The real showstopper of Thanksgiving isn't the bird (especially amid a turkey shortage coupled with inflation), sweet potato casserole or cranberry sauce — it's dessert! From apple pie and classic apple crisp to boozy pecan pie and traditional pumpkin pie, the options are not only decadent but also limitless.
Baking your own Thanksgiving desserts from scratch requires time, which is something you may be short on this year. Thankfully, Trader Joe's has an assortment of grab-and-go holiday sweets that check all the right boxes. Whether you're craving the rustic flavor of apples or the creaminess of cheesecake this holiday season, here are six Thanksgiving desserts that you can add to your cart right now.
This list adds to Salon Food's growing library of supermarket guides. If you're looking for a new and fun snack to enjoy this season, check out the 15 best Trader Joe's fall snacks to stuff in your basket.
Apple Crumble Pie
Trader Joe's limited-time-only Apple Crumble Pie sounds like the perfect way to end a feast. This holiday dessert is made from cinnamon-imbued Northern Spy apples, an all-butter pastry crust and a buttery, brown-sugar oat crumble topping, all of which are baked to perfection. It's also 8 inches in diameter, so there's plenty to enjoy with a crowd.
Typically, apple pie tastes pest best served warm with a heaping scoop or two of vanilla ice cream and a piping hot cup of coffee.
Pumpkin Sticky Toffee Cakes
Priced at $3.99 for a box of two, Trader Joe's Pumpkin Sticky Toffee Cakes are mini Bundt cakes flavored with pumpkin, dates and brown sugar and coated in a deliciously sticky caramel sauce. Pop a cake in the microwave; once heated, top it with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
"From the soft, moist texture of the cake to the rich sweetness of the sticky toffee sauce and unmistakably autumnal pumpkin, cinnamon and clove notes throughout, everything about this dessert conjures coziness," TJ's says on its website. "And its price conjures value."
Rustic Apple Tarte
This frozen dessert flaunts a sweet and syrupy apple filling that is encased in a buttery crust. Simply put a frozen tarte in the oven, bake it for 20 to 25 minutes and voilà — dessert is ready! TJ's Rustic Apple Tarte would pair exceptionally well with a sprinkle of pearl sugar and a scoop of salted maple ice cream, vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Per fans on Reddit, the tarte is both "delicious" and "so so so good." "I bake a lot at home so I have high standards for baked goods but was really pleasantly surprised by this tarte! The filling was not too sweet, with a good amount of apple pieces and apple goo," user u/btrd_toast writes. "Sometimes a French-style apple tarte can be kind of dry, which this was not. The apple flavor is good, like they didn't use the absolute cheapest apples. The crust tastes of real butter."
Pumpkin Cheesecake
TJ's Pumpkin Cheesecake is a creamy dessert that is made with smooth cream cheese, fresh pumpkin and seasonal pumpkin pie spices. The best part about this dessert? It requires no additional time in the oven — simply take it out of the package and enjoy as many slices as your heart desires.
A slice can be enjoyed all on its own or top it with whipped cream, pumpkin-flavored ice cream or caramel sauce. If you're looking for something creamy and pumpkin-y, this may be it.
Autumnal Pie Truffles
The Belgian-made chocolates in this seasonal assortment are shaped like little pie slices and filled with traditional pie fillings. Each pack contains four flavors: apple pie (caramel apple cinnamon filling with milk and white chocolate shell), pumpkin pie (cranberry ginger cinnamon filling with milk and dark chocolate shell), pecan caramel pie (salted caramel pecan filling with milk and dark chocolate shell) and silk mousse pie (chocolate and vanilla crème filling with milk and white chocolate shell).
The pie truffles are adorned with biscuit crumbs, brownie cookie crumbs, caramelized pecan nuts and milk chocolate pieces. Finish off your favorite pies with these mini sweets or serve them solo on a dessert platter.
Nantucket Style Cranberry Pie
Who says apple, pecan and pumpkin pies are the only desserts you can enjoy on Thanksgiving? NTJ's Nantucket Style Cranberry Pie is a traditional New England holiday sweet that is made from tart cranberries, almonds, walnut pieces and vanilla. "One bite of this pleasantly tart alternative to traditionally super-sweet holiday offerings, and you won't want to argue about whether it should be called pie, cake or cobbler — you'll just want more," TJ's writes on its website.
Enjoy a pie at room temperature or warmed up with your choice of sweet embellishments. You can either set it out on the counter at room temperature for one to two hours or pop it in a 325-degree oven for 20 minutes.
