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Thanksgiving pies and desserts at my family’s table always include pecan pie, sweet potato pie, fudge pie, red velvet cake, cream cheese pound cake, banana pudding, and a classic cheesecake. Oh, and my famous pumpkin roll with cream cheese! Some years we add a pumpkin pie too. This collection includes all of them, along with chess pie, apple cake, pumpkin cake, and a caramel apple cobbler baked in cast iron.

Our dessert table is always a mix of pies, cakes, and something creamy like the banana pudding. Start with your own family favorites and fill in the table from there.

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1
Overhead view of half a sweet potato pie in a white plate.
Southern Sweet Potato Pie
Sweet potato pie is an old-fashioned Southern dessert that’s economical and easy to make and quite delicious.
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2
Closeup of pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling on a platter.
Pumpkin Roll
This Pumpkin Roll has the best flavor from cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger–and delicious cream cheese filling!
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3
A slice of red velvet cake with three layers and white cream cheese frosting on a white plate, with a fork and red napkin in the background.
Southern Red Velvet Cake Recipe
A guide to making the best red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. It's tender, moist, and always delicious.
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4
A plate with a slice of chess Pie which is an old-fashioned Southern favorite custard-type pie made from a few simple ingredients. It's easy and everyone loves it!
Chess Pie
Chess Pie is an old-fashioned Southern favorite custard-type pie made from a few simple ingredients. It's easy and everyone loves it!
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5
This Southern Pecan Pie recipe is a classic but swaps old-fashioned cane syrup for some of the corn syrup. The result is intense and delicious flavor, not just overwhelming sweetness!
Southern Pecan Pie with Cane Syrup
This Southern Pecan Pie recipe is a classic but swaps old-fashioned cane syrup for some of the corn syrup. The result is intense and delicious flavor, not just overwhelming sweetness! 
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6
A square pumpkin cheesecake bar with a marbled pumpkin swirl pattern sits on a white plate with a fork beside it.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Creamy, spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with a buttery graham crust — your new favorite fall dessert!
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7
A slice of fudge pie on a stack of two plates, with a golden flaky crust and rich, creamy filling, set on a marble surface. A blue cloth is in the background.
Fudge Pie Recipe
Old-fashioned fudge pie made with Hershey’s cocoa powder and mixed in one bowl. Bake until the center is gooey and the top is crackly.
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8
Slices of pound cake on a plate.
Southern Cream Cheese Pound Cake
This cream cheese pound cake is perfect every time, with a buttery, moist, and tender crumb.
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9
Three pies are displayed on a kitchen countertop next to black canisters and a container holding assorted cutlery, with one featuring a golden gingersnap crust perfect for any pumpkin pie recipe.
Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust
A spicy pumpkin pie filling baked in a crunchy gingersnap crust. It’s a pie marriage made in Heaven.
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10
A slice of double crust apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, served on a white plate. An apple and a striped cloth are in the background.
Double-Crust Apple Pie
Double-crust apple pie with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg and sweet apple filling between two flaky layers of pie crust.
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11
A slice of apple pie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce on a white plate, with a fork resting on the dessert.
Salted Caramel Apple Pie Recipe
A buttery, flaky pie filled with tender apples, gooey caramel, and a hint of sea salt.
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12
A bundt cake with white icing and chopped pecans on top, served on a white plate with a slice cut out.
Bourbon Pecan Cake Recipe
A small bourbon bundt cake with a brown sugar and toasted pecan layer through the middle, finished with a thick bourbon glaze.
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13
A close-up of a chocolate-covered peanut butter cheesecake with a cookie crust, resting on parchment paper.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Peanut butter pie with chocolate ganache is cold, creamy, no-bake, and completely worth making.
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14
A sliced caramel apple tart on a round wooden cutting board, with a pie server and sprigs of herbs nearby.
Caramel Apple Tart Recipe
A buttery tart shell filled with thin apple slices arranged in a spiral, baked until the edges caramelize, and finished with homemade salted caramel and flaky sea salt.
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15
Three pecan tarts stacked on a white surface, with additional tarts and whole pecans scattered around them.
Pecan Tassies Recipe
Miniature pecan pies baked in a tender cream cheese crust, filled with toasted pecans and dark corn syrup. One mini muffin pan makes twenty-four.
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16
Caramel Apple Cake serving in a bowl.
Caramel Apple Cake
Caramel Apple Cake with fresh, tart apples baked into a luscious brown sugar cake and covered with a sweet, caramel glaze.
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17
Two pieces of pumpkin sheet cake on a plate.
Pumpkin Sheet Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Tender, spicy Pumpkin Sheet Cake topped with a to-die-for white chocolate cream cheese frosting is sure to become a favorite among family and friends.
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18
A cast iron skillet filled with baked apple cobbler, featuring golden biscuit topping and caramelized apple filling, with a wooden spoon resting inside.
Apple Cobbler Recipe
A caramel apple cobbler baked in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, with cinnamon-spiced Honeycrisp apples under a tender biscuit topping. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream.
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19
A slice of pumpkin coffee cake topped with cinnamon crumb streusel on a white plate, with a gold fork and a glass of milk nearby.
Pumpkin Crumb Cake Recipe
Pumpkin Crumb Cake is sweet and fragrant from notes of allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. 
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20
A slice of classic cheesecake topped with glazed strawberries and strawberry sauce on a plate.
Classic Cheesecake Recipe
This classic cheesecake recipe does not need a water bath and is creamy and perfect every time.
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21
A slice of cheesecake topped with diced apples and caramel sauce sits on a ceramic plate.
No-Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake Recipe
A no-bake caramel apple cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, cinnamon-cooked Honeycrisp apples, and caramel layered inside and drizzled over the top.
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22
A glass trifle bowl filled with layers of banana pudding, vanilla wafers, and sliced bananas, topped with crumbled wafers.
Southern Banana Pudding
Creamy, luscious, homemade custard makes all the difference in this Southern Banana Pudding.
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23
Overhead shot of a serving of pumpkin bread pudding in a dish with whipped cream.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Served warm or room temperature with maple whipped cream, this pumpkin bread pudding will have your guests raving. It’s wonderful and easy.
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24
A glass trifle bowl filled with layers of cake, cream, chopped pecans, and whipped topping, set on a dark surface with extra pecans in a small bowl nearby.
Pecan Pie Trifle Recipe
Pecans caramelized in butter and maple syrup, layered with cubes of pound cake and whipped cream made from scratch. Serves twelve from one trifle dish.
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25
Pecan Pie Bars with a buttery shortbread crust topped with the best pecan pie filling. They're easy to make, easy to eat, and a great make ahead dessert.
Pecan Pie Bars
Pecan Pie Bars with a buttery shortbread crust topped with the best pecan pie filling. They're easy to make, easy to eat, and a great make ahead dessert.
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Hi, I’m Lucy! I’m a recipe developer, writer, and fourth-generation Southern cook sharing trusted recipes that help keep Southern food traditions alive. Every recipe is carefully tested and designed for today’s kitchens, gatherings, and family tables.

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A bundt cake with white icing and chopped pecans on top, served on a white plate with a slice cut out.
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