Vanilla Poached Pears

Poached pears are a simple and elegant way to end a holiday meal. They are delicious on their own, but you can also dip them in chocolate, or top them with some homemade whipped cream.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 ripe pears, peeled, halved and cored

cup sugar

2 cups water

1 2-inch strip lemon peel

1 whole vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1. Rub the lemon juice on the pears.

2. In a saucepan combine the sugar and water and heat over low to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon peel and vanilla bean. Simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add the pear halves to the simmering liquid and place a piece of parchment paper over the surface of the liquid. Poke a few slits in the paper to let steam escape.

4. Simmer the pears for 2025 minutes, until tender. (Poke them with a paring knife to test for tenderness.)

5. Remove from heat and let pears cool in poaching liquid. Refrigerate in liquid until ready to serve.

Clove-Scented Baked Apples

You can stuff these quintessential fall treats with raisins and cranberries to add a distinctive flavor, if you desire.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 baking apples (Romes or Cortlands are best)

8 whole cloves

2 ounces butter

cup light brown sugar

teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Wash and dry the apples thoroughly. Using a small knife, cut a divot from the top of the apples, leaving the stem intact. This cover will be replaced when baking. Scoop out the seeds and core from the apples with a melonballer or small spoon. Drop 2 cloves into each apple.

3. Knead together the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Divide equally into the apples, leaving enough space to replace the tops.

4. Place the apples in a 9" 9" baking dish with cup water in the bottom. Bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle with cinnamon or confectioners sugar before serving.

Minty Figs with Crme Frache

This elegant dish is a non-traditional dessert that borders on savory. Sprinkle it with some raw sugar to increase the sweetness.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream

cup buttermilk

12 ripe mission figs

cup fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced into ribbons

1. To make crme frache: Combine cream and buttermilk, cover with cheesecloth, and set in a warm place for 3 days. Refrigerate after that.

2. Cut the stem tip off the figs; cut each fig into quarters.

3. Divide figs evenly among 4 salad plates.

4. Drizzle crme frache over the figs.

5. Scatter the mint ribbons over the figs.

Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies will bring you back to your youth and the flavor of your favorite peanut butter candy. Try rolling the dough in coarse sugar before baking them to make them extra sparkly.

Yields 36 cookies

Ingredients

12 tablespoons soft butter

1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

teaspoon salt

1 teaspoons baking powder

teaspoon baking soda

cup sugar in a bowl

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. With an electric mixer or by hand, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and sugar until fluffy.

3. Add eggs and vanilla; combine well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring well to combine into a smooth dough.

5. Form dough into 1-inch balls by hand and place onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Dip a fork into the bowl of sugar and press a crosshatch mark into each cookie. Dip fork frequently into the sugar to prevent sticking. Bake cookies 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Coconut-Applesauce Macaroons

Make sure to use unsweetened coconut for these macaroons, or else your cookies will turn out much too sweet! Macaroons are a nice, light way to treat your guests after the big meal.

Yields 30 cookies

Ingredients

3 egg whites

cup sugar

cup applesauce

10 ounces unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine all ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Wet your fingers with water and form mixture into walnut-sized balls and place them on the prepared cookie sheet.

4. Bake for 20 minutes.

5. Cool, then peel cookies off the parchment paper.

Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

Make your coconut macaroons fancy by dipping the bottoms in melted chocolate and then setting them on foil to cool and set up. You also can do the same using white chocolate.

Classic Autumn Sugar Cookies

This recipe is for the classic, cut-and-decorate sugar cookies that are an integral part of the autumn and winter seasons. You can decorate these with your kids (or by yourself!) or serve them to your guests as they are.

Yields 24 cookies

Ingredients

8 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon heavy cream

teaspoon vanilla extract

teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cups all-purpose flour

colored sugar for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 300F.

2. In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg, cream, and vanilla; mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

3. In a separate bowl mix together the salt, baking powder, and flour. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture; mix to form a smooth dough.

4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to prevent sticking. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a drinking glass. Brush excess flour off the cookies and place them on ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle cut-outs with colored or white sugar.