Center of the Season

Five of the most talented cookie makers in America strive for the spotlight when Eddie Jackson presents the most difficult decorating challenge of all -- the dreaded slice-and-bake. The design must be baked into the cookie itself, and judges Vivian Chan, Ree Drummond and Dan Langan decide which baker makes the cut. Then the competitors have to create showstopping centerpieces made of cookies, but there's a catch: They have to use herbs and spices like sage, thyme, tarragon and cumin. The table is set for a sensational sugar-filled scrap for the $10,000 prize.