Vote for the ultimate holiday treat in CBC Daybreak North's Sweet Sixteen tournament

CBC Radio One's northern B.C. morning program Daybreak North wants to know what its audience believes is the ultimate holiday treat.

Over the next two weeks, polls will be held to help decide the ultimate winner in the Sweet Sixteen tournament, with a winner crowned Thursday Dec. 20, 2018.

Participants in the contest will also have the chance to win a CBC apron for all their baking needs.

Vote in the tournament below, or by following CBC Daybreak North on Facebook and Twitter.

Round one: open vote

To kick things off, an open call for nominations is being held. Vote for your favourite from the list below, or add your own. Poll closes at noon PT on Monday, Dec. 10.

View results.

Round two: Sweet sixteen

Pool one

The top-seeded shortbread shows down vs. confetti bars, which just barely squeaked into the finals.

Winner: Shortbread (view results on Facebook)

Christmas pudding is a traditional UK treat, but it faces stiff competition against ginger snaps — the first of four ginger-flavoured treats to make the final sixteen. 

Winner: Ginger snaps (view results on Facebook)

A little less soft than ginger snaps, gingerbread came out in the top four of the open round. But it's up against a post-dinner favourite, so expect a tight race.

Winner: Pumpkin pie (view results on Facebook)

Not only did our open round result with shortbread coming out in the lead, but voters put the whipped variation into fifth place. They are up against our third ginger treat — a bigger, chewier version of the ginger snap full of molasses flavour.

Winner: Whipped shortbread (view results on Facebook)

Pool two

The Canadian classic came out in second place in the open round, putting it up against a chocolate-based variation of shortbread, which made this list on the power of write-in votes.

WINNER: Nanaimo bars  (view results on Facebook)

Neither of these treats are limited to the holiday season, but they certainly are popular come December. Which one will move on?

WINNER: Cheesecake (sugar cookies received more votes on the website, but cheesecake's showing on Facebook put it in the top spot.

Popular in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, Pfeffernüsse cookies contain different aromatic spices, depending on the variation: cinnamon, cardamom and, often, ginger. However, they are up against a uniquely Canadian treat in the form of the butter tart.

WINNER: Butter tarts (view results on Facebook)

It may be much derided but fruitcake has its fans, as evidenced by its strong showing in our open round. It's up against another love-it-or-hate-it treat in the form of mincemeat. 

WINNER: Mincemeat (again, a strong showing on Facebook put mincemeat into the ultimate eight).

Round three: Ultimate eight

Shortbread came in the tournament favourite, and it easily moved on to this round. Ginger snaps will be tougher to take down, though. The winner of this round could win it all.

WINNER: Shortbread (View results on Facebook)

Pumpkin pie pulled an upset when it defeated gingerbread. Can it pull a repeat and whip whipped shortbread? 

WINNER: Whipped shortbread (View results on Facebook)

The second-seed Nanaimo bars made short work of chocolate shortbread. But with cheesecake coming off of a surprise victory over sugar cookies, this competition could be a little closer.

WINNER: Naniamo bars (View results on Facebook)

The all-Canadian classic of butter tarts hopes to make mincemeat of... well, mincemeat. Will they succeed?

WINNER: Butter tarts (View results on Facebook)

Round four: Final four

Voting closes Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. PT.

Pool one comes down to this: shortbread versus its whipped counterpart. Can the tournament favourite take down its lighter cousin?

WINNER: Shortbread.

The third and fourth seed competitors cleaned up their competition. Now its down to Nanaimo bars and butter tarts in this all-Canadian classic. 

WINNER: Butter tarts.

Round five: Tasty two

(If you're viewing this through a Google AMP page and the poll isn't loading, click here so you're able to vote. You can also vote on Facebook). 

Shortbread came in with the most votes, and even though the whipped variety came closest to defeating it, ultimately this classic came out on top. Now it's up against butter tarts, the third-seed treat that managed to take down the more heavily favoured Nanaimo bars. This is the ultimate showdown. Which will win? Only you can decide.

Winner!

Congratulations to butter tarts for being named the ultimate holiday treat!

Read more about the tournament here.