These Are the Prettiest Pies on the Internet

Anyone who has ever prepared a Thanksgiving feast is familiar with this age-old dilemma: What’s the best way to decorate the pie? Leaving the pastry bare during the most indulgent holiday of the year seems almost sinful. We could take advice from kitchen goddess Ina Garten and make her pumpkin caramel flan to avoid this predicament entirely. But for those of us who live for that sacred outer layer of golden, flaky goodness, this is not an option.

To incite creativity, we turn to our contemporary muses at the altar of social media—where else?— for premium holiday dessert inspo. From intricate plaits to a full on fairy tale-esque carriage, scroll on for our favorite displays of confectionery artistry on Instagram.

Get a load of this clever crust. London foodie Jo Harrington challenges herself to bake at least three times a week, so a scroll through her feed will reveal even more sassy pies and half-baked puns.

Food blogger Kayley McCabe’s whimsical wicker basket definitely achieves that next-level wow factor. The impressively woven strands give the dessert a rustic chic vibe.

For those of us who are not naturally gifted sculptors, cookie cutters and pre-set molds are our best friends. Food editor and stylist Judy Kim demonstrates how to pile on cutouts of dough scraps to create beautiful galaxies and flower wreaths without making a hot mess.

Lexy Ward of The Proper Blog adds a delicate floral garland on top of this lattice pattern for an ethereal touch. If you plan on recreating the look above, just remember to use clean plants.

VIDEO: 25 Thanksgiving Questions with Ina Garten

If this real life Cinderella carriage pumpkin pie doesn’t give you life, then we don’t know what will. The jaw-dropping showstopper, dreamed up by food photographer and cookbook author Christine McConnell, broke the Internet last year, but we think it’s worth digging this beauty out of the archives to remind us all that dreams really do come true.