Just 2 weeks left to enter our Holiday Cookie Contest!

With Mother Nature’s oven still going strong, baking might not be top of mind. But take a cue from some of the big-box stores and get into the holiday spirit a little early — the deadline for the 23rd annual Minnesota Star Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest is fast approaching.

The rules: We love original recipes — please submit them! But if you’ve encountered a new-to-you recipe in a cookbook, newspaper, magazine, website or other source that you’ve adopted and made your own, feel free to submit it. Just be sure to cite its origin.

The recipe: We want to bakers of all levels with new gotta-bake recipes. Please do not submit spritz, chocolate crinkles, sugar cookie cutouts, Russian tea cakes and other tried-and-true favorites. We’ve seen them all, and everyone has their favorite. Consider this your challenge to be creative.

How to submit: All entries must include the recipe and the story behind it. Also include your name, address, daytime phone number and email address. Email online entries to cookies@startribune.com. Please include all text in the body of the email, not as an attachment. Photos are extremely helpful, but not required.

If using U.S. mail, send to Minnesota Star Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest, Star Tribune, 650 3rd Av. S., Suite 1300, Minneapolis, MN 55488. All snail mail entries must be postmarked by Friday, Oct. 10, to reach us in time.

Deadline: Wednesday, Oct. 15, by midnight. Entries received past the deadline will automatically be entered in the 2026 contest. Winners will be notified by email the week of Oct. 27.

Prizes: The winner and four finalists will appear in the Dec. 4 issue of Taste and become a permanent part of our Cookie Finder. And there are prizes, too: The winner will receive a $200 gift card to Cooks of Crocus Hill cooking store, and the four finalists will receive $50 gift cards. All will be featured during our Cookie Wonderland celebration; stay tuned for details.