Classic Thanksgiving Desserts And Pies To Bake

It’s the week before Thanksgiving, and my kitchen looks like a whirlwind of school bags, sports kit, and unopened post. Between ferrying the kids to their activities and keeping on top of work, the thought of spending hours rolling out pastry and washing a mountain of bowls feels like a distant dream. That’s why I developed this no-fuss approach to the two most classic Thanksgiving desserts: a silky pumpkin pie and a rustic apple tart. We can bake them side-by-side, with minimal equipment, and have the whole lot ready for the big day without breaking a sweat.

Recipe Overview

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 45 minutes
• Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes (plus 2 hours chilling for the pastry)
• Servings: 8–10
• Difficulty: Easy

Why You’ll Love This Classic Thanksgiving Desserts and Pies to Bake

• One bowl, two desserts: The pastry recipe is the same for both pies, so you mix it once and divide it in half. That means less washing up and more time for a cuppa.
• Make-ahead magic: Both pies can be baked two days in advance. Just cool, wrap tightly, and store in the fridge. On the day, you simply slice and serve.
• No special equipment needed: Forget a food processor. A simple bowl, a fork, and your hands are all you require to bring the pastry together.
• Adaptable for busy schedules: The fillings come together in under ten minutes each. While the pastry chills, you can get on with the rest of your evening routine.
• My kids absolutely devour this every time I make it. The apple tart, in particular, disappears before the turkey has even been carved. It’s a proper win for a busy mum.

Classic Thanksgiving Desserts and Pies to Bake

30 min prep  ·  55 min cook  ·  12 servings

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Ingredients You’ll Need

• 300g plain flour
• 150g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4–5 tablespoons ice-cold water
• For the pumpkin pie filling: 425g pumpkin purée
• 200ml double cream
• 100g light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice mix
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the apple tart filling: 4 medium Bramley or Granny Smith apples
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam (for glazing)

Tip: Use shop-bought, ready-rolled shortcrust pastry if you’re really short on time. It works beautifully and saves you the ten minutes of rubbing in the butter. No one will ever know the difference.

How to Make Classic Thanksgiving Desserts and Pies to Bake

1. Make the pastry: In a large bowl, tip the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter cubes. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs — you’ll see small, pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. This is what gives the pastry its flaky texture. Add the ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time, and stir with a fork until the dough just clumps together. You should feel it come away from the sides of the bowl, but it shouldn’t feel wet.
2. Chill the dough: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together into a disc. Wrap it tightly in cling film and pop it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. The dough will feel firm and cold to the touch when it’s ready to roll. This resting step is non-negotiable — it relaxes the gluten and prevents shrinkage during baking.
3. Preheat and prep the tins: Heat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Lightly butter a 23cm pie dish and a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. While the oven warms, take the chilled dough from the fridge and cut it in half. Roll each piece out on a floured surface to a thickness of about 3mm. You’ll see the dough is smooth and not sticky, and it should lift easily with a palette knife.
4. Line the tins: Gently drape one piece of rolled dough into the pie dish and the other into the tart tin. Press the dough into the corners without stretching it — if you stretch it, it will shrink during baking. Trim the edges with a sharp knife, leaving a 1cm overhang. For the pie dish, crimp the edges with your fingers; for the tart tin, just roll the rolling pin over the top to cut off the excess. Prick the bases all over with a fork. You’ll see the small holes you’ve created, which allow steam to escape.
5. Blind bake the pastry: Line each pastry case with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 12 minutes. The pastry edges will look set and just starting to colour. Remove the parchment and beans, then bake for another 5 minutes. The bases will look dry and lightly golden. Set aside to cool slightly while you make the fillings.
6. Make the pumpkin pie filling: In a medium jug, whisk together the pumpkin purée, double cream, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin spice, and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture is completely smooth — you’ll see a uniform, glossy orange colour with no streaks of egg white. Pour this into the blind-baked pie shell.
7. Make the apple tart filling: Peel, core, and slice the apples into thin wedges, about 5mm thick. In a bowl, toss the apple slices with the caster sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and cornflour. You’ll notice the apples look glossy and the sugar has started to draw out their juice. Arrange the slices in concentric circles over the blind-baked tart base, pressing them down gently.
8. Bake both pies: Place the pumpkin pie on the middle shelf and the apple tart on the shelf below. Bake the pumpkin pie for 40–45 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the edges are set but the centre still has a slight wobble — like a firm jelly. The surface will be matte, not shiny. Bake the apple tart for 35–40 minutes. The apples will be tender when pierced with a skewer, and the edges of the tart will be deep golden brown. The kitchen will smell of warm spices and caramelised fruit.
9. Glaze and cool: For the apple tart, warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan until it becomes runny. Brush it over the hot apples. The glaze will turn them a beautiful, shiny amber colour. Let both pies cool completely on a wire rack. The pumpkin pie needs at least 2 hours to set properly — don’t rush this, or your slices will be sloppy.

