To be a winner in the Cook's Country best holiday cookie recipe contest, it's got to be good and it had better be original. The magazine is published under the umbrella of the popular PBS "America's Test Kitchen," which is known for extensive testing and retesting of recipes. The contest usually draws 600 to 700 entries.

"It could be the best chocolate chip cookie in the world, but we're looking for a little bit more creativity," says Food Editor Jeremy Sauer. "There are so many submissions, so you need to find a way to stand out initially."

So when Mike Hendricks of St. Joseph learned he was one of the winners featured in this month's issue, he was pleasantly surprised. He will receive a $100 prize and a year's subscription to the magazine for his efforts. But what's just as surprising is to discover that the cell phone game programmer does not really consider himself a cook. In fact, he only makes cookies because he doesn't like the store-bought variety, and he prefers a simple oatmeal version.

"I came up with this recipe for my wife, who absolutely loves pistachios and dried cranberries," he explains.

They are sweet and salty bar cookies made with a hint of maple syrup and a chewy coconut texture, then dipped in melted white chocolate. See recipe below.)

"There's a melange of flavors there that really that texturally really comes together," Mr. Sauer says. "It's the sum of the parts. A lot of cookies are just one dimensional."

The unique blend of ingredients was one of the factors that got Mr. Hendricks' recipe into the second round. But another aspect was the way the recipe was written.

"There are times for one reason or another we need to correct recipes," he says. "For example, it might be they don't give a specific time and just say bake to golden brown and we need to add the time. One of the things that really jumped out was that it was really well written."

The editors did make one small change to the original recipe, Mr. Sauer says, but not for flavor or clarity. The original recipe called for dipping the bars into both dark and white chocolates. They changed it to only white so the bar could be more visible. But that was after the recipe made it to the final round of 10 semi finalists. That's when the editors have a final cook-off. About 12 to 15 judges sample the cookies and discuss the pros and cons of each. The judges include members of the art department who consider the visual appeal.

"We are a color photography magazine, so these certainly have to look good as well as taste good," Mr. Sauer says.

They eventually agree on four runners-up and a grand-prize winner. It's difficult decision, Mr. Sauer says, because all the entries are really good at this point. The cranberry pistachio coconut triangles were one of four runners-up, only to be beat out by the grand-prize winner: fudgy peanut butter mousse cups.

Mr. Hendricks says his wife, Dawn, was a lot of help coming up with the winning recipe. She worked as a private chef in California and has a some cooking contest experience, as well. She also knows what it takes to be a winner. Three years ago, Mrs. Hendricks won the Cook's Country grand prize.

Cranberry pistachio coconut triangles

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into five pieces and chilled

1 large egg

2 tablespoons maple syrup

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup pistachios, toasted and chopped

1 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

2 ounces white chocolate, chopped

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil, allowing excess foil to hang over pan edges. Grease foil. Process 1 cup flour and 2 tablespoons sugar in food processor until combined. Add butter, one piece at a time, and pulse until only pea-sized pieces remain. Press mixture into prepared pan and bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. Whisk egg, syrup, extracts, salt, remaining flour and remaining sugar in large bowl. Fold in pistachios, cranberries and coconut, then spread mixture evenly over cooled crust. Bake until topping is golden and begins to pull away from sides of pan, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely. Using foil overhang, lift cookies out of pan. Cut into 2½-inch squares and cut each square diagonally into two triangles. Microwave white chocolate in small bowl, stirring occasionally, until melted, 30 to 60 seconds. Dip cookie corners in melted chocolate and place on wire rack until chocolate sets, about 30 minutes. Makes about 1½ dozen cookies

- Mike Hendricks, St. Joseph

Lifestyles reporter Sylvia Anderson may be reached at sylviaanderson@npgco.com