Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes for Kids

Thanksgiving is one of the best possible days for the family to come together and thank the Lord for all his graces. However, no celebration in life is complete without the sweetening of the tastebuds. If you are looking forward to initiating your children into the nitty-gritty of Thanksgiving preparations, start with the dessert. Here are some easy and healthy Thanksgiving dessert recipes for kids which they can make and enjoy at the same time!

As per historical evidence, there are no references of cranberry sauce prior to the year 1663 - exactly 42 years or an entire generation after the celebration of the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth. This is probably because sugar - a supremely important ingredient for making cranberry sauce - was a very expensive and, therefore, luxury item in those days. So, one can safely conclude that the first Thanksgiving did not involve the consumption of cranberry sauce. Cranberries were eaten abundantly, but not cranberry sauce.
He who thanks but with the lips
Thanks but in part;
The full, the true Thanksgiving
Comes from the heart. - J. A. Shedd

I so totally agree with the poet. Nothing is complete without the concord of the felt and the expressed. However, it is also true that the manner of expression may also influence the way one feels. It is, therefore, that we have established certain customs and rituals for certain days of the year so that the coming generations know more about these special days and, therefore, start to understand their importance. Thanksgiving is one such day.

But as an adult, there are a myriad things that you need to do for Thanksgiving. Be it making a goat horn-shaped cornucopia, replete with the bounties of Mother Nature or cooking up a traditional Thanksgiving dinner comprising turkey, ham sandwiches, yams, and baked sweet potatoes with butter, it is a handful. So, if you could get your kids to contribute in the preparations, it would serve a two-way purpose. Not only will they learn the ways of preparing for Thanksgiving, but it will also help them to enjoy the moment as a family member. So, here are some Thanksgiving dessert recipe ideas for kids which can be prepared in a jiffy.

To begin the fun session, make sure that small kids are accompanied by an elder sibling. Also see to it that sharp objects are used under the guidance of an adult. The use of electrical objects should also be supervised. Once all these are in place, encourage your kid to put the oven mitts on and explore these Thanksgiving desserts for kids.

Caramel Apples 

Fruit only angers my need for chocolate. - Jason Love

Well, here's your chance to combine a fruit and chocolate and believe me, your kids will not complain at all.

Ingredients

• Large Granny Smith or Fuji apples, 8
• Wooden craft sticks, 8
• Caramel, 2 packets of 14 oz. each
• Milk, 4 tbsp.
• Shortening, 1 tbsp.
• Milk chocolate chips
• White chocolate chips

Directions for Preparation

• Begin by boiling some water and dipping the apples in the water for about 20 seconds each in order to remove any residual wax on the skin of the fruits. This is necessary because wax repels caramel from sticking to the apples.
• After dipping the fruits in water, dry them with a piece of cloth and infix the wooden sticks through the core (where the stalk usually is).
• Now in a saucepan, add the milk and unwrapped caramel and heat this mixture on medium heat. Stir continuously as the caramel melts.
• Simultaneously, place a waxed paper on a baking sheet and then line it with some cooking spray.
• Once the caramel has completely melted, dip the apples in it completely. Place each coated apple on the wax paper for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, heat the shortening and the white and milk chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl until molten.
• Once the caramel has set on the fruits, drizzle the molten chocolate on the apples. You can add some chopped candy corns if you like. Voila!

Your caramel apples will keep 8 kids busy for a while.

Turkey Cookies 

Turkey, unlike chicken, has very elegant characteristics. It has more of a cache than chicken. Turkey is a delicacy, so it should be presented in such a way. - Todd English

Turkey and Thanksgiving are inseparable ideas. So no amount of turkey associations is enough on Thanksgiving Day. This turkey Thanksgiving dessert idea for kids will be a sure shot colorful hit. Plus, if you are a vegetarian, here's a way for you to keep alive a long-term 'Thanksgiving turkey on the table' tradition!

Ingredients

• Refrigerated sugar-coated cookies mix, 16.5 oz.
• Creamy chocolate frosting, 15 oz.
• Colorful candy corn, 1 medium packet
• Orange decorative icing, 1 tube
• Black decorative gel, 1 small tube
• Mini candy coated chocolate baking bits

Directions for Preparation

• Preheat your oven to 350°F and make the cookies in the prescribed format as stated on the packet.
• Next, pipe out chocolate frosting on one of the outer edges of the cookies resembling semicircles. Place the colorful candy corns on this semicircle make them look like turkey feathers.
• Next, place baking bits on the cookie to make eyes with the help of orange icing. Make two small eyeballs with the black gel.
• Finally, use the same orange icing gel to draw a tiny turkey mouth and small turkey feet below it and your cookie is ready enough to allow your child to gloat with joy for his colorful creation.

Pilgrim Hats 

Heap high the board with plenteous cheer and gather to the feast, And toast the sturdy Pilgrim band whose courage never ceased. - Alice W. Brotherton

What with all the pilgrim allusions related to Thanksgiving, here's a dessert that your child will love to make and later you can pop while recounting the original story to your kids.

Ingredients

• Marshmallows, 12
• Shortbread cookies with chocolate stripes, 12
• Yellow frosting for decorative purposes, 1 tube
• Chocolate chips, 6 oz.

Directions for Preparation

• First, melt the chocolate chips.
• Next, prick the marshmallows with toothpicks and dip it lavishly in the molten chocolate.
• Take a marshmallow at a time and place it centrally on the shortbread cookies on the stripe less side. Place all the cookies on a tray covered with wax-paper, spacing them out evenly.
• Gently pull out the toothpicks and flatten the top surface of the hats with a spatula or the flat, smooth surface of a knife.
• Place it in the freezer until the chocolate sets.
• Later, scrap away any excess chocolate at the edges of the hat when chilled.
• Use the decorative frosting to make a yellow pilgrim buckle on the inner circumference of each hat and voila! Your Thanksgiving pilgrims' hats are ready to pop with chocolat doing its bit to spread the joy!

