With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s never too early to be thinking about the sweet ending to the turkey feast. We all know the star of the show is the bird, but no Thanksgiving meal is complete without a slice of pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream.

Lucky for you, there are plenty of bakeries offering special Turkey Day desserts, with some offering delivery if you get your order placed in a timely fashion. Whether you’re playing the role of gracious host or the hungry, hungry hippo of a guest, spend more time with family and friends this Thanksgiving rather than slaving away by the oven and pre-order your dessert from one of these DMV bakeries.

Baked and Wired’s pecan Kahlua chocolate chip pie. (Photo: Baked and Wire)

Baked and Wired: Speaking of Georgetown cupcakeries, with 21 different flavors, you can’t go wrong with a box of cakecups from Baked and Wired, 1052 Thomas Jefferson St. SW. If you’re feeling something more traditional, they have eight pies on the Thanksgiving menu, including blueberry cranberry and pecan Kahlua chocolate chip. Get your order in early as they will only make a limited number of pies for the holiday. Orders must be picked up at the store on Tuesday, Nov. 25 or Wednesday, Nov. 26 before 4 p.m.

Bayou Bakery: This holiday is all about giving thanks, so head over to this Arlington bakery at 1515 N. Courthouse Road and order up a pie, because for every 12 sold, they will donate one to the Arlington Food Assistance Center. Choose between Virginia peanut, classic pecan, market apple crumble, sweet potato, bacon and cayenne and bourbon chocolate. Orders must be placed 48 hours before pick up with a cut off time of 9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 24.

Dangerously Delicious Pies: With over 15 different pie flavors to choose from, go the traditional route with a pecan or apple crumb pie, or try out a local favorite — the Baltimore Bomb (Berger Cookies melted down into a sweet vanilla chess filling). Order online or stop by their two locations: 1339 H St. NE or 675 I St. NW in Chinatown.

District Doughnut: If you’re looking for a less traditional dessert option, District Doughnut at 749 Eights St. SE has you covered. They’ll be closed on Thanksgiving, but stop by on Tuesday or Wednesday to pick up doughnuts in a variety of flavors including caramel apple streusel, maple butter pecan and pumpkin spice. Make sure to check their menu online as flavors change each week and can vary by day.

Dolcezza: Yes, I realize it’s cold out, but if you’re anything like me, you know that ice cream and gelato were made to be eaten year round. Lucky for us, Dolcezza has a special Thanksgiving Package with four flavors: crookneck pumpkin, sweet potato pecan praline, pomegranate sorbetto and Gold Rush apple sorbetto. Get your orders in now, as they only ship gelato on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Sprinkles EAT Box (Photo: Sprinkles Cupcakes)

Sprinkles Cupcakes: As we all know, Georgetown is a hotbed of cupcake competition. Head to Sprinkles, 3015 M St. NW, for their special Thanksgiving EAT Box filled with fall flavors: orange cranberry, pumpkin, red velvet and dark chocolate. All cupcakes come adorned with a turkey or maple leaf sugar decoration. This box is perfect for a crowd where pleasing everyone’s palates can be a challenge. Sprinkles is closed on Thanksgiving, so make sure to put your order in before then.

Sticky Fingers: If you’re a last minute shopper, head to Sticky Fingers at 1370 Park Road in Columbia Heights as they’ll be open Thanksgiving Day from 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Try the November flavors of their cupcakes — sweet potato maple and German chocolate — cheesecake including pumpkin; apple crumb, maple pecan and pumpkin pies; and pumpkin spice muffins.

This spring, D.C. will be welcoming the San Francisco Bay area-based Peet’s Coffee & Tea as the company takes over the existing Caribou Coffee shops. Coffee shops make a great venue for an informal first date or post-dinner date. But how does the Cali coffee joint stack up to the already established D.C. coffee shops as a dating venue?

Can Peet’s compete in the coffee date competition? (Photo: Fun Cheap SF)

Eastern Market

Named the 2013 best coffee shop in the eastern United States by DaVinci Gourmet coffee, Peregrine Espresso has three shops throughout the city that make great dates happen. The Eastern Market location is great for a daytime date during the spring as it has a large outdoor patio and is located on 7th Street SE.

Georgetown

Another great coffee shop is Baked and Wired. Their intimate seating makes for great conversation and it is located near the Georgetown waterfront. This is a great post-dinner coffee shop, but make sure you skip out on dessert at the restaurant because you will not want to miss a treat from the bakery section. The cupcakes and cookies are amazing.

Adams Morgan

Tryst is a D.C. dating staple located in Adams Morgan since 1998. Offering everything from a simple cup of joe to a strong cocktail, it makes a great dating spot. If you are looking to have an intimate conversation in a private, more subdued setting, this place is not for you. Always crowded and somewhat noisy, this coffee shop is high energy all around. You may even end up sharing a couch with a stranger, but the lattes and pastries more than make up for it.

Downtown

This article would not be complete without mentioning Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse. Although it does offer some comfortable arm chairs for a date, Ebenezer’s also hosts a variety of events every month. If your date loves poetry slams or listening to local artists, this is a great place to take him or her. Your date will also be happy to know that the date was for a good cause as all profits go toward community outreach projects implemented by National Community Church.

Between northwest and southeast, Peet’s Coffee & Tea has some tough competition to win over. This article did not even take into account the other wonderful local coffee shops or the 49 Starbucks stores located within the District. But with the amount of weeknight dates you may have scheduled this month, Peet’s might make for an interesting new place to try out on your next coffee date.