For many of the readers who entered this year’s Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest, baking isn’t just a means of creating a sweet indulgent treat. It’s also a way to uphold family traditions, remember fond childhood memories and honor loved ones who have passed. This year marks the 38th annual Holiday Cookie Contest, a tradition that has seen hundreds of recipes submitted over the years and a variety of judges to help sample them all, including the great Julia Child. Quinton McNair of StruggleBeardBakery (@strugglebeardbakery,) Dina Cimarusti of Sugar Moon (@sugarmoonchi) and Emily Nejad of Bon Vivant (@bonvivantcakes) joined the ranks of cookie contest judges this year. They brought a critical eye to each cookie, sampling them carefully to evaluate their originality, flavor, appearance and texture, even pulling them apart to get a closer look at the ingredients mixed in. @thechristkindlmarket’s namesake, the Christkind, was this year’s honorary guest judge. From kolaches to macarons to biscotti, 35 recipes competed for the first-place prize. Over 2,700 votes were cast to determine our finalists. To all the readers who entered and voted, we thank you for keeping this festive holiday tradition alive. We hope these recipes bring you joy this holiday season, and we can’t wait to see what delicious treats you dream up next year. Tap on our bio link to read more about this year’s winning recipes. ——⁠ ? Kayla Samoy, Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Ahmed Ali Akbar and Zareen Syed / Chicago Tribune ?️ Brian Cassella, Peter Tsai and Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune

For many of the readers who entered this year’s Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest, baking isn’t just a means of creating a sweet indulgent treat. It’s also a way to uphold family traditions, remember fond childhood memories and honor loved ones who have passed.

This year marks the 38th annual Holiday Cookie Contest, a tradition that has seen hundreds of recipes submitted over the years and a variety of judges to help sample them all, including the great Julia Child.

Quinton McNair of StruggleBeardBakery (@strugglebeardbakery,) Dina Cimarusti of Sugar Moon (@sugarmoonchi) and Emily Nejad of Bon Vivant (@bonvivantcakes) joined the ranks of cookie contest judges this year. They brought a critical eye to each cookie, sampling them carefully to evaluate their originality, flavor, appearance and texture, even pulling them apart to get a closer look at the ingredients mixed in.

@thechristkindlmarket’s namesake, the Christkind, was this year’s honorary guest judge.

From kolaches to macarons to biscotti, 35 recipes competed for the first-place prize. Over 2,700 votes were cast to determine our finalists.

To all the readers who entered and voted, we thank you for keeping this festive holiday tradition alive. We hope these recipes bring you joy this holiday season, and we can’t wait to see what delicious treats you dream up next year.

Tap on our bio link to read more about this year’s winning recipes.

——⁠

? Kayla Samoy, Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Ahmed Ali Akbar and Zareen Syed / Chicago Tribune
?️ Brian Cassella, Peter Tsai and Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune