Thanksgiving Day, Part 5: Desserts

Somehow after such a huge meal, we all still manage to force ourselves to choke down some dessert. With this variety, that wasn't a huge challenge, other than our horrible stomachaches that followed. But we enjoyed the standard Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, an apple tart, and a new recipe-maple pecan pie bars, instead of a pecan pie. All were quite tasty and I have to say that I've been enjoying the gooey pecan pie bars while working on my blog posts this morning, along with the butter rolls! Out of everything that we made on Thanksgiving, I think these recipes are the most likely to pop up some other time in the year.




Salted Maple Pecan Pie Bars (adapted from Pinch of Yum)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups flour (plus extra, if necessary)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2+ cups pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the flour and beat until coarse crumbs form; if the mixture is too soft, add a little more flour. It should be crumbly but stick together when pressed into the pan. Once ready, press the crust into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until top appears dry and slightly puffed. Underbaking it will help the crust stay softer, if you prefer that.

For the filling, whisk the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir in the pecans and pour the mixture over the crust. The filling should not be more than just a light layer of sauce over the crust. Arrange any stray pecans and return to the oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven when the filling appears mostly set. After a few minutes out of the oven, check by touching mixture and if it doesn't stick to your hand when you touch it, it's set correctly (and still might be runny and gooey underneath). Sprinkle coarse sea salt or kosher sauce on top.

Cool completely and refrigerate overnight. Cut into 24 pieces and serve slightly chilled!

Recipe: Pinch of Yum: Salted Maple Pecan Pie Bars

Jill's Pumpkin Pie (adapted by Betsy)
15 oz. can organic canned pumpkin (not the canned pie filler)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
A dash of salt
1 14 oz. can evaporated milk
2 eggs slightly beaten

Mix the pumpkin, sugar and spices together. Add the milk and eggs and mix until evenly blended. Pour into pie shell  in a 9"  ceramic pie dish. Bake the pie at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until the knife comes out clean. Let it cool and then chill overnight.*

*Betsy's oven doesn't do well with temperatures over 400 degrees which is part of why she didn't do the two-part baking method that Jill used.

Recipe: Jill's Pumpkin Pie

Cooking Notes: While good, the general consensus is that it could have been a smidgen sweeter, so I've adjusted the white sugar level to what we expect would be a more appropriate amount.

Betsy's Cranberry Apple Crisp
2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
3/4 cup cranberries
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square or round baking dish. In a large bowl, mix together the apples, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place evenly in the baking dish. Then combine the oats, flour, brown sugar and butter, mixing until crumbly (you may have to use your hands depending on how soft your butter is). Stir in pecans, if using. Sprinkle over apples. Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, or until top is golden brown and apples are tender.

Recipe: All Recipes: Apple Cranberry Crisp