Life

9 Easy Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas that Will Look AWESOME on Instagram

It's 12am the night before Thanksgiving. You're standing in a dimly lit grocery store holding a pie crust, a can of creamed corn, and a jar of cherries that may or may not have expired in 2008. We all know the feeling (and when I say "we," I mean myself and other members of the Organization of Procrastination Specialists, a.k.a. OOPS).

Thanksgiving is often one of the coziest, most enjoyable days of the year. But the days leading up to Thanksgiving can be almost as unpleasant as the wine-and-turkey hangover. Picked over shelves? Check. Endless lines at Trader Joe's? Check. Awkward family e-mail threads about WHETHER OR NOT WE'LL HAVE ENOUGH PUMPKIN PIE OH AND PLEASE DON'T MAKE THE BEANS FROM LAST YEAR THEY GAVE ME GAS. Double check.

What's even tougher? Coming up with a simple, unique creation that both tastes fantastic and looks like it took ten hours to make (spoiler alert: it didn't).

We've already covered vegan and mail-order side dishes, but it's no secret that desserts are a sure-fire way to satisfy the masses. Read on for 10 Turkey Day sweets that take moments to prepare, and look so good you won't be able to resist Instagramming them. Get ready for "likes" from both your relatives and your followers!

Image: ry_mcgowan via Instagram

by Kara Freewind

Baked Chocolate Pumpkin Donuts

Looking for an excuse to start your T-Day with a sugar binge? Alyssa over at What's Cooking, Love? came up with a super simple baked donut recipe that's ideal for breakfast, or pairing with a post-chowdown coffee.

Apple Pie Pull Apart Bread with Vanilla Glaze

The key to this divinely fluffy loaf from The Comfort of Cooking? A tube of Pillsbury Flaky Layers Biscuit dough. Insert thinly sliced apples, bake, and sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg. #Yum.

Pumpkin Toffee Angel Food Cake

Jocelyn of Inside BruCrew Life expertly pairs thaw-and-serve angel food cake with pumpkin cheesecake filling to create this impressive-looking, low-calorie treat that involves absolutely NO BAKING. Bahaha!

Winter Squash Pies

These rustic gluten-free beauties from Adventures in Cooking look like something served at Hogwarts and are easy as pie (cue rimshot!) to make. Just mix spices, cream, and sweet winter squash in a blender, then bake inside the shell.

Pumpkin Pie Bites

Another creative concoction from What's Cooking, Love?, these little dumplings offer the classic taste of pumpkin pie, minus the having-to-make-a-whole-pie part. Plus, they're perfect for mini-feasters who haven't learned to wield a fork yet.

Amaretto Peach Pie

This boozy, seasonal pie from Hoosier Homemade contains six ingredients and requires only 10 minutes of prep. Just think of all the extra time you'll have to chat with your weird uncle!

Pumpkin Cookies and Cream Fudge

Got 15 minutes? This straightforward fudge (another brilliantly quick recipe from Inside BruCrew Life) includes a trifecta of crowd-pleasing ingredients: marshmallow, Oreos, and pumpkin spice.

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Store-bought cinnamon rolls, apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Boom.

Thanks, Your Cup of Cake.

Pear and Apple Crisps

Cookie and Kate earns an A+ for these effortless fruit crisps served with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Now all you have to do is choose between the Hudson and Amaro filters (easier said than done).

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