Start Your Ovens for The Dallas News Cookie Contest

The Dallas News has filtered through a lot of cookie recipes since they started the annual Holiday Cookie Contest in 1996 – close to 4,000 they would say. Their rotating cast of judges has sampled close to 500 recipes over the years to winnow the field down to 15 winners per year.

They’ve surveyed mountains of chocolate chips and rivers of caramel. They even made it through the great cinnamon chip shortage of 2002. All that just to get a few more cookie recipes in their files and in yours. On that front the contest has been what they call a splendid success.

The cookie contest serves a greater good, helping the homeless and hungry. The paper will accept entries throughout October. The winning recipes will appear in the Taste section Dec. 7th. The contest is open to all amateur cooks. The prizes are gift certificates provided by Central Market: $150 for first place, $100 for second, and $50 for third. Look for the entry form at dallasnews.com/adv/cookiecontest.

Here’s how the contest works: Submit up to three recipes. They don’t require all recipes to be original but if you know where the recipe came from, let them know. Entry forms will be available online at the above mentioned link. Categories are family recipe, decadent cookie, decorated, incredibly easy, cookie man, and bar cookie. Deadline for entry is Nov. 1st.

Entry fees are $5 for one recipe, $10 for two, and $12 for three. Make check or money order for the entry fee payable to The Dallas Morning News Charities. You can drop off completed entry forms at your local Central Market.