Move Over, Pumpkin Pie! 5 Better Thanksgiving Desserts for Your Table This Year

Autumn is all pumpkin this and pumpkin that—it’s everywhere you go. Now don't get us wrong, we have nothing against pumpkins. Pumpkin pie is one of the great pie flavors. But don't you ever want to mix it up?

These five desserts will take your Thanksgiving dinner from delicious to decadent, from scrumptious to unforgettable. Be warned: your family and friends will be hounding you for your recipe. Decide now whether you want to share the love or retain the mystery of how you produced such a perfect dessert.

1. Apple Tart

How is an apple pie different from an apple tart? Well, for starters, the main difference between the two is that tarts generally don't have a crust on top, only on the bottom.

Others say crust however you want to crust, the difference is that tarts don't use chopped apples, they use apple slices.

If you've ever seen a pie arranged with concentric circles of fruit slices on the inside, one that looks more like an art piece than a dessert, that's a tart. They aren't the easiest to make, but boy are they delicious.

2. Pumpkin Bread Pudding

You don't have to give up pumpkin altogether. And in fact, you can make a pumpkin dessert that's easier to assemble than pumpkin pie. And that's saying something, because you can really just spoon a can of pumpkin filling into a store-bought pie crust, bake it, and call it a day pie-wise.

Bread pudding is even simpler. All you have to do is cube some old bread, mix it with a sweet egg mixture, bake it, and dust it in sugar or ice it with pumpkin sweetness.

3. Chocolate Scotcheroos

Scotcheroos are kind of like gluten free brownies, as instead of using flour, you use tasty little rice crisps. They go well with practically anything, but you can't beat mixing them with dark chocolate.

For an extra twist, you can top each one with things like pistachios, berries, and whipped cream.

4. Blackberry Peach Crumble

Crumbles deconstruct the pie even further by asking, what if there was no structure whatever, and we just threw all the ingredients in a pan?

You can easily make apple crumble if that floats your boat, but if you live in a warmer climate, you can't beat this peach blackberry crumble. Pair it with a delicious gin and tonic.

5. Homemade Espresso Ice Cream

I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but you've been lied to—you never needed an ice cream maker to make ice cream. All you need are three ingredients: heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and flavor.

In this case, beat heavy cream until it thickens, slowly drizzle in condensed milk, flavor and color it with the espresso, and chill until hardened. Delish!

Autumnal Treats

You don’t have to be traditional to make Thanksgiving incredible. Go for these other tasty autumnal treats and celebrate the holiday with a fun twist!