Chocolate Thanksgiving Desserts
Every Thanksgiving table has someone who skips the pumpkin pie and waits for the chocolate one. The best of these meet the holiday halfway, so the pecans and the pumpkin still show up, just with chocolate. Thirty chocolate Thanksgiving desserts, from a make-ahead mousse to a torte worth clearing the table for.
Six to Bake First
One from every section, and each one has earned its spot next to the pumpkin pie.
Black Bottom Pecan Pie
Dark chocolate ganache goes into the crust first, then a pecan filling sweetened with brown rice syrup instead of corn syrup. It looks like pecan pie until the first slice comes out.
Pumpkin Pie with a Chocolate Crust
The classic spiced custard, baked in an all-butter crust rolled with Dutch-process cocoa. Everyone gets their pumpkin pie, and the chocolate camp finally has a reason to eat the crust.
Gooey Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
A food scientist's trick: a splash of cream and vinegar keeps the filling gooey but sliceable, over a brown-sugar shortbread. Pecan pie for a crowd, no pie plate required.
Five-Layer Dark Chocolate Cheesecake
Brownie crust, dark chocolate cheesecake, chocolate mousse and ganache, stacked in one springform. The recipe uses brewed espresso, and a spoonful of espresso powder does the same job.
Chocolate Bourbon Bundt Cake
The recipe insists on Dutch-process or dark cocoa, never natural, with hot coffee and bourbon in the batter and two cups of ganache on top. Gluten-free, with a regular-flour option.
French Chocolate Pots de Creme
Stovetop custard, no water bath, with dark chocolate stirred in and poured into little cups to chill. Make them the day before, and the only job left on Thursday is a spoonful of whipped cream.
Chocolate Thanksgiving Pies & Tarts
The pie table always has room for one that is not orange. Two chocolate pecan pies, a cream pie, a silk pie, a caramel tart and a Southern chess pie.
Black Bottom Pecan Pie
Dark chocolate ganache goes into the crust first, then a pecan filling sweetened with brown rice syrup instead of corn syrup. It looks like pecan pie until the first slice comes out.
Chocolate Cream Pie
Dutch-process cocoa and two chocolates set into a silky custard with no eggs at all. A cookie-crumb crust holds up under it, and vanilla-bean whipped cream goes on top.
Baked Caramel Chocolate Ganache Tart
Baked caramel under a thick dark chocolate ganache, in a chocolate shortcrust shell. Cut it in slim wedges - a sliver is plenty after a second plate of stuffing.
Classic French Silk Pie
Butter, sugar and melted chocolate beaten until the filling turns to silk, in a flaky buttermilk crust. It needs hours in the fridge, so it is finished before the turkey goes in.
Honey Chocolate Pecan Pie
Honey and brown sugar stand in for corn syrup, and cocoa plus chocolate chips go straight into the filling. Where the black bottom pie hides its chocolate, this one puts it everywhere.
Chocolate Chess Pie
The Southern pantry pie that bakes into a fudgy filling with a crackly top, and the blender does all the mixing. Good news for the year someone forgets the pecans.
Make the crust dark
Swap a few tablespoons of the flour in a pie or tart crust for Black Cocoa and it bakes up near-black, with a deep, smooth chocolate flavor and that classic sandwich-cookie note. The color comes straight from the cocoa, with little to no food coloring.
Chocolate Pumpkin Desserts
Pumpkin and chocolate get along better than most relatives at the table. A pie, a bundt and a loaf that keep both.
Pumpkin Pie with a Chocolate Crust
The classic spiced custard, baked in an all-butter crust rolled with Dutch-process cocoa. Everyone gets their pumpkin pie, and the chocolate camp finally has a reason to eat the crust.
Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Three-quarters of a cup of cocoa and a whole can of pumpkin, warmed with cardamom and allspice. It is a chocolate cake first, with pumpkin keeping the crumb soft.
Double Chocolate Pumpkin Bread
Cocoa in the batter, chocolate chips all through it and sour cream for a moist crumb. Bake it a day ahead and slice it for the morning-after coffee too.
Chocolate Pecan & Caramel Desserts
Pecans, caramel and chocolate, in bars, tarts, mini pies and one very tall cake.
Gooey Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
A food scientist's trick: a splash of cream and vinegar keeps the filling gooey but sliceable, over a brown-sugar shortbread. Pecan pie for a crowd, no pie plate required.
Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars
Toasted-pecan shortbread, a stovetop brown-sugar caramel and a thick layer of semisweet ganache. Trade the fine salt on top for flaky salt and the caramel gets a crunch.
Chocolate Praline Cake
Four layers of Dutch cocoa cake, chocolate buttercream and four cups of cinnamon candied pecans. If the table gets one showpiece this year, make it this one.
Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts
Individual tarts with a graham and pecan crust, a salted caramel layer and dark chocolate cream on top. Everyone gets their own, so nobody fights over the last slice.
Salted Honey Chocolate Pecan Bars
Here the caramel is honey and cream instead of corn syrup, chocolate chips melt into the pecans, and flaky salt goes on last. Chewier and saltier than a classic pecan pie bar.
Mini Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pies
Molasses, dark chocolate and a splash of bourbon, baked in a muffin tin. They travel to someone else's table without a pie carrier and never need slicing.
