When the pies are already claimed, a few extra sweets make the Thanksgiving afternoon table easier to share. This collection mixes bars, brownies, cookies, chilled desserts, and small treats that can sit alongside the traditional slices. There are rich chocolate choices, fruit-forward options, and a couple of cold desserts for guests who want something different. Pick a few that suit your table, then leave room for another round after the game.
Chocolate Truffles
Small and easy to pass around, Chocolate Truffles bring a smooth ganache center to the dessert table, with heavy cream, chocolate, and butter forming the base. They take 2 hours 30 minutes from start to finish, much of it chilling time before the mixture is rolled. Cocoa powder, shredded coconut, or chopped nuts give the batch a few different finishes. Set them beside pie slices for a neat, bite-size option.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Truffles
Mississippi Mud Pie
A layered slice of Mississippi Mud Pie brings an extra chocolate option beside the Thanksgiving pies, with an Oreo crust, brownie layer, pudding, and whipped cream. It takes 4 hours 30 minutes total, including at least four hours to chill, so it can be made ahead. Espresso and toasted pecans add depth to the brownie layer. Cut it into small portions for guests who want a rich finish after dinner.
Get the Recipe: Mississippi Mud Pie
Oreo Balls
The crisp shell around Oreo Balls gives a holiday tray a little crunch, while crushed cookies and cream cheese make the center soft and fudgy. White chocolate coats each ball, and they take 1 hour 20 minutes total, including the required chill. Finish with cookie crumbs or sprinkles for a batch that is simple to pick up between conversations. They add a no-bake choice next to the pies.
Get the Recipe: Oreo Balls
No Churn Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Cold, creamy scoops offer a welcome change of texture alongside slices of pie. No Churn Salted Caramel Ice Cream combines heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, salted caramel sauce, and sea salt, then freezes for five hours. They take 5 hours 5 minutes total, with only five minutes of prep. Serve a scoop with apple or pecan pie, or place it out as its own chilled dessert for guests who prefer something cool.
Get the Recipe: No Churn Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Tiramisu Brownies
A coffeehouse-style layer gives Tiramisu Brownies a familiar tiramisu flavor, with a brownie base topped by mascarpone and cream, then coffee-soaked ladyfingers. They take 2 hours 25 minutes total, including chilling, so the squares can be ready before guests arrive. Strong brewed coffee or espresso adds the familiar tiramisu note. Cut them small to make room on the dessert plate beside classic Thanksgiving pie.
Get the Recipe: Tiramisu Brownies
Key Lime Bars
Tidy squares give Key Lime Bars an easy place among the richer desserts, bringing a tart citrus contrast to the Thanksgiving table. A buttery crust supports a filling made with egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, and zest. They take 2 hours 40 minutes total, including cooling time. Their tart, creamy layer gives guests a lighter-tasting option beside pumpkin and pecan pie without taking up the space of another full pie.
Get the Recipe: Key Lime Bars
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
A sweet and salty slice gives Strawberry Pretzel Salad its place beside the pies, with a pretzel base, cream cheese layer, and strawberry topping. It takes 4 hours 30 minutes total, including four hours of chilling, so it can be set in the refrigerator earlier in the day. Strawberries and strawberry gelatin bring the fruit layer, while Cool Whip tops the cream cheese filling. Cut it into squares for a chilled, shareable dessert.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Marry Me Cookies
A thick, chewy cookie adds a familiar handheld choice to the dessert spread. Marry Me Cookies use butter, brown sugar, eggs, flour, and old-fashioned oats, and take 33 minutes from start to finish. Their cookie size keeps serving simple without plates or forks. Stack them on a small platter beside the pies, where guests can take one now and save another for the next quarter.
Get the Recipe: Marry Me Cookies
Pecan Pie Bars
All the familiar pecan pie notes arrive in a smaller square with Pecan Pie Bars. A shortbread-style crust sits beneath a filling of eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. They take three hours total, including two hours for cooling, so the bars can be made ahead and sliced before the meal. Put them beside the pie plates for guests who want pecan filling in an easier-to-handle portion.
Get the Recipe: Pecan Pie Bars
Cosmic Brownies
A playful finish lets Cosmic Brownies add color among the more traditional holiday desserts. Beneath ganache and sprinkles sits a chocolate brownie base, and they take 2 hours 53 minutes total, including chilling. The rich squares can be cut into smaller pieces when the dessert table is already busy with pie. Their chocolate center and bright topping bring a familiar snack-cake style to the Thanksgiving afternoon spread.
