Cookies and the holiday season go together like Big Tex and Corny Dogs – one just enhances the other. Holiday cookies can be traditional, but that doesn’t mean you should make the same batch year after year. If you’re looking to venture out into new culinary territory this season, look no further than our State Fair of Texas ribbon winners. These kitchen rebels have thrown down the Creative Arts gauntlet, and we’re sharing their awarding-winning recipes with you – just in time to enhance your next holiday party!

GINGERSNAP S’MORES (Gingersnap + S’mores)
by Anna Barham
Dallas, TX
2nd Place – Youth Cooking Contest, Children
Ingredients
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. butter
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. molasses
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. ground ginger
4½ c. flour
Smear of marshmallow creme
4 tsp. baking soda
5 Hershey bars
Preheat oven to 350°. In large bowl whip together sugar and butter with a hand mixer. Add eggs, molasses and vanilla and mix. Add flour baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger, mix again. (If dough is too sticky add a little flour. The dough should not be dry.) Mold dough into one inch balls, roll in white sugar and then set about 2 inches apart on parchment paper. Bake on unbuttered cookie sheet at 350° 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately transfer to cooling rack. Glop a dollop of marshmallow creme on each cookie. Place 2 segments of regular size Hershey bar on top.

CARAMEL CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS COOKIES
by Petra Farr
Wills Point, TX
1st Place – Youth Cooking Contest, Juniors
Sugar Cookie:
2 ½ c. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
1 c. butter, room temp.
1 c. granulated sugar
1 lg. egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Sift together flour and salt. Beat butter and sugar on medium-low speed for 1 minute. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture. Do not overmix or cookies will be tough. Form dough into ball then flatten to form disc. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate 1 hour. Take dough out, let sit on counter for a few minutes and roll dough to 4-inch thick. Cut into circles. Bake at 350° for 8-12 minutes.
Caramel Filling:
2 c. heavy cream
1 ¼ c. light corn syrup
2 ¼ c. sugar
½ tsp. coarse salt
6 T. unsalted butter
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
Bring cream, sugar, butter and corn syrup to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium high; cook, stirring occasionally, until caramel reaches 248° on a candy thermometer, about 15 minutes. Immediately remove caramel from heat and stir in salt and vanilla. Pour caramel onto baking sheet and let stand uncovered at room temperature at least 8 hours, but can be up to 1 day. Chocolate Topping: Melt 2 bags semi-sweet chocolate chips over a double boiler. After cookies have cooled, spread caramel filling in between two of the cookies, making a sandwich, then pour melted chocolate onto cookies. Let cool. Wreath decor around edge of cookies: Decorate with green fondant that has been shaped into leaves, red fondant made into bowls, then sprinkle with red and white pearls and gold glitter.

CHOCOLATE PECAN COOKIES
Robert E. Baker, MD
Little Elm, TX
1st Place – Cookie Contest
Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
6 oz. milk chocolate toffee bits, coarsely chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ c. granulated sugar
¼ c. packed light brown sugar
2 lg. eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. toasted pecans, coarsely coarsely chopped
2 tsp. instant espresso powder
¼ c. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. fine salt
6 T. unsalted butter, slightly softened
½ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ c. best-quality white chocolate chips
Place milk chocolate toffee bits, unsweetened chocolate and espresso powder in medium bowl and place over pot of simmering water and melt, whisking occasionally, until smooth. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt onto piece of parchment paper and set aside. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla extract and beat on high speed for 1 minute. On low speed beat in melted chocolate mixture until just combined. Fold in flour mixture with rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in pecans and chocolate and white chocolate chips. The batter will be loose. Cover and refrigerate until just firm, about 30 minutes. Using small ice cream scoop (about 1 tablespoon size), scoop heaping tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets, putting 8 cookies on each sheet. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. The surface will be dry and shiny but tops and insides will still be soft. It will take no longer than 10 to 11 minutes, so set the time. Cool baking sheets for 2 minutes then remove to rack to cool 5 minutes longer. Repeat with remaining batter. These cookies are best eaten day they are made. Wrap leftovers well in plastic wrap and store in airtight container.

A SEA OF CHOCOLATE CHIP MAPLE SYRUP GLAZED BACON COOKIES
by Katie Slaten
Alvord, TX
1st Place – Youth Cooking Contest, Juniors.
Bacon:
1 lb. maple bacon
4 c. pure maple syrup
In frying pan, cook bacon until crisp and fat rendered, remove and drain well on paper towels (after maple bacon has cooled, chop fine and set aside). Drain rendered fat from pan, add maple syrup and stir to blend. Sauté maple syrup on medium heat for 2 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat, pour into small bowl and set aside to cool.
Cookie Dough:
2 c. all-purpose flour + (1 T. for 2 c. brown sugar, packed later)
1 Lg. egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. maple extract
¼ tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 (12-oz.) pkg. milk chocolate
¾ c. granulated sugar chips
Preheat oven to 375. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, baking soda and sea salt in medium bowl, set aside. In bowl of stand mixer beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, maple and vanilla extracts, beating well to combine. Gradually beat in flour mixture. In small bowl, combine chopped crispy bacon (reserving small amount for garnish) and chocolate chips. Toss with 1 tablespoon all purpose flour to coat. Stir into creamed mixture. Using cookie scoop drop onto parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove cookies from oven. Using a pastry brush dab on the thickened maple syrup, sprinkle with bacon and flakes of sea salt. Set on wire rack to cool completely.

SPICED SUGAR COOKIES WITH ROYAL ICING & ITALIAN MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
by Mallory Thrasher
Coppell, TX
2nd Place – Cookie Contest
Cookie:
1 c. unsalted butter
1 ½ c. granulated sugar
1 egg
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. almond extract
2 ¾ c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pumpkin allspice
Preheat oven to 400°. Using electric mixer, cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beaten eggs and extracts. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin allspice in separate bowl. Add to butter mixture 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated. Divide dough into two balls. Roll out one ball 2-inch thickness on piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour. Use triangle cookie cutter to shape cookies. Place at least an inch apart on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until cookies barely begin to brown. Allow cookies to come to room temperature.
Royal Icing:
2 lg. egg whites
2 tsp. lemon juice
3 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. allspice
Gel food coloring
2 tsp. water
Once cool, make royal icing. Beat egg whites and lemon juice until egg whites are frothy. Sift powdered sugar and allspice and add to whites. Mix until smooth. Incorporate gel food coloring to mixture until desired color is reached. Spoon some of mixture into a piping bag fitted with very thin nozzle. Cover the remaining mixture with cling wrap until ready for use again. Pipe a border around each cookie and allow to completely dry. Thin out remaining royal icing mixture with about 2 teaspoons of water. Spoon the icing into border of each cookie. Allow to dry.
Italian Meringue Buttercream:
1 ½ c. + 4 T. sugar
2 c. water
8 egg whites
2 c. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
In saucepan over medium-high heat, bring together sugar and water. Cover and allow to come to a full boil. Separate eggs into standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Insert a candy thermometer in sugar mixture and watch for mixture to reach 230°. Begin whisking egg whites on medium-high speed. Keep mixer going. Once sugar mixture reaches 240°, remove from heat and slowly pour hot sugar mixture into egg whites. Whisk until bowl of the standing mixer comes back to room temperature. Incorporate the butter about 3-4 tablespoons at a time. Also add in vanilla. Whisk until stiff. Pour buttercream into piping bag fitted with star tip. Pipe small band of star at the top of the cookie and one star in the center of each cookie to resemble a piece of pumpkin pie.