Chocolate Cheesecakes
Every one of these wants a night in the fridge, which leaves the oven free on Thursday.
Five-Layer Dark Chocolate Cheesecake
Brownie crust, dark chocolate cheesecake, chocolate mousse and ganache, stacked in one springform. The recipe uses brewed espresso, and a spoonful of espresso powder does the same job.
No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
Oven space is the scarcest thing in the house on Thanksgiving, and this one never asks for it. Melted semisweet and sour cream set it firm in the fridge overnight.
Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake
Twelve ounces of bittersweet chocolate plus cocoa in the filling, a chocolate wafer crust and a pour of ganache to finish. Chocolate from the bottom of the pan to the top.
Chocolate Cakes & Tortes
A bundt, two flourless tortes, two cranberry layer cakes and a roulade. Pick by how much counter space is left.
Chocolate Bourbon Bundt Cake
The recipe insists on Dutch-process or dark cocoa, never natural, with hot coffee and bourbon in the batter and two cups of ganache on top. Gluten-free, with a regular-flour option.
Airy Flourless Chocolate Torte
Nine separated eggs whipped for lift, so this flourless torte eats light instead of dense. Naturally gluten-free, which covers one guest's list without a special trip to the store.
Espresso Flourless Chocolate Torte
Seven ingredients, led by bittersweet chocolate and espresso powder. Dense and fudgy where the airy torte is light, and it slices cleanest straight from the fridge.
Chocolate Cranberry Cake
Tart cranberry-yuzu compote between Dutch-process cocoa layers, under cream cheese frosting and a crown of sugared cranberries and rosemary. The cranberries finally get a better job than sauce.
Chocolate Orange Cranberry Layer Cake
Four cups of cranberry-orange jam between chocolate layers, under cream cheese frosting. Take the recipe's own swap of espresso powder for the coffee and the chocolate lands darker.
Spiced Chocolate Roulade
A cocoa sponge rolled around a cinnamon and ginger brown-sugar cream, then wrapped in dark chocolate ganache. The spice makes it November food, and it comes back in December.
Make-Ahead Chocolate Desserts
Pots de creme, mousse, pudding and truffles that wait in the fridge until the plates are cleared.
French Chocolate Pots de Creme
Stovetop custard, no water bath, with dark chocolate stirred in and poured into little cups to chill. Make them the day before, and the only job left on Thursday is a spoonful of whipped cream.
Blender Chocolate Pots de Creme
Hot cream poured over chocolate and eggs in a blender, then into cups. Five minutes of work on Wednesday night, and the fridge handles the rest.
Three-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse
Cream, sifted cocoa and powdered sugar, whipped together with no eggs and no melting. The creator prefers Dutch-process cocoa here for its deeper color and smoother flavor.
Classic Chocolate Mousse
The old French method: whipped egg whites folded through melted chocolate, set in glasses overnight. Light enough to eat after a second helping of everything.
Homemade Chocolate Pudding
A yolk-rich stovetop cocoa pudding with brown and white sugar, poured into cups the day before. Made for the kids' table, and for the grown-ups who sneak one.
Two-Ingredient Chocolate Truffles
Chocolate and cream rolled into truffles, then dusted in cocoa or chopped nuts. Make a batch a few days out and send guests home with a little box.
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We've Got Answers
Does chocolate change how a pecan pie bakes?
A little. Melted chocolate and cocoa thicken the filling, so a chocolate pecan pie can set a few minutes sooner than a plain one. Bake until the edges are firm and the center has a slight wobble, then let it cool for at least two hours before slicing. If the crust browns before the middle sets, cover the edge with foil.
Can I use Dutch-process cocoa instead of natural cocoa?
In pies, puddings, mousse and frosting, yes, one for one. Cakes are where it matters: natural cocoa is acidic and reacts with baking soda, so a cake that leans on soda for its rise can bake up flatter with Dutch-process. If the recipe uses baking powder, or already calls for Dutch-process, swap freely. Dutch-process gives a darker color and a smoother, rounder flavor.
How do I keep a chocolate cream pie crust from getting soggy?
Blind bake the crust all the way, until it is golden everywhere, and let it cool before the filling goes in. Brushing the cooled crust with a thin coat of melted chocolate seals it. A cookie-crumb crust also holds up to custard better than pastry. Add the whipped cream on the day you serve.
Which chocolate desserts can I make ahead for Thanksgiving?
Most of them. Cheesecake, pots de creme, mousse, pudding and cream pies need hours in the fridge anyway, so make them a day or two before. Bundt cakes and quick breads keep well wrapped at room temperature for two days. Pecan pie bars and truffles freeze for up to three months - thaw them overnight in the fridge.
How do I make a chocolate dessert taste more chocolatey?
Add espresso powder. A teaspoon or two deepens chocolate without making the dessert taste like coffee. Bloom cocoa in something hot, like coffee, water or melted butter, before it goes into the batter, which wakes up its flavor. A pinch of salt and real vanilla round it out.
What chocolate dessert goes best with a table full of pumpkin pie?
One that contrasts instead of competing. A dark chocolate tart, a chocolate cream pie or pots de creme bring something cool and smooth next to a spiced custard. If you want one dessert for both camps, bake a pumpkin pie in a chocolate crust or a chocolate pumpkin bundt.
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