Deen Brothers' Delicious Thanksgiving Desserts

The Deen Brothers, celebrity chefs and authors of "The Deen Brothers Take It Easy," whip up these delicious Thanksgiving desserts.

• Classic Pumpkin Pie

8 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. dried ginger

2 large eggs

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin

1-1/2 cups milk

Flaky pie crust *

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine sugar, salt and spices in small bowl; set aside.

Beat eggs with pumpkin with electric mixer, then beat in sugar mixture. Slowly add milk. Pour into flaky pie crust.

Bake 15 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 40 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack 2 hours. Chill, if desired.

* For flaky pie crust: Combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 tsp. sugar and 1/4 tsp. salt in medium bowl. Blend in 6 tbsp. "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Cooking and Baking Sticks" with pastry blender or two knives to form coarse crumbs. Add 2 to 3 tbsp. ice water — 1 tbsp. at a time — and mix with fork until dough forms. Knead dough with lightly floured hands until mixture forms a ball. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface from center to edges, forming a 12-inch circle. Press into 9-inch pie plate. Fill.

Tip: After baking 30 minutes, cover edges with aluminum foil to prevent over browning.

• Luscious Chocolate Cheesecake

Makes 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

1 9-ounce box chocolate wafer cookies

6 tablespoons "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Cooking & Baking sticks," melted

Filling:

1½ cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 11½-ounce bag bittersweet chocolate chips

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

¾ cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 large eggs

Glaze:

¼ cup heavy cream

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 quart strawberries, hulled

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the crust, grease a 9-inch springform pan and wrap the outside with a double layer of foil. In a food processor, finely grind the cookies. Add the melted "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Cooking & Baking" sticks and process until blended. Press the mixture into the bottom and partly up the sides of the pan. Place pan in the refrigerator.

For the filling, in a saucepan, combine 1½ cups cream and the cocoa. Cook and stir over medium heat until the cocoa dissolves. Reduce heat and whisk in chocolate chips until smooth. Set aside and let cool.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the cornstarch. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Fold 1 cup of the cream cheese mixture into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then scrape the chocolate mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Whisk until smooth.

Pour the filling into the springform pan. Place the springform pan inside a large baking pan. Fill the baking pan with 1 inch of hot water. Bake the cake about 1 hour or until just set and slightly puffed. Let cake cool in the baking pan on a wire rack.Cover the cake with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

For the glaze, in a small saucepan, bring ¾ cup cream to a boil. Reduce the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate until combined. Let cool. Use a knife to loosen the cake from the pan, then remove the sides of the pan. Arrange the strawberries on top of the cake and drizzle with the glaze.

— For more information, visit: www.thedeenbros.com