Thanksgiving is a fun time to get together with family, eating and chatting about how everyone has been since the last big get together, and then eating some more. Here are a few dishes to make your desserts stand out on the overflowing dessert table. Go ahead and wow a few relatives this year.

1. Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Don't they look delicious? Here are the four easy steps to make the little masterpieces:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

2. Fried Apple Pies

If you're short for time you could try to pass off a few McDonald's as your own, but people would probably miss your special touch.

1. Sift flour and salt together. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix with fork. When the flour mixture is moistened, gather it into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Peel and dice the apples and place them in a saucepan. Combine the sugar and cinnamon; pour over the apples and toss to coat. Cook, covered, in a saucepan on low heat. Cook until soft, then mash with fork to form a thick applesauce. Allow to cool.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thick and cut rounds with a large cookie cutter (4 inches in diameter).
4. In each round, place 1 heaping tablespoon fruit. Moisten edges with cold water, fold in half, and press edge with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling.
5. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
6. Fry the pies, a few at a time, 2 to 3 minutes on each side; cook until the crust is golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

3. Butterscotch Pie

There will be lots of pumpkin based desserts at the table. Let your pie stand out.

1. In top of double boiler, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk. Stir and keep stirring until it thickens.
2. Mix in egg yolks, stir and keep cooking until it thickens.
3. Remove from heat, and add butter or margarine and vanilla. Keep stirring.
4. Pour into cooked pie crust. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 5 minutes or until brown.

4. Peanut Butter Pie

Two steps and a chilly couple of hours for a dessert that little kids (and probably their parents too!) will love.

1. Mix the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and peanut butter together until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of the whipped topping. Spoon the mixture into the graham cracker crust.
2. Place the remaining whipped topping over the top of the peanut butter mixture and garnish with the peanut butter cups. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.

5. Oreo Turkeys

A fun recipe to make if you have extra time (or a few extra hands to help) with the crafty little desserts.

1. Separate each cookie, leaving all the creme filling on one half of each. Set filling-topped halves aside.
2. Use small amount of melted chocolate to attach 5 candy corn pieces, pointed-sides down, to each plain cookie half for the turkey's tail. Refrigerate 5 minutes or until chocolate is firm.
3. Attach malted milk ball to center of each filling-topped cookie half with melted chocolate for the turkey's body. Use additional melted chocolate to attach cinnamon candies to bodies for the heads.
4. Attach turkey tails to bodies with remaining melted chocolate. Refrigerate until firm.