Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I’ve rounded up some of my favorite Thanksgiving Desserts for Smaller Gatherings. This Thanksgiving may look a little different than years past, and if you are expecting a few less people around your table this year, you can still wow everyone with a delicious dessert!
Mini Cakes for Thanksgiving
To start the Thanksgiving Desserts for Smaller Gatherings collection, I’ve selected a few of my small batch cake recipes. These are easy cake recipes, and perfect to feed smaller crowds.
Pumpkin Roll Cake with Chocolate Filling
Add this mini Pumpkin Roll Cake with Chocolate Filling to your holiday dessert menu! This is an easy, small batch recipe for a tender pumpkin cake rolled with chocolate cream cheese filling and sprinkled with powdered sugar. A delicious dessert for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas, or any time in between!
Looking for a beautiful cake to grace your holiday table? The Snow Day Cake (Almond Cardamom and Coconut) is a 6-inch layer cake that is perfectly tender and flavored with the delicious combination of cardamom and almond. The cake is finished with creamy vanilla frosting and sprinkles of shredded coconut.
This Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake is made with a pumpkin pie swirl and classic cheesecake, and a must have Fall dessert. This is a small batch cheesecake recipe made in a loaf pan – perfect for two! Top the cheesecake with your favorite whipped topping and caramel drizzle.
Two of my favorite desserts – cupcakes and dessert bars. I like the mini size that makes it easier for portion control. But maybe it doesn’t work the greatest when you eat 4 in one sitting … 🙂
Perfectly pumpkin-spiced and moist Pumpkin Cupcakes with Whipped Ganache Frosting are an easy small batch cupcake recipe. The cupcakes are infused with plenty of pumpkin and cozy spices and topped with a whipped ganache and whipped cream cheese frosting. A must-have dessert for your holiday menu!
Apple Chai Cheesecake Bars are a great addition when you plan your fall desserts! This is an easy small batch recipe made in a loaf pan. Creamy cheesecake is baked on a shortbread cookie crust then topped with a Chai spice apple crumble. Finish it off with a caramel drizzle for a delicious fall dessert!
Cookies are such a versatile dessert. You can take a sugar cookie, chocolate chip cookie, or cakey cookie and pretty much add any flavor you like to them. Proper baking disclosure – just make sure the flavor addition doesn’t alter the batter too much.
Chocolate Sugar Cookie Sandwiches
These Chocolate Sugar Cookie Sandwiches are a whole new take on the classic cookie sandwich. Soft sugar cookies are rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking. Then, creamy cheesecake frosting is sprinkled with cinnamon and sandwiched between two of the cookies. I'll take these over store-bought any day!
A small batch of Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies with Maple Icing are a delicious way to welcome Fall! This is an easy recipe for a classic sugar cookie cutout that is flavored with pumpkin pie spice. Then the charming pumpkin shaped cookies are decorated with maple syrup royal icing. Who says everything has to taste like pumpkin for Fall!?
This small batch of Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips make 9 cookies that are soft, moist, and most importantly – taste like pumpkin! The oatmeal, chocolate chips, and dried cranberries add texture – and go perfectly in a soft pumpkin cookie!
Soft Apple Cookies With Caramel Icing are a delicious way to celebrate Fall! This is a small batch recipe for soft and cakey cookies, filled with apple chunks and all of the cozy spices in pumpkin pie spice. The cookies are finished with a buttery caramel glaze. The perfect cookie with hot apple cider!
It wouldn't be Fall without a pumpkin cookie, and this small batch of Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Piesare a delicious way to celebrate the season. This is an easy, small batch recipe for whoopie pies that are soft, full of warm spices, and filled with a cinnamon maple cream cheese filling.
Though you may be busy in the kitchen Thanksgiving day, don’t forget your breakfast! So, why not start the day right with a sweet treat that features the cozy flavors of Fall and Thanksgiving
Small Batch Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread
Fall baking isn’t complete without pumpkin bread and this Small Batch Pumpkin Bread recipe with a cinnamon swirl crunch topping is a must for the season! This is an easy recipe that makes 5 individual loaves, or 2 mini loaves that are tender, moist, and full of all the fall flavors.
Enjoy all of the flavors of Fall with this small batch of Apple Pumpkin Streusel Muffins. This is an easy recipe for soft muffins made with two of Fall's most popular ingredients – Pumpkin and Apple! The muffins are full of fresh apple chunks and finished with a sweet apple streusel topping.
These Baked Pumpkin Spice Donutsare perfectly moist and full of Fall spices! This is an easy small batch recipe for 6 baked donuts with a Nutella glaze, maple cream cheese glaze, or classic cinnamon sugar topping option.
This is an easy, small batch recipe for homemade Caramel Apple Sweet Rolls! It starts with a classic cinnamon roll recipe for 4 rolls. Then you add sweet, crunchy apples and maple syrup caramel sauce to upgrade the perfect breakfast treat!
I’m working on more dessert alternatives to pumpkin pie for this Fall. In the meantime, these Pumpkin Pudding Napoleon Pastries are my favorite recipe on the blog. No lie.
Think of a creamy pumpkin pie filling. But we are making it even richer by turning it into a pudding. Then layer that between flaky sheets of pastry – dusted with cinnamon sugar.
Kitchen Accessories You May Need (or want) For Small Batch Baking
Hopefully this collection of Thanksgiving Desserts for Smaller Gatherings gives you a good start to planning your fall desserts and recipes.
In addition to the recipes, I’m including a list of some of my go-to kitchen supplies when making small batch recipes. And, if you don’t see what you need listed below, check out the Resources page for a more extensive list of small batch baking essentials.
