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The deadline is fast approaching for the 12th annual Taste Holiday Cookie Contest.

The first step to winning is entering. Along with your recipe, tell us the role the cookie plays in your holiday baking traditions.

Submit your entry to Taste Holiday Cookie Contest, Star Tribune, 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488 (or to taste@startribune.com, and please write "Taste Holiday Cookie Contest" in the subject field). Please include your name, address, daytime phone number and e-mail address.

We love original recipes. But we also appreciate recipes from newspapers, magazines, cookbooks and websites that have become part of your holiday festivities; just be sure to credit the original source.

Trust us, it's fun and profitable: Top prize is a $200 gift card to a local cooking store. The winner and four finalists will be featured in the Dec. 4 issue of Taste, and will be invited to bake at the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis on Dec. 6.

Don't delay: The deadline is Oct. 24 at noon.