Three pumpkin Thanksgiving desserts that aren't pie are Amanda Mack's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies at Bon Appétit, Ina Garten's pumpkin roulade with ginger buttercream and Casey Colodny's pumpkin layer cake with cream cheese frosting at The Mindful Hapa. The cookie recipe makes 20 to 24 cookies, the roulade serves 8 and the layer cake makes 8 slices. Mack's shaped cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.
If someone else is bringing the pie, here is how the three are put together. The cookie dough is scooped into balls and baked. The roulade is one sheet-pan sponge that bakes for 10 to 12 minutes and gets rolled twice. The layer cake is a frosted two-layer cake, and its layers need to cool completely before you can finish it.
Pumpkin Thanksgiving desserts at a glance
| Dessert and source | Recipe yield | Preparation and equipment | Make-ahead and cooling notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, Amanda Mack for Bon Appétit | 20 to 24 cookies | Shape the dough, then bake | Shaped dough: freeze up to 3 months. Baked cookies: store airtight at room temperature for 3 days |
| Pumpkin roulade with ginger buttercream, Ina Garten | Serves 8 | One 13×18×1-inch sheet pan; roll the warm sponge, cool, fill and reroll | Recipe tagged make-ahead; no storage time given for the filled roulade |
| Pumpkin layer cake with cream cheese frosting, Casey Colodny of The Mindful Hapa | 8 slices | Two 8-inch pans; cool the layers completely before frosting | Optional hour in the freezer before frosting; no storage time given for the finished cake |
Check each full ingredient list with guests: the cookies and roulade contain wheat, eggs and dairy; the cookies also contain pecans, and the layer cake contains almond flour, eggs and dairy.
Amanda Mack's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies: freeze the dough
Pick these if you want to make the dough ahead. Amanda Mack's recipe at Bon Appétit says shaped dough keeps in the freezer for up to 3 months, so you can bake a tray on the day you need it. Baked cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. The dough has pecans, pumpkin spice and chocolate chips, and one batch makes 20 to 24 cookies.
Ina Garten's pumpkin roulade with ginger buttercream
Ina Garten's pumpkin roulade bakes in one 13×18×1-inch sheet pan for 10 to 12 minutes at 375°F. You roll the sponge while it's warm and let it cool rolled up. Then you unroll it, spread the filling and roll it back up. The ginger buttercream filling contains mascarpone, cream and crystallized ginger. The roulade serves 8. Ina's page tags it as make-ahead but doesn't say how long the filled roulade keeps, so plan to keep it in the fridge until dessert.
Casey Colodny's pumpkin layer cake with cream cheese frosting
Casey Colodny's pumpkin layer cake on The Mindful Hapa bakes in two 8-inch pans for 35 to 40 minutes at 350°F and makes 8 slices. The layers have to cool completely before the cinnamon cream-cheese frosting goes on. The recipe also suggests an optional hour in the freezer to make frosting easier. Add that time to the total listed on the recipe.
The cake uses a gluten-free flour blend along with almond flour, eggs and dairy. The almond flour is in the batter itself, the recipe lists chopped walnuts as an optional decoration, and it makes no cross-contact claims. Check with any guest who needs to avoid nuts or gluten before serving it.
Refrigerating pumpkin roulade and frosted pumpkin cake
The roulade is filled with mascarpone and cream, and the layer cake is frosted with cream cheese and butter. FDA buffet guidance says cold foods should be kept at 40°F or colder, and that perishables left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F, should be discarded. Keep both cakes refrigerated until dessert. Discard perishables left out beyond those limits; otherwise refrigerate leftovers promptly. The 3-day room-temperature note in Amanda Mack's recipe applies only to her baked cookies.
Common questions
What can I serve for Thanksgiving dessert besides pie?
Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, a pumpkin roulade and a pumpkin layer cake are three options. Amanda Mack's cookies at Bon Appétit can be shaped and frozen up to 3 months ahead, Ina Garten's roulade with ginger buttercream serves 8 from one sheet pan, and Casey Colodny's layer cake at The Mindful Hapa makes 8 slices.
Can you freeze pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough?
Amanda Mack's pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe at Bon Appétit says shaped dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Her baked cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
What size pan does Ina Garten use for pumpkin roulade?
Ina Garten's pumpkin roulade with ginger buttercream uses one 13×18×1-inch sheet pan and serves 8. The cake bakes for 10 to 12 minutes at 375°F.
Does pumpkin layer cake need to cool before frosting?
The layers in Casey Colodny's pumpkin layer cake at The Mindful Hapa have to cool completely before the frosting goes on. Her recipe also suggests an optional hour in the freezer first, to make frosting easier.
Creators and sources
- Amanda Mack for Bon Appétit: pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
- Ina Garten at Barefoot Contessa: pumpkin roulade with ginger buttercream
- Casey Colodny at The Mindful Hapa: pumpkin layer cake with cream cheese frosting
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Serving Up Safe Buffets
- Cover photos: Bon Appétit's Instagram post of Amanda Mack's cookies, photograph by Alex Lau; The Mindful Hapa's Instagram post of the pumpkin layer cake; and the roulade photo from Ina Garten's recipe page at Barefoot Contessa
Full recipes and methods are on the authors' pages. Recipe details and FDA guidance checked October 11, 2026.
Related Stasht guides
- For sides, desserts, leftovers and a menu for two, see Stasht's Thanksgiving guide.
- For ways to keep recipes together, see how to save recipes from Instagram and TikTok.
- For other seasonal plans, see the Stasht fall guide.
- For a Halloween party, see Halloween party food.
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