This Year’s Thanksgiving Desserts Feature a Caramel Theme

Caramel adds a sweet fall flavor to your holiday dessert. JeanMarie Brownson/TNS

Our family loves that toasted sugar flavor even more than chocolate. We enjoy caramel candies, caramel apples, caramel pudding, caramel fudge, and thick, rich caramel sauce over ice cream.

Knowing that, it’s easy to understand the excitement generated by all the caramel goodness found in the grocery store, such as Ghirardelli’s caramel sauce and the sea salt caramel baking chips we found recently at Trader Joe’s. Not to mention the salted caramel ice cream flavors, perfect for embellishing a piece of apple pie.

A cousin to the caramel-apple matchup, fall’s bounty of pumpkin likewise takes readily to the dark, slightly burned sugar flavor. Just try caramel sauce over pumpkin ice cream! Brilliant. Consequently, our traditional pumpkin cheesecake will be enlivened with a swirl of caramel sauce before and after baking.

For the cheesecake crust, I like to use the sweetly spiced, caramelized Lotus Biscoff cookie from Belgium. These cookies crush up as easily as graham crackers or thin ginger cookies (both of which make fine substitutes). Simply mix the crumbs with melted butter and spread the mixture over the bottom of a springform pan. Bake the crust and cool it briefly before adding the batter.

Canned unsweetened pumpkin adds a lovely hue and mild flavor to the cheesecake batter. A couple of spoonfuls of pumpkin spice seasoning sets this dessert firmly in the fall repertoire. To serve the cheesecake, be sure it’s very cold. Cut slices and drizzle them with caramel sauce and whipped cream.

For an ultra-creamy cheesecake, with less cracking, include a bit of cornstarch to the batter. Baking the cake gently in a water bath also yields the creamiest cheesecake. Just know that setting up a water bath is not difficult—simply set the cheesecake pan in a large pan and add hot water to the larger pan. This provides a gentle baking environment.

Like the Trader Joe’s salted caramel chips, Nestle also makes a caramel baking chip. Both brands of these small morsels add good caramel flavor to a layered bar cookie filled with cinnamon-y apples. It’s easy to swap in 1-to-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour in these cookies to accommodate guests with allergies. Chill the bar cookies in the pan before cutting into small squares.

Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake

Makes 14 to 16 servings

For the Crust

• 7 or 8 ounces Lotus Biscoff cookies or thin ginger cookies or graham crackers
• 4 tablespoons melted butter

For the Filling

• 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• About 1/2 cup best-quality bottled caramel sauce
• Whipped cream, for serving

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter an 8-inch springform pan.

Pulverize cookies into a fine powder in a food processor; you should have 1 1/2 cups. Add melted butter and process to mix. (Alternatively, place cookies in a zippered plastic bag and finely crush with a rolling pin, then transfer to a bowl and stir in melted butter.) Pat crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Bake until set, 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Wrap the exterior of the springform pan in two thicknesses of foil to come up the sides of the pan.

Process cream cheese in a food processor or large bowl of electric mixer until light. Add sugar and process until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add pumpkin, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt; process until smooth.

Pour pumpkin batter over cooled crust in springform pan. Use a squeeze bottle to swirl a couple of tablespoons of the caramel sauce over pumpkin batter.

Set the springform pan into a larger baking pan and place on the oven rack. Carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come about 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until set yet still wiggly in the center 60 to 65 minutes. Turn off oven, open door slightly, and let cool 1 hour. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Refrigerate covered up to three days.

Serve in thin wedges on plates drizzled with more caramel sauce and dollops of whipped cream.

Caramel Apple Bar Cookies

Make these for guests avoiding gluten by substituting a 1-to-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour for conventional all-purpose flour.

Makes 16 pieces

For the Apple Filling

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 medium-size (about 1 1/2 pounds total) crisp apples, such as Honeycrisp or Gala, peeled, cored, thinly sliced, about 4 cups
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Topping

• 2/3 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 to 1 package (9 or 10 ounces) caramel baking chips

For the Crust

• 11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For apple filling, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add apples and brown sugar. Cook, stirring often, until apples are tender when pierced with a fork, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in cinnamon and remove from heat. Let cool.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick spray or brush lightly with oil.

For topping, mix flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Use fingertips to blend softened butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in caramel chips as desired.

For crust, beat butter in a large bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in brown sugar until creamy. Beat in egg, baking powder, and salt. Gradually beat in flour until mixed. Press the mixture over the bottom of the prepared pan into a smooth, even layer. Bake until set and golden at the edges, about 15 minutes.

Spread apple mixture over the hot crust. Sprinkle with the topping and press mixture down into apples. Bake until topping is golden and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate covered up to several days.

Use foil to lift apple bars out of pan. Remove foil. Cut into squares.