Get the Recipe: Cosmic Brownies
Cinnamon Sugar Blondies
An even square with a cinnamon-sugar finish gives Cinnamon Sugar Blondies a bake-sale note as they join the holiday dessert table. The recipe uses brown sugar, butter, and eggs in the blondie base, with a sweet cinnamon layer on top. They take one hour total. Cut the pan into small squares for easy sharing, especially when guests want a bar cookie between pie slices or while settling in to watch the game.
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Sugar Blondies
Caramel Apple Hawaiian Rolls
Soft pull-apart rolls turn into a warm apple dessert with Caramel Apple Hawaiian Rolls. Hawaiian rolls are filled with apples and finished with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and caramel sauce. They take 35 minutes total, including 20 minutes of baking. Serve them warm in the dish so guests can pull one apart, or arrange individual pieces beside the pies for an apple-and-caramel choice that is easy to share.
Get the Recipe: Caramel Apple Hawaiian Rolls
Biscoff Brownies
A swirl through the center gives Biscoff Brownies a different flavor, balancing the chocolate base with Biscoff’s warm cinnamon notes. With melted butter, sugar, eggs, and chopped chocolate in the mix, these brownies take 45 minutes total. Slice the brownies into modest squares so they can share the dessert table with pie and other bars. They make a good pick for anyone ready for chocolate with a cookie-spice twist.
Get the Recipe: Biscoff Brownies
Apple Pie Cupcakes
Individual cakes make Apple Pie Cupcakes easy to portion when everyone is choosing among several desserts. Yellow cake mix forms the base, while apple pie filling, butter, and brown sugar bring the familiar filling flavor; frosting finishes each cupcake. Their individual size keeps serving simple when the table is crowded with pies and bars. Arrange the cupcakes beside the pies for a familiar apple flavor in a smaller, hand-held form.
Get the Recipe: Apple Pie Cupcakes
Retro Watergate Salad
Pale green and fluffy, Retro Watergate Salad adds a chilled spoon dessert to the Thanksgiving table. Instant pistachio pudding mix combines with crushed pineapple, mini marshmallows, pecans, and Cool Whip. It takes 1 hour 10 minutes total, including an hour to chill. Spoon it into a serving bowl near the pies, where its cool texture and fruity flavor offer a different kind of finish from baked bars and slices.
Get the Recipe: Retro Watergate Salad
Cherry Pie
A ruby-red slice makes Cherry Pie a natural companion to the other pies planned for Thanksgiving. Fresh sweet cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla fill two nine-inch crusts, and the pie takes 1 hour 25 minutes total. Each slice brings soft fruit inside a flaky crust, giving guests another option among the traditional holiday flavors. Set it out with a pie server so everyone can choose a smaller piece alongside another dessert.
Get the Recipe: Cherry Pie
Homemade Buckeyes
Round and easy to pass, Homemade Buckeyes bring peanut butter flavor in a small, easy-to-pass piece. Creamy peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, and semisweet chocolate morsels come together in just 15 minutes. Their round shape makes them simple to arrange in a bowl or on a tray, with no need to slice or plate each one. Add them among the Thanksgiving desserts for a quick, candy-like choice between pie servings.
Get the Recipe: Homemade Buckeyes
Rocky Road Ice Cream
Cool scoops of Rocky Road Ice Cream pair chocolate with nuts and mini marshmallows for a dessert that contrasts with warm pie. Milk, cocoa powder, sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla form the base, and it takes 3 hours 43 minutes total, including freezing. Serve it on its own or beside a warm slice for a hot-and-cold combination. A bowl on the table gives guests who want an ice cream option an easy way to join in.
Get the Recipe: Rocky Road Ice Cream
Pumpkin Spice Brownies
Marbled with fall color, Pumpkin Spice Brownies bring a seasonal twist beyond pie, pairing familiar spice with chocolate. Fudge brownie mix meets pumpkin puree, cream cheese, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. The brownies take 1 hour 5 minutes total. Cut the pan into bite-size portions so the pumpkin flavor can sit beside pumpkin pie without competing for the same slice-sized space.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Brownies
Lemon Meringue Pie
Tall and cloud-like, Lemon Meringue Pie stands out among the richer Thanksgiving desserts. Its pastry crust holds a tart filling of lemon juice and zest, finished with whipped egg whites and sugar. It takes one hour total, with 20 minutes of prep and 40 minutes of cooking. The tall meringue makes each slice distinct on the table, while the citrus flavor gives guests another direction after a hearty meal.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Meringue Pie
Churros
Crisp ridges and a cinnamon-sugar coating make Churros easy to share while the game is on. They take 40 minutes total and come with a chocolate dipping sauce made from cream and dark chocolate. Serve them warm on a platter with the sauce nearby for dipping, so guests can take one without committing to another full slice. Their shape and chocolate dip add a different texture to the Thanksgiving dessert table.
Get the Recipe: Churros