The winning recipes for the 2025 Minnesota Star Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest

Minnesota bakers do not disappoint; more than 150 of them entered the 23rd annual Minnesota Star Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest.

We received pages-long recipes from seasoned bakers, and hand-drawn instructions with glitter sprinkles calling for “gobs” of peanut butter. Ingredients ranged from Minnesota staples wild rice and Spam (but not together) to Dubai chocolate-inspired kataifi and pistachios, tequila and a rainbow of fruit.

Bakers shared stories of family traditions, friendships and quests for recipes that not only will put their cookie on our winning cookie tray, but bring joy to other bakers. We think this year’s batch will do just that. Happy baking.

Makes about 3 dozen.

This year’s winning recipe is from 10-year-old Smith Schuster of Minneapolis, who used Minnesota’s dark winter skies — and his love of chocolate, caramel and espresso — as his inspiration. He adapted the recipe from Granny’s Espresso Shortbread from Zoë François’ “Zoë Bakes Cookies” and Chocolate Shortbread Cookies by Rosemary Molloy of anitalianinmykitchen.com. Get a printable recipe here.

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, espresso powder and salt. Set aside.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until just combined (the dough will be crumbly). Gently knead dough together to form a ball; then form the dough into a log shape about 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter. Roll in gold decorating sugar, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (see Baking tips).

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment.

Remove dough from the refrigerator, reshaping rolls into circles as necessary. Slice cookies into rounds ¼-inch thick and place on the prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Sprinkle additional gold sugar on top of the cookies and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

While cookies are cooling, prepare the caramel. Unwrap caramels and place in a small saucepan. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk or cream and warm over low heat until smooth. (If you need to reheat caramels, add another splash of milk or cream so they stay soft.)

Using small spoons, place a dollop of the caramel on top of the cooled cookies and add more gold sprinkles. Let caramel cool before storing.

Makes 42 to 48 cookies.

From Candy Freeman of Melrose, Minn., who was inspired by an of-the-moment ingredient: pistachios. First was her fifth-place ribbon at the Minnesota State Fair for orange-pistachio scones, then the purchase of a small jar of Italian pistachio nut butter and the adventure of trying a new food product. The silver and gold liners sparkle on a cookie tray, and the sweet-salty combo is a winning touch. Get a printable recipe here.

For the cookies:

For the filling:

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, Grand Marnier, orange zest and pistachios; mix until combined.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low until flour is incorporated. Add the remaining flour and mix just until combined.

With a cookie scoop, weigh out ½-ounce portions and shape into 1-inch balls. Put the cookie balls in the muffin liners and make an indentation for the filling with the bottom of a wooden spoon, Danish whisk handle or thumb. Put ½ teaspoon of the pistachio nut butter or pistachio cream in the indentation. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon pistachios on top, followed by a pinch of flaked sea salt. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.

Transfer muffin tins to a cooling rack and let sit a few minutes before removing the liners from the pan.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate chips on medium power, stirring in 30-second increments. Put the melted chocolate in a small zip-top plastic bag and snip the corner, and drizzle over the cooled cookies. For a saltier note, sprinkle another pinch of flaked sea salt on top of the white chocolate.

Baking tips:

Makes 3 to 4 dozen.

From Kelly Holland and Teza Vakoc of Plymouth, who said their cookie was inspired by “friendship, fiction and frosting.” The idea came during a neighborhood book club discussion of “The Five-Star Weekend,” and its mention of a Paloma Cookie. Creativity ensued for the avid bakers and mixologists, and the result is a cookie with bright citrus notes and a tequila-laced frosting — with sweet-salty-citrusy garnish. Get a printable recipe here.

For the cookies:

For the garnish:

Directions

To make the cookies: Zest two large grapefruits to produce 2 tablespoons of zest and squeeze half a grapefruit to produce 2 tablespoons of juice. Pour juice through a fine-mesh strainer as necessary to remove pulp and seeds. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter until soft and fluffy, scraping the bowl as necessary.

