Christmas Cookie Challenge - Season 5 / Year 2019

Eddie Jackson cherishes homemade gifts that come from the heart, so he asks five of the top cookie makers to create cookies that look like handcrafted gifts. Judges Matt Adlard, Ree Drummond and Brandi Milloy pick their favorite homespun creation. Then the competitors have to create complex cookie garlands worthy of stringing up in front of the fireplace, and they fire up their cookies with smoky ingredients like paprika, smoked almonds, Gouda and scotch. When the smoke clears, one cookie maker is left standing with the $10,000 prize.

Five of the most talented cookie makers in America strive for the spotlight when Eddie Jackson presents the most difficult decorating challenge of all -- the dreaded slice-and-bake. The design must be baked into the cookie itself, and judges Vivian Chan, Ree Drummond and Dan Langan decide which baker makes the cut. Then the competitors have to create showstopping centerpieces made of cookies, but there's a catch: They have to use herbs and spices like sage, thyme, tarragon and cumin. The table is set for a sensational sugar-filled scrap for 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.

Five creative cookie makers are dreaming of a white Christmas as Eddie Jackson challenges them to decorate cookies using only detail, texture and relief. Judges Ree Drummond, Dwayne Ingraham and Gesine Prado decide which colorless cookies stand apart from the rest. Then the bakers let loose with an explosion of color as they create cookie tarts with layer upon layer of giant cookies and luscious cream. They also brighten up their cookie displays with vibrant ingredients like pomegranates, red currants, kiwis and matcha in the hope of walking away with the grand prize of $10,000.

Eddie Jackson invites five of America's finest cookie makers to take on the world of fine art by assembling spectacular cookie mosaics. Judges Ree Drummond, Dwayne Ingraham and Gesine Prado decide if all the pieces fall into place. Then the cookie masters have to arrange decorated cookies into a single image worthy of display in the Louvre Museum. The infuse their edible art with cheery liqueurs like kirsch, creme de menthe, anisette and blue curacao. Proving that there's money in art, the prettiest cookie platter wins one cookie maker a $10,000 prize.

Five of the finest cookie makers around push the envelope when Eddie Jackson calls on them to craft creative Christmas cards out of cookies. Deciding which ones get "returned to sender" are judges Ree Drummond, Gesine Prado and Aarti Sequeira. Then the bakers reach for new heights by building beautiful Christmas tree toppers out of cookies and incorporating classic toppings like mini marshmallows and maraschino cherries. When the luster dust settles, one cookie maker stands alone at the top of the heap with the $10,000 grand prize.

There's no hiding when Eddie Jackson tasks five of America's best cookie makers with creating Christmas character masks made of cookies. Judges Vivian Chan, Ree Drummond and Dan Langan decide which masks are marvelous and which are just misses. Then there are more ho-ho-hijinks as a mischievous elf pops up in the pantry and all over the workshop! Inspired by his antics, Eddie asks the cookie makers to create delightful 3-D cookie displays capturing the elf's adventures. Mischief and mayhem abound as the cookie maker who best captures this tiny terror earns $10,000.

Eddie Jackson challenges five talented cookie makers to flex their skills with classic cookie cutters, using them to make dazzling designs that have nothing to do with the cutters' original shapes. Judges Ree Drummond, Dan Langan and Aarti Sequeira decide which cookie creations are a cut above. Then the stakes become crystal clear as the competitors use edible stained glass to make cookie versions of traditional Christmas decorations like trees, wreaths and lanterns. With $10,000 in their sights, they strive to make displays that are all sweetness and light.