15 winning cookie recipes from the Dallas Morning News Holiday Cookie Contest 2021

The Dallas Morning News Holiday Cookie Contest was a bit nutty this year, in a good way. Most of the winners in our six categories featured some sort of nut — from classic pecans and peanuts to almonds, cashews, hazelnuts and pistachios — and our Cookie Man winner, “Nutcracker Sweet” by Inez Rodriguez, fit with the theme and will be the contest mascot for 2022.

Hundreds of contestants responded to our call for entries in October for our 26th year of the contest. We added two new categories this year, Sandwich Cookies and Pastry, to the already-popular Bar, Boozy and Kids’ Choice categories. More than 60 finalists brought a dozen of their cookies for the drop-off judging event at The Dallas Morning News downtown headquarters on Dec. 4, where first, second and third place winners were chosen by members of our Dallas Morning News food team.

Over the years, the small fees paid for contest entry ($5-$12) have added up. Since the contest’s inception in 1996, contestants have raised more than $35,000 for The Dallas Morning News Charities, which benefits the hungry and homeless during the holidays.

Meet the Winners:

Sandwich Cookie

First Place, Sandwich: Eggnog Macaron, by Suzanne Whitbourne of Fort Worth

Second Place, Sandwich: Walnut Shortbread “Burnt” Caramel Sandwich Cookie, by Christine Safieddine

Third Place, Sandwich: Scrumptious Spumoni Sandwich Cookies, Lori Millner

* Find the Sandwich Cookie recipes here

Bar

First Place, Bar: Praline Pecan Coconut Bars, by Paula Bonchak

Second Place, Bar: Oaxaca Fudge Bars with Cashew-Crumb Topping, by Meryl Evans

Third Place, Bar: Honey-Glazed Fruit and Nut Squares, by Janet Sheppard

* Find the Bar recipes here

Boozy

First Place, Boozy: Drunken Debs, by Merritt Quigley

Second Place, Boozy: Bees Knees, by Abby Vanderhoof

Third Place, Boozy: Booze-Confused Wedgy Edgy Skillet Cookie Bars with a Panache of Bourbon Ganache, by Rex Poland

* Find the Boozy recipes here

Kids’ Choice

First Place, Kids’ Choice: Peppermint Macarons, by Caitlin Dunn

Second Place, Kids’ Choice: Sweet & Salty Choco Chip Cookies, Garrett Middendorf

Third Place, Kids’ Choice: Vanilla 2.0 Christmas Sugar Cookies, Nora Pruit

* Find the Kids’ Choice recipes here

Pastry

First Place, Pastry: Chocolate Salted Caramel Mini tarts with Pastry Crust, Christine Safieddine

Second Place, Pastry: Kouign Amann, Nicole Christofilis

Third Place, Pastry: Orange Pistachio Palmiers, Abby Vanderhoof

* Find the Pastry recipes here

COOKIE MAN

“Nutcracker Sweet” by Inez Rodriguez