In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the egg, vanilla, grapefruit juice and grapefruit zest. Add to the sugar-butter mixture and mix on medium speed until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Reduce mixer speed to low, and gradually add the dry ingredients until fully combined. The dough will be soft and sticky.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Form chilled dough into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart; the cookies will spread. Bake one sheet at a time for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the edges are just set. Remove cookies from oven and cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the garnish: In a small bowl, blend salt, sugar and grapefruit and lime zest. Mix well and set aside (see Baking tips).

To make the frosting: In a large bowl, cream together softened butter, powdered sugar, tequila and bitters or grapefruit zest with a hand mixer. If necessary, add more tequila until the frosting reaches the desired consistency. For more color, mix in food color to lightly tint.

Spread frosting on top of cooled cookies with a knife or an offset spatula. Add a sprinkle of the sugar-salt blend to the top of the cookies and let rest until frosting is set.

Makes 3 dozen.

From Frannie Seitz of Minneapolis, who submitted this family favorite on a whim after her sister suggested it. A passionate baker, Seitz adapted the cookie recipe from Milk Bar’s Bake Club Peppermint Bark Snaps, and the caramel from King Arthur’s Mom’s Caramels. This kid-friendly holiday cookie is brimming with flavor and texture: crisp and chewy, salty and minty. It comes together quickly, is easily scalable and looks festive on a cookie tray. Get a printable recipe here.

For the caramel:

For the cookies:

Directions

Gradually add the remaining 1 cup cream in a slow stream, keeping the mixture at a steady boil. Stir often to prevent scorching.

Continue cooking until the mixture reaches 245 degrees on a candy thermometer (firm-ball stage). This may take 45 to 60 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Pour into a buttered 9- by 9-inch pan — silicone pans work well — and let cool 2 to 3 hours. Cut into small squares to use in cookies.

(If using store-bought caramels, skip the above steps and unwrap the caramels, gently softening.)

To assemble cookies: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange the Oreo Thins in a single layer.

To coat with peppermint bark: Melt the almond bark (or white chocolate and oil) in a heatproof bowl in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth, about 2 minutes total. Stir in peppermint extract.

Working one at a time, dip the pretzel side of each cookie into the coating, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl.

Place coated cookies back on the parchment-lined trays. While still wet, sprinkle generously with crushed candy canes.

Let cookies sit at room temperature until the coating hardens, about 30 minutes, or chill briefly to speed up the process. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 1 month, separating layers with parchment.

Baking tips:

From Karen Cope of Minneapolis, who is no stranger to the Star Tribune’s contest — or competitive baking. She was in our winner’s circle in 2016 for Almond Ricotta Bars, and has dozens of ribbons from the Minnesota State Fair. This cookie was inspired by a cookie from “Bodega Bakes” by Paola Velez. Get a printable recipe here.

For the shortbread:

For the dulce de leche filling:

For the icing:

Directions

To make the cookies: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and powdered sugar at medium-high speed. Add the espresso powder, vanilla and salt. Add the flour and mix until just incorporated. The dough will be very sticky. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic and chill for at least an hour.

When ready to bake, remove one of the halves of dough from the refrigerator and roll out between two sheets of parchment paper to ⅛-inch thickness. Cut into 2 ¼-inch squares with fluted square cookie cutter, then in half to form 2 rectangles (see Baking tips). Place cookies on prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough. (If the dough becomes too soft, return it to the refrigerator to chill through.)

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine dulce de leche, black pepper and butter with a hand mixer on medium speed; beat until smooth. Transfer filling to a piping bag or a zip-top plastic bag with a small hole cut in corner.

To make the icing: In a small bowl, stir powdered sugar, coffee powder and water until smooth. Transfer filling to a piping bag or a zip-top plastic bag with a small hole cut in corner.

Baking tips: