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50 Desserts to Serve on Thanksgiving

Have you started planning the menu for your Thanksgiving dinner? Are you looking for some dynamite dessert recipes that will satisfy your guests' collective sweet tooth? Be sure to check out this amazing round-up of 50 Thanksgiving dessert recipes on Taste As You Go! This post was updated with new links and photos in November 2021. Ahhhh...  November.  I have been waiting for you (and all that you bring) for months . Specifically, I have been counting down to that glorious day spent with family and loved ones around a long table packed to the gills with platters and bowls of comfort food and happy memories. Of course, I'm talking about Thanksgiving. This year, we're spending the holiday with my family in Connecticut and I. Cannot. Wait. You better believe I'm going to use my pregnancy as an excuse to eat three full plates of food plus  five slices of whatever we've got going on at the dessert end of the meal! (Because I'm eating for two, right??) In

Black and White Madeleine Cookies with Nutella Filling

Black and White Madeleine Cookies with Nutella Filling - Photo by Taste As You Go
Black and White Madeleine Cookies with Nutella Filling

I was provided with product samples at no cost to me. I do not accept monetary compensation for writing about these products or about my experience while using them. All opinions expressed are my own.

Two words come to mind when I think about these Madeleine cookies: simple elegance. What looks like the product of a lot of time and effort actually resulted from a handful of ingredients and minimal prep time. Because you can put these cookies together relatively quickly, they're perfect to serve as a special treat during the week or as a way to impress your dinner party guests.

Donsuemor Madeleines - Photo by Taste As You Go
Donsuemor Madeleines

A few weeks ago, I was invited to develop and contribute a recipe for Donsuemor's Dessert a Day, a deliciously sweet event intended to celebrate National Dessert Month in October. Each day throughout the month, a different Donsuemor-inspired dessert will be featured on their website and Facebook page, while the recipes for those desserts will be shared on their Twitter page.

What an honor!

Donsuemor Madeleines - Photo by Taste As You Go
Donsuemor Madeleines

Supplied with an overwhelming number of samples (trust me, I'm not complaining!), I spent days formulating several ideas in my head and then devoted a coveted weekend afternoon executing them. Some ideas didn't pan out flavor-wise, but I'm confident that the recipe left standing is a winner.

Black and White Madeleine Cookies with Nutella Filling - Photo by Taste As You Go
Black and White Madeleine Cookies with Nutella Filling

I concentrated on creating a recipe that was both easy to make and easy to adapt. While I used two varieties of Donsuemor Madeleine cookies because I loved the contrast of color, you could use one or the other if you preferred. Doing so would certainly shorten the prep time! And, yes, I used Nutella combined with a pinch of salt (to bring out the chocolate profile) as the filling, but you could switch that out to cater to your personal tastes. So many possibilities!

Traditional Donsuemor Madeleines - Photo by Taste As You Go
Traditional Donsuemor Madeleines

Chocolate Donsuemor Madeleines - Photo by Taste As You Go
Chocolate Donsuemor Madeleines

The key to making this dessert is using a serrated knife to remove the quintessential bump on the underside of the Madeleine cookies. You want the undersides to be level so creating a sandwich doesn't turn into an awkward affair.

Donsuemor Madeleines Drizzled with Espresso - Photo by Taste As You Go
Donsuemor Madeleines Drizzled with Espresso

Plus, you want to create a means for the cookies to soak up all the flavor from the espresso!

Black and White Madeleine Cookies with Nutella Filling - Photo by Taste As You Go
Black and White Madeleine Cookies with Nutella Filling

Once I filled and assembled the cookies, it occurred to me that they looked a little too much like Milano Cookies from Pepperidge Farm...

Black and White Madeleine Cookies with Nutella Filling - Photo by Taste As You Go
Black and White Madeleine Cookies with Nutella Filling

... so I rolled the edges in chopped peanuts to finish them off and make them look distinctive. Looks heavenly, right? I could have eaten the whole plate of them by the time I was finished. However, to be sure I wasn't being biased in falling in love with my creation, I had Stephen try one and then shared some with our neighbors.

Thumbs-up all around!

Thanks to Donsuemor for inviting me to participate in their Dessert a Day event! I can't wait to see what the other participants have come up with!

Black and White Madeleine Cookies with Nutella Filling
Yield: 6 | Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS

6 traditional Donsuemor Madeleine Cookies
6 chocolate Donsuemor Madeleine Cookies
1/4 cup Nutella
Pinch salt
1/4 cup espresso, room-temperature
1/4 cup no-salt, dry-roasted peanuts, finely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Unwrap each Madeleine from its packaging. With a serrated knife, trim the underside of each cookie to remove the bump and create a level surface.

  2. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon espresso over the underside of each cookie, allowing the Madeleines to soak up the liquid.

  3. In a small bowl, combine the Nutella and the salt. Spread the chocolate Madeleines generously with the Nutella.

  4. Top the chocolate Madeleines with the traditional Madeleines, pressing the cookies together gently so the Nutella oozes out just a bit.

  5. Pour the chopped peanuts onto a plate or other level surface. Roll the edges of the Madeleine sandwiches in the chopped peanuts, placing the finished cookies onto another plate. Chill the cookies for 5 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.

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