Host Eddie Jackson asks five of America's best cookie makers to create two cookies on sticks: one representing the best part of Christmas for kids and another showing the best part for grown-ups. Deciding which three cookie makers move on to the next round is a job for judges Ree Drummond, Dan Langan and Aarti Sequeira. For the display challenge, it's the night before Christmas, but the stockings have not been hung by the chimney with care. So the competitors must craft life-size Christmas stockings entirely out of cookies and incorporate winter fruits like pomegranates, pears or clementines. Only the best of the best gets to stuff their stocking with the $10,000 grand prize.
Traditional Christmas colors are red and green, but festive foodies have been lighting up social media with hip ombre hues, too. For the decorating challenge, host Eddie Jackson asks five trendy cookie makers to create cookies that feature at least four shades of a color. Judges Ree Drummond, Jordan Pilarski and Gesine Prado determine which three bakers have the color palette and palate worthy of moving on to the display challenge, when the remaining competitors make the workshop glow with 3-D cookie creations that actually light up! They must incorporate invigorating ingredients like coffee, chai or matcha tea, and the cookie maker that shines the brightest becomes a Christmas Cookie champion.
As host Eddie Jackson explains, there's nothing cozier on a cold winter's day than cuddling up with a cup of coffee, cider, eggnog or cocoa. For the decorating round, five fantastic cookie makers must take inspiration from one of those classic winter warmers to create marvelous cookie mug toppers and decadent cookie dunkers. Judges James Briscione, Ree Drummond and Jordan Pilarski select which three bakers will slide into the second round and which two will slip out of the competition. The party continues in the display round as the final three each prepare an entirely edible cookie platter, complete with edible shot glasses! After this one's done, only one happy cookie master will party hearty with the $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.
The competition is down to the final four, and it's time to see if the finalists can handle the rigors of live television. Each finalist must make a "share-worthy" dish live on Food Network's Facebook page, and their demo is put to the test when special guest Anne Burrell is revealed as the on-camera talent. The finalists have to act as producers, guiding Anne through the demo using a wireless earpiece. The pressure continues to escalate when each finalist hosts their own live "in the kitchen" show with a special guest who's familiar with the format ... Food Network's Ree Drummond! Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay decide which finalists best handle these pressure-packed challenges and earn a spot in the final three.
Santa and Mrs. Claus are enjoying a yuletide seaside vacation, where the mermaids make merry, and the sharks stuff their stockings with care. Hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson invite four seaworthy cookie makers to reveal how sea creatures celebrate the season. The cookie maker who flounders will wash out of the workshop, while one cookie maker will reel in an advantage for the next challenge. Then, it's more festive fun in the sun as the cookie makers build 3D Christmas sandcastles, complete with crushed cookie sand. To give their cookies a taste of the tropics, they'll have to use papaya, mangoes, coconuts or guava. The cookie maker who crafts the jolliest Christmas sandcastle will swell with pride as they win $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.
Five fantastic cookie makers enter the workshop, but instead of a winter wonderland, they find host Eddie Jackson lounging in a beach chair under a palm tree. The bakers are challenged to create cookies perfect for a Christmas in the tropics, and judges Ree Drummond, Dan Langan and Aarti Sequeira decide who's got it made in the shade and whose holiday is ending early. Then, it's all aboard for the display challenge as the cookie makers must make an entire train -- from the caboose to the cargo car -- out of cookies! Plus they have to load their locomotives with cookies that use fun flavors like peanut butter, hazelnut spread or marshmallows. It's full steam ahead as these cookie engineers race for the $10,000 prize.
After a night of delivering presents, Santa arrives back at the North Pole with a big appetite. Hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson ask four talented cookie makers to whip up "imposter" cookies that look just like dishes fit for the most magnificent North Pole Christmas dinner. The cookier who delivers the most disappointing dish will be left on the chopping block, while the master cookie chef will gain an advantage for the next round. Then, it's time for dessert as the cookie makers tackle the sweetest new social media trend -- Christmas cookie pies! To make these cookie pies truly decadent and delicious, they'll incorporate chocolate chips. When the last lavishly decorated slice of pie is served, one cookie maker will walk away with $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.
Hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson welcome back eight former Christmas Cookie Challenge champions into the workshop to prove who is the best of the best. This time, the cookie makers are facing challenges so merrily massive, they'll be put into teams of two. First, the bakers must weave magic as they create Christmas cookie quilts. One team will have the rug pulled out from underneath them as they're eliminated, while the best quilting team gains an advantage for the next round. Then, the three remaining teams construct gigantic stadiums worthy of the finest North Pole games that also incorporate ingredients perfect for watching a snow bowl: eggnog, hot chocolate, apple cider or mulled wine. The team with the most spectacular stadium will score $10,000 and the right to lift the Best of the Best trophy.
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson welcoming four superpowered cookie makers into the workshop! They'll have to create cookies featuring Christmassy caped crusaders worthy of protecting the North Pole from dastardly villains. The cookie maker with the weakest creations will have to leave the Fortress of Cookie-tude, while the North Pole's newest cookie champion will win a supersized advantage for the next round. Then, the streets of the North Pole rumble as the cookie makers create outlandish vehicles for their superheroes and villains to steer. They'll use superfoods like açaí puree, pomegranate juice, turmeric or matcha as secret weapons in their cookies. One cookie maker will learn the ultimate comic book lesson -- with great cookie power comes great responsibility ... along with $10,000 and the Golden Ornament, of course!