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Smart Cookies: Contest winners know kids
Journal Photo by Bruce Chapman
Dinah Reece of Pfafftown won the Baked category with Grandma’s After School Oatmeal Treats.
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Published: October 14, 2009
The Kids Cookie Contest on Oct. 5 at the Dixie Classic Fair was open to kids of all ages, but it drew mostly adult contestants.
The contest, sponsored by Karo brand corn syrup, was two in one. In the No-Bake category, cooks had to come up with a cookie that used the syrup, had seven ingredients or less and didn't require baking -- such as the classic Rice Krispies Treats. In the Baked category, cooks could use up to 11 ingredients including the syrup.
The goal in both categories was to come up with cookies that kids like.
The No-Bake category awarded only a first prize. That went to Angela Martin, who came up with a cookie that incorporated cereal.
Her Special K No-Bake Cookies combined four ingredients: sugar, corn syrup, peanut butter and Special K. "It's an easy recipe. And the Special K gives it a different texture," Martin said.
Dinah Reece of Pfafftown, who won first place last year in the Winston-Salem Journal's collard-greens contest with a memorable collard-greens cake, took first place in the baked category with Grandma's After School Oatmeal Treats.
Reece, who has four grandchildren, knows what kids like. "My grandchildren love anything with chocolate chips. And I like to use oats to give them something a little healthy," she said. She also uses a minimum of chocolate, just enough for flavor.
Reece usually leaves out the nuts because a grandson is allergic to them. "But they're better with nuts," she said.
Reece was at the fair that night with her husband, John, who also entered the contests. "I figure she's going to be over here, so I'll bake a dish, too," he said.
Other winners in the Baked category were Bonny Moran, who took second place with Kids Cookie Bars, and 6-year-old Lucy Ong, whose third-place entry was cinnamon-flavored Yummy Karo Baked Cookies.
Here are the top two recipes. For the second- and third-place recipes, visit the Dishing It Out blog at www.journalnow.com/dishingitout.
Grandma's After School Oatmeal Treats
First place in the Baked Category by Dinah Reece of Pfafftown.
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
¾ cup Karo light syrup
2 eggs
1 cup flour
2½ cups oatmeal, blended to fine powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 ounces chocolate chips
1½ cups chopped nuts
(optional)
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar in electric mixer until creamy. Mix in syrup. Add eggs. Mix together flour, oatmeal, baking powder and soda. Mix flour mixture into creamed mixture until combined. Stir in chips and nuts.
3. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes, or just until edges begin to brown.
Makes 5 dozen cookies.
Special K No-Bake Cookies
First place in the no-bake category by Angela Martin.
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup Karo light syrup
1 12-ounce jar chunky peanut butter
4 cups Special K cereal
1. In a medium saucepan, bring sugar and syrup to a boil. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in peanut butter until combined. Place Special K in a large bowl. Pour hot mixture over the cereal and stir until blended.
3. While mixture is still warm, drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let cool.
Makes 20 to 25 cookies.
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