To fill your cookie tray, here are our 2016 Holiday Treat Recipe Contest Winners

These cookies from Sharon Morf, 51, of Raleigh won first place in the drop cookies category of the 2016 Holiday Treat Contest. They also tied for the contest’s grand prize winner. Morf’s recipe calls for 4 tablespoons minced rosemary; our recipe tester only used 2 teaspoons minced rosemary.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter and oil. Add eggs, sugars, vanilla and almond extracts.

Combine baking soda, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar, flour and up to 2 tablespoons rosemary, to taste. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture until fully combined.

Roll into 1-inch diameter balls, dip in granular sugar and place on a silicone baking sheet and flatten the balls to approximately 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle remaining rosemary on top of the cookies before baking.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes. If not eaten immediately, store leftovers in an airtight container.

These cookies from Edward T. McClain, 47, of Bunn won second place in the drop cookies category of the 2016 Holiday Treat Contest.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together white sugar, brown sugar, butter and vanilla extract until fluffy. Add egg to the mixture and beat until blended. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Beat in extract. Then add peppermint candies and chocolate chips.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls, two inches apart, on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly brown.

These cookies from Anne Brill, 70, of Cary won first place in the other cookies category of the 2016 Holiday Treat Contest. Our recipe tester also tried a cost-conscious version of this recipe, using only 10 ounces chocolate chips and 6 ounces raspberries with great results.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing two of the sides to overlap. Spray foil liberally with cooking spray and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, salt and cocoa powder together. Set aside. Place the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water (with water not touching the bottom of the top pan), stirring occasionally until mixture is smooth. Turn off the heat and add 2 cups sugar, whisking until combined. In a separate large mixing bowl, lightly whisk 5 eggs until yolks and whites are just combined, then slowly add the chocolate mixture (so eggs don’t scramble) to the eggs, whisking continually until just combined. Take care not to whisk or stir more than minimally necessary or chocolate layer may be cakey rather than fudgy. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture, and, using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is still visible. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the chocolate layer for 20 minutes while you prepare the cheesecake layer.

Soften cream cheese approximately 30 seconds in the microwave. Then in a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg, sour cream and vanilla, beating with a mixer until smooth. After removing the chocolate layer from the oven, pour the cream cheese layer over the chocolate layer, carefully covering the chocolate layer.

Place 1 cup raspberries in a mesh sieve over a small bowl and press with the back of a spoon, extracting the juice into the bowl, scraping the bottom of the sieve and throwing away the seeds remaining in the sieve. Stir the 2 tablespoons sugar into the raspberry juice. Using either a small spoon or a small squeeze bottle, drizzle the raspberry juice over the cheesecake. (Parallel lines placed 1/2 inch apart the long way, adding dots randomly throughout works well, but any design can be used.) Using a small skewer, carefully swirl the raspberry juice throughout the cheesecake layer (not touching the chocolate layer with the skewer).

Return the pan to the oven to bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes. Chocolate layer should be fudgy and cheesecake layer creamy but not jiggly in the center; remove from the oven if cheesecake layer starts to lightly brown. Cool in the pan and then lift the aluminum foil out onto a large cutting board and cut into desired size. These will be soft but will set up more in fridge. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Before serving, cut remaining raspberries in half and decorate each square with 1/2 raspberry for a pretty presentation.

These cookies from Edward T. McClain, 47, of Bunn tied for second place in the other cookies category of the 2016 Holiday Treat Contest.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until butter foams, then browns, from 5 to 8 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl and let cool.

Whisk together salt, baking powder, cardamom, cloves, pepper and flour in a medium bowl.

Add granulated sugar and lemon zest to butter. Scrape vanilla seeds and add to butter. Use electric mixer to beat butter-sugar mixture until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in egg and yolks, one at a time. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients in three batches.

Turn out dough onto a surface and knead until no dry spots remain. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring half dough out of refrigerator, let sit on counter about 5 minutes. Roll dough out on a lightly-floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with 3-inch cookie cutters; transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1/2-inch apart. Gather scraps, re-roll and cut into more shapes. Place full cookie sheets in refrigerator for 15 minutes, then bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets.

Bring remaining dough out of refrigerator, let sit on counter about 5 minutes. Roll dough out on a lightly-floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with 3-inch cookie cutters, then cut out center with a 1-inch cookie cutter; transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1/2-inch apart. Gather scraps, re-roll and cut into more shapes. Place full cookie sheets in refrigerator for 15 minutes, then bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets.

Dust cutout cookies with powdered sugar. Stir jelly to smooth and spread 3/4 teaspoons jelly on complete cookies. Top with powdered cutouts. Let sit until jam is set, about 15 to 20 minutes.

This recipe from Lisa Pleasants of Raleigh, Gail Pleasants of Wake Forest and Susan Galleo of Dunn tied for second place in the other cookies category of the 2016 Holiday Treat Contest. You can substitute walnuts for macadamia nuts.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, 1 cup powdered sugar and cornstarch. Using a pastry blender, cut in 1 cup (2 sticks) butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in nuts.

In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk, 1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest and 2 tablespoons orange juice. Add egg yolk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until moistened. Pull and knead dough with hands until it forms a ball.

Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Spray the bottom of a glass with cooking spray and then dip glass in granulated sugar; use glass to flatten each ball into 1/4-inch thickness.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are set and surfaces are dry. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.

Make frosting: combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons softened butter and 1/2 teaspoon orange zest. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons orange juice to make spreading consistency.

Frost cookies with orange frosting and sprinkle with finely chopped macadamia nuts.

To store, layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container, cover.

This recipe from Jennifer Smith of Apex tied for first place in the chocolate candies category of the 2016 Holiday Treat Contest. It also tied for the contest’s grand prize winner.

Butter the sides of a heavy 2-quart saucepan. In the saucepan, combine butter, sugar and evaporated milk. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for exactly 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low.

Add marshmallows, dark chocolate, Grand Marnier and orange zest to the saucepan mixture. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in the dried cranberries and beat by hand for 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Cover and chill about 3 hours or until firm.

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Shape the chilled chocolate mixture into 1-inch balls. Place balls on the prepared cookie sheet. Cover and chill in refrigerator for about 1 hour or until firm.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave the semisweet chocolate and the shortening until melted and smooth, usually 1 minute, stir and then see if it needs more time. Cool slightly.

Dip chocolate balls, one at a time, into the melted chocolate, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl. Return the chocolate dipped balls to the cookie sheet and sprinkle tops with the sea salt. Chill for about 30 minutes or until the chocolate is set.

This recipe from Doris Litchfield, 84, of Raleigh tied for first place in the other candies category of the 2016 Holiday Treat Contest.

Heat oven to 275 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolk and cream to combine. Add flour and cinnamon and stir until fully combined.

Press stiff dough into a 12-inch-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet, creating higher edges. Whisk egg white until frothy. Brush half of the frothy egg white evenly across top of dough. Press chopped nuts into dough.

Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and immediately begin to cut 6 times crosswise and 4 times lengthwise. Cut each square diagonally. Remove triangles from pan immediately and store in a tin.