8 Easy Thanksgiving Desserts That Aren’t Pie

28 Nov 1923, Wed Chattanooga Daily Times (Chattanooga, Tennessee) Newspapers.com

Want something other than pie for Thanksgiving dessert? We searched the historical papers on Newspapers.com™ to find 8 vintage recipes for easy Thanksgiving desserts that aren’t pie!

(But if you want pie too, be sure to check out these fun pumpkin pie recipes!)

Note: We’ve included transcriptions of the recipes so they’re easier to follow. Click on any of the images to see the original newspaper recipe on our site.

1. Pumpkin Spice Cake (1936)

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cake (1936) 30 Oct 1936, Fri The World (Coos Bay, Oregon) Newspapers.com

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 3/4 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon  
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon mace
• 1/2 cup seedless raisins

Directions:

1. Cream shortening, add sugar slowly, and beat well. Add beaten egg.
2. Combine pumpkin and milk and add alternately with the dry ingredients sifted together. Add raisins and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour in greased loaf pan and place in cold electric oven. Set temperature control to 350°. Turn switch to bake. Bake approximately 1 hour.

2. Baked Cranberry and Walnut Dessert (1949)

Recipe: Baked Cranberry and Walnut Dessert (1949) 06 Oct 1949, Thu The Edmonton Bulletin (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) Newspapers.com

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped walnut meats
• 1/3 cup melted butter or fortified margarine
• 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
• 3 cups cranberry sauce
• 1/2 cup cream, whipped

Directions:

1. Mix together sugar, graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, walnut meats, and melted butter or margarine.
2. Pat 2/3 of this mixture into well-greased large yellow dish of heat-resistant glass refrigerator-oven set.
3. Add grated orange rind to cranberry sauce; pour on top of crumb mixture in dish. Place remaining crumb mixture on top of cranberry sauce.
4. Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees F) for 30 minutes.
5. Cool and decorate top with whipped cream.

3. Apple Crisp (1948)

Recipe: Apple Crisp (1948) 04 Nov 1948, Thu Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Hawaii) Newspapers.com

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chopped or sliced apples
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sifted flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter

Directions:

1. Place in shallow 6×10 inch baking dish sliced or chopped apples and sprinkle with water, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Work together the flour, sugar, and butter until crumbly. Spread crumb mixture over apples.
3. Bake uncovered about 40 minutes in moderate oven (350 degrees).
4. Serve warm with plain or whipped cream. Serves 6 to 8.

4. Top-of-Stove Carmel Dumpling Dessert (1937)

Recipe: Top-of-Stove Carmel Dumpling Dessert (1937) 13 Nov 1937, Sat The North Adams Transcript (North Adams, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com

Dumpling ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Dumpling directions:

1. Sift dry ingredients, cut in butter, and add milk and vanilla.
2. Drop by rounding teaspoon into the boiling carmel sauce. Cover, cook.
3. Cook slowly for 20 minutes without removing cover. (Serves 5).

Carmel sauce for above dumplings:

1. Combine 2 tablespoons butter, 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar, 1 ½ cups boiling water, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Simmer 5 minutes.
2. Drop in dumpling batter.

5. Ginger Snaps (1908)

Recipe: Ginger Snaps (1908) 15 Nov 1908, Sun The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup lard
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 3 teaspoons ginger
• 3 cups flour

Directions:

1. Roll thin.

(*Estimated bake temperature & time: 350–375°F for 8–10 minutes. Shortening can be substituted for lard, if desired.)

6. Apple Tapioca Pudding (1923)

Recipe: Apple Tapioca Pudding (1923) 24 Nov 1923, Sat Pawhuska Daily Journal (Pawhuska, Oklahoma) Newspapers.com

Ingredients:

• 1 quart peeled apples
• 1 cup tapioca
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions:

• Quarter apples and fill bake dish. Sprinkle half sugar over apples.
• Soak tapioca in quart hot water, 1 hour. Add salt, lemon extract, and rest of sugar. Pour over apples.
• Bake until apples are tender. Serve with hard sauce.

7. Cheese and Fruit Tray (1936)

Recipe: Cheese and fruit tray (1936) 20 Nov 1936, Fri Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois) Newspapers.com

Cheeses:

• Swiss
• Mild American
• Sharp American
• Pimiento cheese
• Genuine imported Roquefort
• Cream cheese

Fruits:

• Kumquat clusters
• Pears
• White grapes

Directions:

1. On the cheese board in the center of the large tray, arrange the cheeses.
2. Border this array with fruits.

8. Pumpkin Honey Milk (1942)

Recipe: Pumpkin Honey Milk (1942) 21 Apr 1942, Tue The Dayton Herald (Dayton, Ohio) Newspapers.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1 ½ cups evaporated milk
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• Few grains cloves
• Few grains salt

Directions:

1. Stir to thoroughly blend pumpkin into evaporated milk and water.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients; chill and serve. 4 servings.

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