Apple Pie 

When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it's not, mmmmmmmm, boy. - Jack Handy

Besides the obvious "mmmmmmmm" factor related to pie recipes, a mother will swear by the "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away" saying too. What's more? Here's one of the best Thanksgiving dessert recipe ideas for you lady, which your kid will happily concoct!

Ingredients

• Apples, 8 (large, skinned, and finely sliced)
• Pre-refrigerated pie crust, 2
• Egg white, 1
• Granulated sugar, ⅓ cup
• Flour, 2 tbsp.
• Ground cinnamon, 1 tbsp.

Directions for Preparation

• Set your oven to a preheating temperature of 400°F.
• Place one of the pie crusts on a plate and coat it with the egg white to keep it from getting soggy.
• As this coating dries, mix the apples with all the other constituents by tossing everything together.
• Next, place the filling on top of the coated crust and place the other pie on top.
• Now help your kid to crimp the edges of the two crusts together in a nice wavy design. She can then make slits or cut out small designs on the upper crust with the help of a knife.
• The pie then needs to be covered lightly with an aluminum foil and baked for 10 minutes.
• Reduce the temperature to 375°F and bake for another 40 minutes, after removing the foil.

Your apple pie, high on both the health and taste quotients, is ready to be gluttoned upon. Of course, instead of apple pie, you can also make pumpkin pie which became an integral part of Thanksgiving dinner from the second time this day was celebrated.

Nut Rolls 

The nutcracker sits under the holiday tree, a guardian of childhood stories. Feed him walnuts and he will crack open a tale... - Vera Nazarian

This dessert will take about 5 hours to get done, but believe me, they are worth the effort and time invested. You can also freeze these beauties for storing and consuming later. Just wrap the whole nut rolls in cling film if refrigerating. Grand for a session of Thanksgiving storytelling!

Ingredients

For the dough:
• Eggs, 6
• Sour cream, 16 oz.
• Yeast cake, 2 oz.
• All-purpose flour, 10 cups
• Unsalted butter, 2 cups (molten and cooled)
• Granulated sugar, 1 cup
• Water, ¼ cup (warm)
• Vanilla extract, 1 tsp.
• Salt, ½ tsp.

For the filling:
• Ground walnuts, 3 lb
• Granulated sugar, 3 cups
• Unsalted butter, ¾ cup (molten and cooled)
• Evaporated milk, ¾ cup
• Whole milk, ½ cup
• Vanilla extract, ½ tsp.

Directions for Preparation

• Pour the warm water into a bowl and place the yeast in it. In about 5 minutes, the yeast will soften considerably.
• Now whisk the eggs for about 1 minute in a stand mixer on medium speed and then add the sour cream, yeast, butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Commingle until smooth for another 3 minutes.
• Now add the all-purpose flour to the concoction, reduce the speed of the mixer to low, and blend until the dough starts pulling away from the bowl.
• In another bowl, mix the walnuts, sugar, butter, evaporated milk, whole milk, and vanilla extract until you have a smooth mixture.
• Now make 8 lumps out of the dough, dust a surface with some flour, and roll out each lump into 9" x 14" rectangular sheets.
• Keeping a border of 1 inch on each side, spread the filling out on each sheet evenly with the help of a spoon.
• Roll each sheet up length-wise and pinch the seems of the rolls to secure the filling.
• Next comes the part wherein you will need to let these rolls stand unperturbed for three hours for them to rise optimally. Just place 2 rolls per greased baking sheet and cover with cling film.
• Finally, preheat your oven to a 350°F, bake each baking sheet for approximately 20 minutes, cool the slightly brown nut rolls once done, and serve after sling each roll up.

Pocahontas 

If you do your fair day's work, you are certain to get your fair day's wage - in praise or pudding, whichever happens to suit your taste. - Alexander Smith

And what better than Pocahontas pudding to suit our taste buds on Thanksgiving! If you still need more reason to try out this Thanksgiving recipe, then let me tell you that your kid doesn't have to cook at all to make this pudding. All it requires is 10 minutes of preparation time and a lot of love. Here's how.

Ingredients

• Vanilla wafers, 20
• Vanilla-flavored pudding, 16 oz.
• Yellow cling-sliced peaches, 1 8.5-oz. can (drained)

Directions for Preparation

• Crush the wafers and use them as the substrates of the dessert dishes.
• Next place a small scoop of pudding on top of it.
• Place slices of peach over it, topped with a second helping of pudding, and chill for some time.
• Finish by placing 3 vanilla wafers in a pyramidal style and serve.

As easy as snapping your fingers.

Coffee Cake 

A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges. - Benjamin Franklin

True, true, all so true for good cakes! See it for yourself in the next Thanksgiving dessert recipe.

Ingredients

• Sponge cake, 4 (small)
• White chocolate bar, 1
• Pumpkin pie filling, 2 cups
• Freshly prepared espresso, 4 tbsp.

Directions for Preparation

• Just place the sponge cakes on serving dishes and spread a spoonful of espresso on each of them.
• Wait till the coffee seeps in and then place scoops of pumpkin filling on the cakes.
• Use a peeler to make white chocolate swirls. Place them stylishly on top of the filling!

So there you are with some of the most mouth-watering Thanksgiving desserts for kids that you can enjoy to celebrate the values of the day, pondering over the origin and history of Thanksgiving. Thank God for a good life and the best times!