Tips From My Kitchen

• Keep everything cold: For the flakiest pastry, your butter must be straight from the fridge, and your water should have ice cubes in it. If the dough starts to feel soft or sticky at any point, pop it back in the fridge for 15 minutes. Warm butter melts into the flour instead of creating steam pockets, which is what gives you those lovely, flaky layers.
• Use a food scale: Measuring flour by volume can lead to dense, dry pastry because you might pack it down. Weighing your ingredients ensures a tender, melt-in-the-mouth result every time. I stumbled upon this approach years ago, and it’s been a game-changer for consistency.
• Don’t overwork the dough: When you’re rubbing the butter into the flour, stop as soon as you see small, visible butter chunks. Overworking develops gluten, which makes the pastry tough. The same goes for adding water — mix just until the dough holds together. It should look shaggy, not smooth.
• Blind bake is essential: For a wet filling like pumpkin, blind baking prevents a soggy bottom. The initial blast of high heat sets the pastry before the liquid filling goes in. For the apple tart, it ensures the base is fully cooked by the time the apples are tender, so you don’t end up with a pale, doughy layer underneath.
• Make the fillings while the pastry chills: This is my top time-saver. While the dough is resting in the fridge, measure out the pumpkin purée, cream, sugar, and spices. Peel and slice the apples. Store the apple slices in a bowl of cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice to stop them browning. When the pastry is ready, you can assemble both pies in under five minutes.
• Cool completely before slicing: Both pies need a full cool-down. The pumpkin pie continues to set as it cools, giving you clean, neat slices. The apple tart needs to cool so the juices thicken. If you cut into either while they’re still warm, you’ll end up with a messy plate and a puddle of filling.

Equipment You’ll Need

• Stand mixer or hand mixer (for whisking the fillings, though a fork works too)
• 23cm pie dish
• 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin
• Rolling pin
• Parchment paper
• Baking beans or dried rice (for blind baking)
• Wire cooling rack
• Pastry brush

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Overcrowding the oven: Placing both pies on the same shelf blocks the heat circulation, leading to uneven baking. Always put the pumpkin pie on the middle shelf and the apple tart on the shelf directly below, or vice versa, leaving a gap between them for the hot air to move.
• Wrong temperature: Baking at too high a temperature will cause the pastry edges to burn before the filling is cooked through. Stick to 190°C (170°C fan). If you notice the edges browning too quickly, loosely cover them with strips of foil or a pie shield.
• Skipping the rest time: The pumpkin pie must rest for at least 2 hours after baking. This allows the custard to fully set. If you skip this step, you’ll end up with a runny, soupy pie that won’t hold its shape. The apple tart also needs to cool so the juices thicken into a syrupy glaze.

Delicious Variations to Try

• Spiced Pecan Twist: For the pumpkin pie, scatter 100g of pecan halves over the filling just before baking. The nuts toast as the pie bakes, adding a lovely crunch and a nutty flavour that pairs beautifully with the pumpkin spice.
• Vegan Option: Use a plant-based block butter (like Naturli or Flora Plant) for the pastry. For the pumpkin pie, replace the double cream with full-fat coconut cream, and use two tablespoons of cornflour mixed with three tablespoons of water as an egg replacer. The texture will be slightly denser but still wonderfully creamy.
• Different Protein: This is a dessert section, but if you fancy a savoury twist for the apple tart, swap the sugar and cinnamon for 100g of grated cheddar cheese and a pinch of black pepper. Bake as directed, and serve warm as a side dish with roast turkey. It’s a brilliant way to use up leftover pastry.

