Pie may have a place at Thanksgiving, but the dessert table has room for plenty of other sweets. These 23 picks include cheesecakes, cobblers, cakes, cookies, frozen desserts, and a shareable dip. Some need several hours to chill or freeze, while others come together in about half an hour. Bring a make-ahead centerpiece or a tray of easy-to-pass portions for guests to choose from after dinner.
Apple-Cinnamon Flaky Turnovers
Golden, puffed triangles give Apple-Cinnamon Flaky Turnovers a bakery-case look without homemade pastry dough. Store-bought puff pastry wraps diced Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples cooked with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon, and vanilla, then gets a light vanilla glaze. The recipe makes eight and takes 55 minutes total, including 15 minutes of prep, 30 minutes of baking, and cooling. Serve them warm for brunch or dessert.
Get the Recipe: Apple-Cinnamon Flaky Turnovers
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Custardy squares bring a soft center and warm spice to Pumpkin Bread Pudding, which takes 1 hour 20 minutes and serves 15. French bread soaks in pumpkin purée, half-and-half, milk, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice before baking. A short rest helps it set, and it can be served warm in generous spoonfuls. Bring it when the group is large and one pie will not stretch far enough.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Apple Cobbler
Golden topping with tender cinnamon apples makes Apple Cobbler a 1-hour-5-minute dessert for eight. The fruit cooks with lemon, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, while a buttermilk batter bakes over it. Serve warm from the dish with ice cream if you like. Its bubbling fruit and soft top give pie fans familiar apple flavor in a scoopable form, too.
Get the Recipe: Apple Cobbler
Mini Cheesecakes
Individual portions keep the dessert line moving with Mini Cheesecakes, which yield 12 and take 8 hours 30 minutes including chilling. Graham cracker crumbs and melted butter form the crust; cream cheese, eggs, heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon make the filling. Chill them overnight, then finish with strawberry jam or fresh fruit. Their small size leaves guests room to try another dessert.
Get the Recipe: Mini Cheesecakes
Chocolate Cake
Deep cocoa layers with chocolate frosting give Chocolate Cake a showpiece feel, with 1 hour 25 minutes total time for eight servings. Buttermilk, brewed coffee, cocoa, and oil build a moist crumb, while butter, confectioner’s sugar, and melted dark chocolate make the frosting. Cut modest slices for the potluck table, where it can stand beside pecan and pumpkin desserts as the chocolate option.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Cake
Pecan Pie Cobbler
Bubbling edges and a caramel-like base make Pecan Pie Cobbler a 45-minute dessert that serves six. A simple flour-and-milk batter sits beneath chopped pecans and brown sugar, with boiling water poured over before baking. Scoop it while warm and add ice cream or caramel sauce at the table. It carries pecan pie flavor without needing a crust or careful slices.
Get the Recipe: Pecan Pie Cobbler
German Chocolate Cake
Celebration-style layers bring coconut-pecan frosting to German Chocolate Cake, ready in 55 minutes and sized for eight. Cocoa, buttermilk, eggs, and oil make the chocolate layers; brown sugar, evaporated milk, egg yolks, pecans, and coconut go into the frosting. Let the cakes cool fully before assembling, then slice thinly so guests can sample the other desserts too while they linger at the table.
Get the Recipe: German Chocolate Cake
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Soft centers and chocolate pockets set Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies apart from the pie slices, with 1 hour 41 minutes total time and 12 servings. Browned butter, drained pumpkin purée, egg yolks, pumpkin spice, and chocolate chips shape the dough, which chills before baking. Pack the cookies in a tin for easy transport and arrange them on a platter for guests who want a small sweet.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Irish Apple Cake
The crumbly streusel and tender apple slices in Irish Apple Cake make a generous 10-serving dessert, ready in 1 hour 20 minutes. Granny Smith apples sit over a cinnamon cake with an oat-and-butter topping. The card also includes a warm custard sauce made with egg yolks, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Bring the cake whole and slice it at the table for a homestyle alternative to apple pie.
Get the Recipe: Irish Apple Cake
Tiramisu Ice Cream
Coffee ribbons and mascarpone make Tiramisu Ice Cream a chilled dessert to start well ahead, with 6 hours 15 minutes total time for 12 servings. The base blends mascarpone, milk, amaretto, sugar, and salt; espresso melted with chopped chocolate flavors the churned mixture. Ladyfingers and cocoa finish it before freezing. Scoop it into small bowls after dinner for an unexpected frozen take on tiramisu.
Get the Recipe: Tiramisu Ice Cream
Banana Bread
Nut-studded slices give Banana Bread a familiar, easy-to-share shape, and the loaf takes 1 hour 15 minutes to make eight servings. Ripe bananas, browned butter, Greek yogurt, cinnamon, and chopped nuts keep the crumb moist and fragrant. Slice it before the drive or bring it whole with a small knife. It works alongside coffee after dinner or as a lighter bite among richer desserts.
