Holiday Baking Championship

Two cookie challenges are featured in the premiere of this holiday baking competition.

Seven bakers remain to compete in challenges revolving around classic holiday flavors, including having to create a swirled treat using eggnog; and get to play with varieties of sugar and spice.

Six bakers remain to take on the challenge of pie. First, they are given a store-bought crust to transform into something tasty; and later, they have to make three different varieties of pie.

S2, Ep1 1 Nov. 2015 We're Nuts for the Holidays Season 2 kicks off with 10 competing bakers taking on a nutty chocolate dessert in the first challenge and beautifully decorated holiday pies in the main heat. In the end, one person will be eliminated.

The remaining nine bakers get crafty as they attempt to amp up the visual impact of holiday baked goods, while creating festive candy cane and holiday wreath desserts.

The eight remaining bakers begin by making their best holiday whoopie pies, that evoke a randomly assigned theme of turkey, pumpkin, Pilgrims or fall foliage. Then, they must create stuffed holiday cakes, that reveal a surprise center when sliced open.

For the pre-heat, host Bobby Deen challenges the nine bakers to take seasonal hot beverages like hot chocolate and apple cider a step further by turning them into desserts. Then, in the main heat, these culinary artisans show off their decorating skills by creating a filled Bundt cake wreath.

Clash of the Grandmas (2015) star Norma Zager joins Bobby Deen to lend her expertise; for the pre-heat, the contestants must make two types of cookies; the bakers compete to create the best pie, without the use of appliances.

The remaining seven bakers create elegant trifles by combining all of their favorite Thanksgiving desserts into one; the bakers make Thanksgiving impostor cupcakes.

Bakers create eye-catching and tantalizing new holiday treats for seasonal parties; bakers create a dessert with an unusual candy cane flavor; for the main heat, they use a holiday cocktail as sweet inspiration; one unlucky baker goes home.

In the pre-heat, eight bakers team up to make a dozen hand pies in a festive holiday shape; for the main heat, bakers create a holiday dessert duo inspired by classic holiday flavor combinations.

In the pre-heat, seven bakers must create a Thanksgiving dessert using a mystery canned fruit; in the main heat, bakers whip up new Turkey Day sensations by combining two traditional desserts.

The pumpkin spice phenomenon hits the championship; for the pre-heat, nine bakers attempt to wow the judges with creative pumpkin spiciness; in the main heat, the bakers must combine a yule log with a classic holiday treat.

For the pre-heat, the eight bakers work in teams to make four different kinds of pies on the same sheet pan; in the main heat, the bakers embrace the stuffed feeling after the Thanksgiving meal by making stuffed cakes featuring seasonal ingredients.

Seven bakers must make a dessert combining cranberry with another flavor; to combat the sleepiness that follows turkey, the main heat challenges the bakers to create a sweet treat that pairs coffee with an unusual flavor of coffee syrup.

In the first challenge, host Jesse Palmer asks the 10 bakers to introduce themselves with edible place cards and one-bite signature holiday desserts. The main heat is all about holiday wreath cakes, and the competitors must bake and decorate a Danish Kransekake featuring holiday ingredients like chestnuts, graham crackers or toffee. Judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Lorraine Pascale have the final say in which baker goes home.

The popularity of holiday spiced nuts inspires Jesse Palmer's challenge to the nine bakers: Use the crowd-pleasing holiday gift to create holiday spiced nut desserts. In the main heat, each baker must make three pies using an assigned harvest ingredient and decorate each pie crust differently. Judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Lorraine Pascale send one baker packing.

Apple cider doughnuts are a sure sign of fall, so in the first round, Jesse Palmer asks the eight bakers to create a dozen kicked-up apple cider doughnuts decorated with seasonal themes. Then the bakers must transform a classic holiday yule log into a festive Thanksgiving roll cake, and judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Lorraine Pascale decide which competitor's cake falls short.

Host Jesse Palmer kicks off the competition by challenging 12 bakers to make holiday decorated quick bread wreaths with assigned flavors. Judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall decide which baker will be at the top of the naughty or nice list and which baker will be eliminated.

Host Jesse Palmer asks the 11 remaining competitors to bake a cake inspired by a winter hat to impress judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall. The baker that falls to the bottom of the naughty or nice list will be going home.

Host Jesse Palmer asks the 10 bakers to highlight a nut or seed in a holiday dessert. Then, the competitors spin a wheel to determine which fundamental holiday ingredient -- holiday spice, dried fruit or holiday spirits -- they must add to unseasonable desserts, like icebox cakes or fruit tarts. Judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall make the call on which bakers pull it off.

The competition kicks off as host Jesse Palmer asks the twelve bakers to embrace the seasonal transition by making fall and winter doughnuts. For the main heat, the competitors combine holiday cheese board staples in creative apple and cheese desserts. A double elimination looms, and judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall must send two bakers home for the holidays.

It's bottoms up for judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall as the 10 bakers team up to take on boozy desserts. In the main heat, host Jesse Palmer challenges the competitors with five different styles of yule log cakes in 10 different flavor combinations. In the end, one baker leaves the competition.

In a holiday pantry raid, host Jesse Palmer throws open the cupboards and the Mason jars to ask the nine remaining bakers to create canned fruit desserts.

Season's greetings! Host Jesse Palmer gets some welcoming inspiration for the first Preheat as he challenges the 12 bakers to create meringue pavlova wreaths in yummy fall flavors. For the Main Heat, Jesse settles a long-standing debate over the best holiday dessert by dividing the kitchen into the pie team and the cake team. The better bake wins immunity for their whole team, and judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall send one baker from the losing team home.

After a grocery delivery gone wrong, host Jesse Palmer tasks the bakers with creating tasty desserts featuring ingredients used to make Thanksgiving dinner, including carrots, cornbread stuffing mix and sausage. Then, the jolly gingerbread man knows that he could be more than just a cookie -- and it's up to the bakers to make it happen! In the end, judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall send one baker heading for the exit.

These days, holiday turkeys can be smoked, fried, brined, roasted and bacon-wrapped, so host Jesse Palmer uses the five-way turkey as inspiration for the bakers' Preheat challenge. Then, the competitors divide into teams to create a flight of pies that takes judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall on a flavor progression journey, just like a flight of bourbon. Bottom crusts up, everyone! In the end, one baker goes home.

Mmm … can you smell it? The sweet aroma of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven, or is it the pumpkin-spiced latte you're sipping? For the preheat, host Jesse Palmer asks the bakers to combine two of the fall season's best treats and make seasonal coffee drink cinnamon rolls. Then, the bakers roll right into the main heat with a fall-themed yule log that Jesse calls Thanksgiving Swiss Rolls. In the end, judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller decide which baker is rolling home.

Every Thanksgiving meal is centered around one vital component: the turkey! So for this preheat, host Jesse Palmer tasks the bakers with creating turkey dome desserts, complete with edible feathers and heads. Then, no Thanksgiving is complete without a beautifully set table, and the bakers show judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller their tablescaping skills by making mini Thanksgiving table cakes!

Touchdown! For many families, Thanksgiving day means food and football! When host Jesse Palmer watches football, his must-have dish is 7-layer dip, so he challenges the bakers to create holiday 7-layer desserts inspired by his favorite snack. Then in the main heat, the games continue with the first ever Thanksgiving pie-off, where bakers go head-to-head baking the same flavor pie to win over judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller. The losing baker in each match automatically lands in the bottom.