Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest Celebrates 40th Edition

Chicago embraces autumn, signaling the start of the 40th annual Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest. Unveil your holiday cookie recipe and compete for the title of this year’s champion. This year, former winners and finalists take on judging roles. Erin Traynor, twice a finalist with almond coffee cookies and drunk uncle cookies, is one such judge. Growing up in a baking family, Traynor favors butter-based cookies with nuts and fruits, embracing classics like gingerbread and sugar cookies, as well as “Orange You Glad It’s Christmas” cookies featuring chocolate orange flavors. She appreciates cookies with personal stories and whimsical elements.

Alicia Andry, 2017 runner-up with sweet potato cookies inspired by Thanksgiving pie, also judges this year. A South Loop resident, she blends her family’s culinary background with her love for cookies. Andry believes holiday cookies bring happiness and community, valuing flavor over presentation. Serena Daley, another judge, earned third place in 2017 with a nostalgic cookie fusing s’mores and Rice Krispies Treats. Now in the candy industry, Daley appreciates classic cookies with a twist and seeks originality with a fun factor in entries.

How to Enter

To participate, submit your recipe with a 200-word description and photo via the form below. Ensure recipes are original—plagiarized entries are disqualified. This contest is open in Illinois, Lake County, Indiana, and Kenosha County, Wisconsin, for those aged 13 and above, excluding last year’s top three winners and food professionals. Review full rules at chicagotribune.com/cookiecontestrules.

Deadline

Recipe submissions close on October 9 at 11:59 p.m. Voting starts October 12, allowing daily votes until October 23. Tribune staff will bake the top 12 recipes for the guest judges. A “Joe Gray Save” enables an extra recipe to advance if deemed appropriate.

Prizes

First place earns $250, second $150, and third $50, with winners announced December 2 in print and online. Find inspiration in last year’s winners and “Holiday Cookies, Second Edition,” a cookbook available for reference.