Get the Recipe: Banana Bread
Lemon Pound Cake
Bright lemon aroma carries through each slice of Lemon Pound Cake, a 1-hour-15-minute loaf that serves eight. Lemon zest and juice meet butter, sour cream, milk, and vanilla in the batter, with a powdered sugar glaze adding another citrus note. Let the glaze set before packing the cake. Its tangy flavor brings a fresh contrast to chocolate, pumpkin, and pecan sweets.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Pound Cake
Creme Brûlée
Tap the glassy sugar crust on Creme Brûlée just before serving to crack into the smooth custard underneath. The four-serving dessert takes 2 hours 50 minutes, including chilling. Heavy cream, vanilla bean, egg yolks, and sugar make the custard, while a torch caramelizes the top. Prepare the ramekins ahead and brûlée them at the gathering for a neat, individual dessert.
Get the Recipe: Creme Brûlée
Peach Cobbler
Beneath a browned top, Peach Cobbler holds soft fruit and a spoonable batter, ready in one hour for six. Sliced peaches bake with sugar and cinnamon under a batter of eggs, butter, milk, flour, and baking powder. The top browns as the peach juices bubble around the edges. Serve it warm with ice cream if available, and bring the baking dish straight to the potluck table.
Get the Recipe: Peach Cobbler
Pumpkin Cupcakes
Small, softly domed cakes make Pumpkin Cupcakes easy to pass around; the batch serves 12 in 40 minutes. Pumpkin purée, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice give the crumb its fall flavor, while cream cheese and butter make the frosting. Pipe or spread the topping once the cupcakes cool. They fit on a dessert tray when a full cake would be awkward to transport.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Cupcakes
Homemade Bread Pudding
Warm servings of Homemade Bread Pudding bring a tender, custardy finish in one hour, with enough for eight. Day-old French bread absorbs milk, egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and rum-soaked raisins before baking. The card pairs it with a vanilla custard sauce, which can be spooned over each portion. Carry it in its baking dish and serve it while still warm.
Get the Recipe: Homemade Bread Pudding
Strawberry Pound Cake
A strawberry-tinted Bundt gives Strawberry Pound Cake a bright place among the pies, with a two-hour total time and 12 servings. Fresh berries are puréed and reduced, then folded into a batter with butter, eggs, flour, buttermilk, and vanilla. A matching berry glaze finishes the top. Bake it ahead, let it cool, and slice at the potluck for a fruity cake option.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Pound Cake
Pecan Pie Dip
Set out a bowl of Pecan Pie Dip when guests want something to scoop between slices; it takes 20 minutes and serves eight. A cool cream cheese and whipped topping base sits beneath pecans cooked with butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, egg, and vanilla. Graham crackers are listed for dipping. Prepare the creamy base ahead, then add the pecan topping before carrying it to the dessert table.
Get the Recipe: Pecan Pie Dip
Pumpkin Spice Brownies
Marbled pumpkin and chocolate layers give Pumpkin Spice Brownies a striking look in 1 hour 5 minutes, with nine squares to share. The base starts with fudge brownie mix and chopped dark chocolate; cream cheese, pumpkin purée, egg, sugar, and pumpkin spice form the swirled topping. Cool the pan completely before cutting so the squares keep their shape on a potluck plate.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Brownies
Ice Cream Cake
Layered slices alternate cold vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, strawberries, and jam in Ice Cream Cake, which serves 16 after 4 hours 20 minutes. Graham crackers make the layers, while heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla create the whipped topping. Freeze it in a lined pan so it lifts out neatly. Keep it cold on the way and cut it just before serving.
Get the Recipe: Ice Cream Cake
Apple Fritters
Baked rounds carry diced apples and cinnamon in Apple Fritters, a 30-minute batch that serves six. The batter combines flour, sugar, eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla with chopped apples; a powdered sugar glaze goes over the tops while they are warm. They travel easily on a tray and can be picked up by hand, giving the dessert table a bite-sized option beyond cookies.
Get the Recipe: Apple Fritters
Rich Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Tall slices bring two familiar desserts together in Rich Pecan Pie Cheesecake, which serves 12 and needs 5 hours 50 minutes including its chill. A graham crust with ground pecans supports brown sugar cheesecake filling, while a buttery pecan topping finishes the surface. Make it ahead and keep it chilled until dessert. Thin slices give guests a chance to try this alongside the pies.
Get the Recipe: Rich Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Biscoff Ice Cream
Cookie butter streaks ripple through Biscoff Ice Cream, a four-serving dessert with 4 hours 30 minutes total time. Heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and part of the Biscoff spread make the churned base; crumbled cookies and extra spread are folded in before freezing. Scoop it into cones or bowls after dinner. The spiced cookie flavor gives the frozen-dessert tray a different note from fruit and chocolate.
Get the Recipe: Biscoff Ice Cream