• – Get ready to bake –

    Bake it. Share it. Savor it.

    Melt Hearts and win Prizes.

    How it Works

    1) Bake the recipe

    From classics to holiday favorites, YOU get to pick any Handle the Heat cookie or cookie bar recipe to bake this month. Bake a second for extra entries!

    Plus, don’t miss my 12 Days of Cookies, where I’m sharing *new* festive cookie recipes and simple baking science tips for the most joyful and stress-free baking season!

    2) Snap a photo

    Take a photo of your cookies or bars using your phone, camera, iPad, or other device.

    My team and I can’t wait to see which recipe you choose to bake!

    3 ) Win Prizes!

    Submit your entry before the last day of the month at 11:59pm MST to be entered to win one of FIVE Amazon $100 digital gift cards.

    How to submit your photo:

    Click here to upload your photo directly from your device (camera roll, etc.), Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

    Giving Back

    At Handle the Heat, we’re all about spreading joy and making a positive impact every day.

    This holiday season, we’re taking it a step further.

    For every valid entry, we’ll donate $5 to Feeding America, supporting their mission to end hunger in the United States and feed those in need—up to $10,000! Let’s make your entries count for something truly special.


    Make this holiday season sweeter and stress-free with my Christmas Cookies Countdown! Starting December 1st, enjoy 12 days of free festive cookie recipes and simple baking science tips to guarantee perfect batches and joyful holiday baking.

    Community Entries

    Your photos may be put on display to share with my entire audience – that’s hundreds of thousands of people!

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How do you choose a winner?

    Winners are selected at random using a name picker generator from among all eligible entries received.

    When will we know who won?

    Winner will be notified and must reply with an Amazon account email address. If there’s no response within 2 business days, a new winner will be chosen. We personally contact each winner to confirm their win, so it sometimes takes a few days if we don’t receive a response.

    Do we need to submit professional photos?

    No! This isn’t a beauty contest. A photo snapped on your phone is perfectly fine to submit. Take a photo of your recipe with whatever technology is available to you.

    What are the prize requirements?

    The prize is available to any residents of the 50 United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom who can shop with Amazon. We will buy your gift card from your country’s Amazon website in the current market value equivalent to U.S. dollars.

    It’s a new month, but I’m still seeing last month’s Baking Challenge page.

    We recommend clearing your web browser cache if a Baking Challenge page for a previous month is displaying.

    Control (PC) / Command (Mac) + Shift + Delete on your keyboard will clear the cache on most browsers. If you need any help with this, please email [email protected], and we’ll take care of you.

    I’m having trouble submitting my entry.

    If you are having trouble submitting your photo, we recommend clearing your web browser cache first. Control (PC) / Command (Mac) + Shift + Delete on your keyboard will clear the cache on most browsers.

    If this doesn’t work, try entering the Baking Challenge using a different browser. If you need any help with this, please email [email protected], and we’ll take care of you.

    Question Not Listed?

    Past Winners

    These entrants have won prizes, secured a spot in our winner’s circle (just kidding, we don’t have one of those…yet), and, of course, captured our hearts. See their delectable bakes below!

    November Winners TBD!

    These chewy cookies combine cozy pumpkin spice with rich brown butter and gooey chocolate for an irresistibly warm, comforting flavor. No mixer required!

    Crystal

    Lisa

    October Winners

    I don’t know a single kid who would refuse these M&M-studded Monster Cookies! They are such a crowd-pleaser, and you can get creative with your mix-ins.

    Melanie

    Paul

    Meet Tessa

    I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I’m a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!).