BEYOND PUMPKIN PIE: HOLIDAY DESSERTS

I was expecting out-of-town guests for Thanksgiving dinner this year (November 28) and started planning a festive menu. But somehow I had missed one of their messages, the one that said “arriving December 27.” Not November. Luckily I had not yet bought a turkey, but I had gone through my recipe files in search of a holiday dessert. 

I found lots of possibilities, from pumpkin desserts to date-filled turnovers, creamy walnut pudding to almond nougat mousse. Should you be looking for a holiday dessert that’s not pumpkin pie, here are some suggestions with links to the recipes. 

Pumpkin Pie Adjacent 

Here are several desserts made with pumpkin or squash in totally different permutations and none with that ubiquitous pumpkin pie spice!

Pie with no pumpkin, but an alternative squash.

Galician Tart with Angel's Hair and Almonds (Tarta Mondoñeda). The filling is a confiture called cabello de angel, or angel's hair. It's made by cooking strands of a kind of gourd with lots of sugar. An almond cream is spread on top and encased in puff pastry dough. You can buy the angel's hair in cans. Or substitute a pumpkin jam or any fruity jam such as apricot. The recipe is here.

Pumpkin pudding studded with nuts.

Pumpkin Pudding (Arnadí). This pudding from València is a little like pumpkin pie without the crust. Dairy-free, the pudding is thickened with almond flour and egg yolks, spiced with cinnamon, ginger and orange zest. Get the recipe here.

Pastry squares with pumpkin filling.

Pastry Squares with Pumpkin Custard Filling (Miguelitos). Use frozen puff pastry dough and an easy to prepare custard filling of pumpkin scented with cardamom. You could serve the squares with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. See the recipe for Miguelitos.

Pumpkin doughnuts!

Pumpkin Puffs (Buñuelos de Calabaza). 

These doughnuts made with pureed squash would be nice for a Hanukkah party (first night of Hanukkah coincides with Christmas Eve this year) when it's traditional to eat fried foods. The yeast batter can be made in advance. The puffs—or doughnuts—are fried right before serving. Check out the recipe here.

Turnovers with pumpkin jam filling.

Turnovers with Pumpkin Jam Filling (Empanadillas con Calabaza).

Sort of like mini-pies, but these turnovers are not baked, they're fried. A very traditional Andalusian Christmas sweet, the filling can be made with "angel's hair" squash, pumpkin or sweet potato. The recipe for Fried Turnovers with Pumpkin Jam is here.

Holiday Puddings

Sweet potatoes for dessert!

Sweet Potato Flan (Flan de Batatas).

You could caramelize the flan molds, if desired, or just drizzle the flan with store-bought caramel syrup or, for a very traditional touch, miel de caña, molasses. This flan is made with eggs and cream cheese plus the mashed sweet potatoes. See two versions of the flan, one sweet and one savory, here., 

More festive holiday desserts with sweet potatoes: Sweet Potato Compote and Sweet Potato Parfait.

Almond Nougat Mousse (Mousse de Turrón).

Turrón—almond nougat candy—is essential at the Spanish Christmas table. Here it is whipped into a rich and foamy mousse and finished with grated chocolate. This dessert can be made days in advance of a dinner party. See the recipe here.

Creamy walnut pudding with chocolate.

Walnut Cream with Chocolate Sauce (Intxaursaltsa)

This is a fancy version of a very old-fashioned holiday pudding from the Basque country. It's easy to make—walnuts cooked in milk with sugar and cinnamon, then pureed. Chocolate and whipped cream turn it into a luxurious dessert. The recipe is here.

Prune-Sherry Ice Cream with Burnt Sugar Sauce (Helado de Ciruelas Pasas al Vino Jerez con Salsa de Caramelo).

This is a frozen pudding, another dessert that can be made well in advance of holiday dinners. A creamy burnt sugar sauce makes it very sophisticated. The recipe is here.

Cakes and Bars with Nuts and Dry Fruits

Dried apricots and almond bars.

Apricot-Almond Bars (Pan de Orejones y Almendras) 

This sweet is traditionally made with dried figs ground to a paste and mixed with almonds and sesame. The confection can be made with any dried fruit—apricots, figs, raisins, prune or a mixture of fruits. It typically contains a shot of anise-flavored liquor, aguardiente or anis seco. You can omit it or substitute a sweet wine such as PX or Málaga moscatel. 

This version with apricots contains flour to keep the mixture crumbly. It is finished in the oven to cook the flour.

Chewy date and nut bars made with olive oil.

Date Bars (Barritas con Dátiles)

When I was growing up, dates were a holiday treat when my mother made Date Bars, chewy squares, chock full of nuts and sweet dates. Her recipe called for butter and a cup of sugar. This version uses olive oil and no sugar. Here's the recipe for Date Bars and more about the Spain-Morocco date connection.

Fruity fig blondies.

Fig Brownies (Brownies con Higos sin Chocolate)

Like the date bars, these "brownies" (actually "blondies" as they have no chocolate) are chewy with nuts and dried fruit. They are made with olive oil instead of butter. Get the recipe here.

Bite-size pies with figs.

Fig and Date Turnovers (Empanadillas de Higos y Dátiles).

These fruit-filled turnovers will remind you of mince pies and fig newtons! The filling ingredients can be changed for raisins, prunes or dried apricots. See the recipe for a secret to making the pastry for the turnovers.

No-sugar cake with apples and raisins.

Apple Cake with Honey-Wine Syrup (Bizcocho de Manzana con Sirope de Miel y Vino Dulce).

This cake is sweet with no sugar, dairy-free and made with olive oil instead of butter. For guests who want more sweetness there is a separate pouring sauce of honey and fragrant sweet wine.