Host Eddie Jackson loves traditional nesting dolls because they're the kind of Christmas gift that keeps on giving. So for this decorating challenge, he asks five of America's finest cookie makers to whip up six cookies of the same design that get progressively smaller. It's a tall order for judges Stephanie Boswell, Ree Drummond and Molly Yeh to decide which two cookie makers come up short in the first round. The task gets even tougher in the display challenge as the three remaining cookie makers must craft a Christmas village completely out of cookies. It's mayhem on Main Street as the bakers compete with $10,000 on the line.
Riding around in a vintage sleigh, Santa has rocked the same style forever, and host Eddie Jackson thinks that it's time for a total makeover. For the decorating challenge, five of the cleverest cookie makers design two different cookies: one showcasing Santa's new outfit and another featuring his new ride. It's up to judges Vivian Chan, Ree Drummond and Gesine Prado to decide which cookies are fashion forward and which are just fashion fails. In the display challenge, the three remaining cookie makers must craft cookie picture frames for their cherished family photos. Every picture tells a story, and this one ends with the winning cookie maker taking home $10,000.
Earthlings aren't the only ones having holiday fun as hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson ask four far-out bakers to decorate cookies that reveal what Christmas is like on other planets. After this mission is completed, one cookie maker will be eliminated, while the one with the best designs will receive an astronomical advantage. In the final round, the three remaining cookie makers craft festive rocket ships worthy of taking Santa to the stars, and they'll have to incorporate freeze-dried astronaut foods like corn, jalapeños, sweet potatoes and cranberries into their interstellar cookie displays. One cookie maker will feel over the moon after winning $10,000 and the oh-so-stellar Golden Ornament.
Old-school picture postcards are making a comeback as a fun way to share the magic of Christmastime vacations with loved ones back home, so hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson challenge four festive cookie makers to create two-sided Christmas postcards. One cookie maker will have their postcard stamped "return to sender," while the cookie maker who best pushes the envelope will win an advantage for the next round. Then, the merry trip continues as the three remaining cookie makers craft 360-degree Christmas camper vans while incorporate outdoorsy favorites like granola bars, fruit leather, almond butter packets or instant oatmeal. The cookie maker who makes the coolest camper will scamper home with $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.
Every year, the holiday spirit twinkles to life with the opening of Christmas markets all around the world. Hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson challenge four of the finest gingerbreaders to create their own massive North Pole Christmas market displays out of gingerbread. There'll be a treasure trove of edible ice-skating rinks, snowball slides, hot cocoa stalls, sugar angels and more. These gingerbread geniuses will have to overcome a mid-round twist and pick one festive fruit from the produce cart to incorporate into their cookies: apples, pears, black berries or blood oranges. The gingerbreader who crafts the most merry monumental market of all will close up shop with $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.
It's a real barn burner in the workshop as hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson ask four countrified cookie makers to share how farm animals hoedown for the holidays at the North Pole. After this challenge, one farmhand will have to pick up sticks, while the one with the best Christmas critter cookie designs will rustle up an advantage for the next round. Then, it's time to bring in the holiday harvest as the cookie makers tinsel up festive-looking 3D Christmas tractors. They'll have to include a farm-fresh herb in their cookies: thyme, basil, lavender or tarragon. The cookie maker who crafts the most festive tractor will reap $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.
Hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson rev their engines and ask four of the finest cookie makers in the land to create cookie billboards hawking holiday goods along the North Pole's frozen highways. One cookie maker will be eliminated, but the one who best gets their message across will win an advantage for the next challenge. For their final challenge, the remaining three cookie makers celebrate the beloved Christmas movie, The Polar Express. They'll draw inspiration from the festive film as they create their own edible trains hauling that most precious of cargoes -- scrumptious Christmas cookies! One cookie conductor will reach the end of the line with $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.
As hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson know, Christmas in the country is just different than anywhere else, so they task four countrified cookie makers with creating two different cowboy Christmas designs. After they're done, one cookie maker will have to leave the ranch while the cookie maker who "cowboys up" the best batch will gain an advantage for the next round. Then, the three remaining bakers create cookie versions of ceramic farmhouse cookie jars that must be fully functional while their displays incorporate country desserts like sweet potato pie, peach cobbler, pecan pie or pineapple upside down cake. One cowpoke cookie maker will ride off into the sunset with $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.
It's redemption day in the workshop as hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson welcome back cookie makers who came up just short of winning their first time around. They'll decorate cookies that call back to forgotten Christmas traditions and characters using a classic cookie that's hard to master -- snickerdoodle! Two cookie makers will experience the ultimate heartbreak, while one will gain an advantage for the second round. The three remaining cookie makers reveal what makes them tick as they construct massive 360-degree Christmas grandfather clocks featuring timely ingredients like instant coffee, instant pudding mix, sloe gin and thyme. The cookie maker who makes the most titanic timepiece will earn redemption and a $10,000 prize.
Eddie Jackson wishes five festive cookie makers a very Merry "Fit-mas" because Ol' St. Nick has put the entire North Pole on a strict fitness regimen. The competitors have to decorate cookies showing beloved characters from the North Pole getting fit, and judges Matt Adlard, Ree Drummond and Brandi Milloy decide which cookie makers shape up and which ones ship out. Then it's time for a much bigger makeover as the bakers redesign and reconstruct Santa's house using only cookies. They also have to infuse their sugary shacks with innovative ingredients like tahini, avocado, olive oil and almond butter. It's a remodeling race to the finish with the $10,000 prize awaiting the most adept cookie architect.