With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, it’s exciting to daydream about the classic menu items that will soon be set up on the table. In this era of social media, there have been some clever twists on classic recipes as well as some new recipe ideas circulating that are guaranteed to impress this holiday season. Through some extensive TikTok, Pinterest, and Instagram research, I have compiled a mouthwatering social media-based Thanksgiving 2021 menu.
Homemade brie bites
Starting off with appetizers, a recipe that has gone viral on all social media platforms this year is homemade brie bites. Quick and simple, these handheld appetizers are known to have a cranberry or blackberry twist and only require a handful of ingredients. All you need is puff pastry, (preferably the Pillsbury brand, because we all know that’s superior), mini brie bites or a wheel of brie, and cranberry sauce, or fresh blackberries if you want to add a fruity twist to this savory treat. Delish posts a full recipe with instructions for these for those who want to learn more.
apple cider mimosas
You will of course need a refreshing drink to pair with this appetizer, it is a holiday am I right? Don’t worry, those who are not 21 and over can easily make a mocktail out of this drink and it will still be just as good. If you’ve been on TikTok this fall, you have probably seen tons of apple cider mimosa recipes popping up on your for you page. After doing some research, I found that Delish.com also has a five-minute apple cider mimosa recipe that includes a video tutorial. All you need is some cinnamon sugar to coat the ring of your glass in, apple cider, and champagne. To make this as a mocktail, simply eliminate the champagne and add some sparkling cider instead!
mini casserole boats
Next comes side dishes. The baking account “Sweet & Savory” on Pinterest has provided a twist on a classic sweet potato casserole. For those who have never heard of this Thanksgiving dish, a sweet potato casserole is assembled with mashed sweet potato on the bottom and is topped with toasted mini marshmallows. Rather than serving this in a large baking dish, “Sweet & Savory” decided to create personal servings by halving the sweet potatoes and creating mini casserole boats, and they turned out absolutely adorable. See their full recipe and instruction guide here.
handheld pies
Now onto the best part of Thanksgiving, dessert. Everyone loves an old-fashioned pie after Thanksgiving dinner, but what if you were able to deconstruct this recipe into the cutest handheld pies for everyone? @Butternutbakery on TikTok has created a viral recipe for handheld pumpkin and apple pies, with her pumpkin pie video having over 1.2 million likes. She describes her pumpkin pies as having “a pumpkin cream cheese filling with a crunch cinnamon sugar crunch.” Her recipes require the same ingredients as the classic versions for the most part, but she does recommend making some apple and pumpkin stencils for decoration purposes.
Hopefully, these recipes have inspired you to make a trendy contribution to a traditional family Thanksgiving or to impress your friends at Friendsgiving. Either way, keep on searching through social media to find those hidden gems that may just become a staple through the holidays!