The State Fair is over, and the school year has just begun. "Holiday baking" might not feel like a priority at the moment. But it should be, because we're announcing the 16th annual Taste Holiday Cookie Contest.
That cookie recipe that everyone tells you they love? Now is the time to share it with the world. Fortunately, this competition isn't bogged down with a lot of rules.
Original recipes always grab our attention. Just look at last year's winner, Cranberry Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies, from Mary Martin of Minneapolis, or Mocha Cappuccino Cookies, a 2017 finalist from Joan Hause of Lake Elmo.
But we're also interested in recipes you've encountered in cookbooks, newspapers, websites, magazines and other sources, and then incorporated into your holiday baking traditions. Please be sure to include the recipe's origin, along with the story behind it, because we love good stories as much as we love delicious cookies.
(Note: We enjoy spritz, gingerbread cutouts, chocolate crinkles and other beloved holiday favorites as much as everyone else, but the purpose of this contest is to showcase what we hope will become new classic recipes.)
It's an easy process: Just send your recipe — and your story — along with your name, address, e-mail address and daytime phone number to taste@startribune.com (and write "Taste Holiday Cookie Contest" in the memo line), or to Taste Holiday Cookie Contest, Star Tribune, 650 3rd Av. S., Suite 1300, Mpls., MN, 55488.
We'll publish the winning recipe (and four finalists) on Nov. 29 in Taste. Along with fame, there's fortune; the winning baker receives a $200 gift card to a local cooking store.
The entry deadline is noon on Oct. 19. Don't delay.