What to Serve With Classic Thanksgiving Desserts and Pies to Bake

• A generous dollop of clotted cream or thick double cream
• A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream
• A drizzle of warm salted caramel sauce
• A cup of strong black coffee or a pot of peppermint tea

Frequently Asked Questions

Classic Thanksgiving Desserts and Pies to Bake

A duo of classic Thanksgiving pies: a creamy pumpkin pie and a spiced apple tart, both made with a flaky homemade pastry. Perfect for holiday gatherings.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 320

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 300 g plain flour
• 150 g cold unsalted butter cubed
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4 –5 tablespoons ice-cold water

For the pumpkin pie filling: 425g pumpkin purée

• 200 ml double cream
• 100 g light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice mix
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the apple tart filling: 4 medium Bramley or Granny Smith apples

• 50 g caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam for glazing

Method

 

1. Make the pastry: In a large bowl, tip the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter cubes. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs — you'll see small, pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. This is what gives the pastry its flaky texture. Add the ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time, and stir with a fork until the dough just clumps together. You should feel it come away from the sides of the bowl, but it shouldn't feel wet.
2. Chill the dough: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together into a disc. Wrap it tightly in cling film and pop it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. The dough will feel firm and cold to the touch when it's ready to roll. This resting step is non-negotiable — it relaxes the gluten and prevents shrinkage during baking.
3. Preheat and prep the tins: Heat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Lightly butter a 23cm pie dish and a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. While the oven warms, take the chilled dough from the fridge and cut it in half. Roll each piece out on a floured surface to a thickness of about 3mm. You'll see the dough is smooth and not sticky, and it should lift easily with a palette knife.
4. Line the tins: Gently drape one piece of rolled dough into the pie dish and the other into the tart tin. Press the dough into the corners without stretching it — if you stretch it, it will shrink during baking. Trim the edges with a sharp knife, leaving a 1cm overhang. For the pie dish, crimp the edges with your fingers; for the tart tin, just roll the rolling pin over the top to cut off the excess. Prick the bases all over with a fork. You'll see the small holes you've created, which allow steam to escape.
5. Blind bake the pastry: Line each pastry case with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 12 minutes. The pastry edges will look set and just starting to colour. Remove the parchment and beans, then bake for another 5 minutes. The bases will look dry and lightly golden. Set aside to cool slightly while you make the fillings.
6. Make the pumpkin pie filling: In a medium jug, whisk together the pumpkin purée, double cream, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin spice, and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture is completely smooth — you'll see a uniform, glossy orange colour with no streaks of egg white. Pour this into the blind-baked pie shell.
7. Make the apple tart filling: Peel, core, and slice the apples into thin wedges, about 5mm thick. In a bowl, toss the apple slices with the caster sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and cornflour. You'll notice the apples look glossy and the sugar has started to draw out their juice. Arrange the slices in concentric circles over the blind-baked tart base, pressing them down gently.
8. Bake both pies: Place the pumpkin pie on the middle shelf and the apple tart on the shelf below. Bake the pumpkin pie for 40–45 minutes. You'll know it's done when the edges are set but the centre still has a slight wobble — like a firm jelly. The surface will be matte, not shiny. Bake the apple tart for 35–40 minutes. The apples will be tender when pierced with a skewer, and the edges of the tart will be deep golden brown. The kitchen will smell of warm spices and caramelised fruit.
9. Glaze and cool: For the apple tart, warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan until it becomes runny. Brush it over the hot apples. The glaze will turn them a beautiful, shiny amber colour. Let both pies cool completely on a wire rack. The pumpkin pie needs at least 2 hours to set properly — don't rush this, or your slices will be sloppy.

Notes

The pastry needs at least 2 hours chilling time. Pumpkin pie must cool for 2 hours to set properly. Both pies can be made a day ahead.

I’d love to hear how you get on with these two classic Thanksgiving desserts. Have you tried baking them together, or do you have a favourite family twist? Drop a comment below and share your experience. For more speedy, stress-free bakes, check out my Fudgy Zucchini Brownies With Chocolate Glaze 2 or these Soft Apple Breakfast Cookies With Oats And Raisins 2 — both perfect for a busy weeknight treat.