After tallying more than 2,000 votes, we’re thrilled to announce the 13 finalists for this year’s Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest.
- Pops’ Pistachio Snowcaps by Carl Ioos
- Ellen Brady’s Coffee-Choco-Cinnamon Bites
- Ana Fernatt’s Spiced Crumble Cranberry Cookie
- Miriam Gutierrez Correa’s Mexican Wedding Cakes
- Alden Gartrell’s Sticky Toffee Date Cookie
- Jeanne White’s Forget Me Nut Cookie
- Jesse Kimball’s Butterscotch Buttons
- Grammy’s Christmas Stained Glass by Catherine and Dr. Joseph ODonnell
- Don Saccomonto’s Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Brookies
- Andrew Yohanan’s Strawberry-Pandan Pinwheel Cookies
- Laine Casey’s Butter Pecan Toffee Cookies
- Sudeepti Nareddy’s Chai there, Apple Pie!
- Dawn Maxwell’s Christmas in The Loop
Dawn Maxwell’s Christmas in The Loop is our “Joe Gray Save.” We’re excited about this recipe’s use of brown butter, dark chocolate, espresso, orange and cinnamon.
Tribune staffers are baking the finalists this week, and this year’s guest judges, Erin Traynor, Alicia Andry and Serena Daley, who are all former Cookie Contest participants, will select their three favorites.
Check back on Dec. 2 to see who claims the top spot.
If you need something to satisfy your sweet tooth in the meantime, check out the food team’s Chicago cookie guide, featuring our favorite treats from award-winning pastry chefs and home cooks, or dig into previous Cookie Contest winners at home with a copy of our cookbook, “Holiday Cookies, 2nd Edition.”