Did you know that Thanksgiving is the single biggest holiday of the year for many bakeries? It seems like everyone is looking for the perfect pie or dessert to finish the feast.

If there's one piece of advice that should guide your Thanksgiving dessert selection, it's this: Order ahead to avoid disappointment. We sold out of our Jack-O-Lantern cookie a full week before Halloween, and there are limited quantities of our cookies, petits fours, and tarts available for Thanksgiving.

Please note the ordering deadlines of November 21 for Second-Day Air and November 22 for Express Overnight delivery in time for your Thanksgiving Dinner. If you'd like to order for delivery on Wednesday, November 23, simply type the date into the Comments field on our Checkout page.

Rum Pumpkin Tart
If you're tired of the same old pumpkin pie, I invite you to start a new tradition with this Rum Pumpkin Tart from Bittersweet Pastries. Instead of the usual pie crust, this tart offers a walnut crumb crust surrounding a rum-flavored pumpkin filling iced with cream cheese frosting and topped with crushed walnuts. This sweet, nutty tart will become a new family favorite.

Cornucopia Cookie
The cornucopia is the traditional symbol of Thanksgiving, representing the bountiful harvest that was the Pilgrims' reward for a year of hard work and cooperation with Native Americans in the New World. This colorful cornucopia is a two-pound butter cookie made from a secret family recipe and decorated by hand in colorful rolled fondant. It's an unforgettable hostess gift or a centerpiece for your dinner or dessert table that everyone can share after dinner.

Harvest Petits Fours
If you're looking for a smaller after-dinner dessert, these harvest-themed petits fours are the perfect choice. Each is a miniature filled layer cake dipped in chocolate and decorated by hand. This assortment of one dozen includes Chocolate Truffle Pumpkins, Mocha Turkeys, Ambrosia Pears, Butter Spice Apples, and White Chocolate Concord Grapes.

Harvest Mini Cookies
Another delightful seasonal assortment of mini butter cookies from our friends at Supercookie. This tub of 23 cookies includes apples, pumpkins, mushrooms, cornstalks, and corn on the cob. A special treat for the kids or a small dessert feast for friends and family far from home.

On behalf of myself and all of the partner bakeries at 1-800-Bakery.com, I'd like to wish you a happy, warm, delicious Thanksgiving. As we gather with our own families to celebrate (and recover from the bustle in the bakery), we'll be closed from Wednesday, November 23 until Monday, November 28.

--Chef Steve