2015 HOLIDAY COOKIE CONTEST WINNERS
→ No. 1: Red Velvet Cannoli Cream Sandwich Cookies by Laura Haber of Miamisburg
→ No. 2: Chocolate Mint Cheesecake Cups by Tami Monnig of Springboro
→ No. 3: Molasses Cookies by Karen Findlay of Huber Heights
→ Honorable mention: Cracker Toffee by Geni Thurin of Dayton
MORE WINNING COOKIE RECIPES
→ 2014 Dayton Daily News Holiday Cookie Contest winners
→ 2013 Dayton Daily News Holiday Cookie Contest winners
→ 2012 Dayton Daily News Holiday Cookie Contest winners
→ 2011 Dayton Daily News Holiday Cookie Contest winners
ABOUT OUR COOKIE CONTEST
A big thanks goes out to all our contestants, who continue to wow and delight our staff and ultimately our readers. This year’s judges included Arundi Venkayya, a former Dayton Daily News editor who years ago helped us restore the cookie contest as an annual event. Coordinating the contest this year were Michelle Fong and Ashley Bethard of the Life and Entertainment Team for Dayton Daily News and Dayton.com. Other Dayton Daily News and Dayton.com staff members also helped with the judging. We adhere to a blind taste test, so we’re always eager to find out whose cookies win, then we offer the leftover cookies to our employees, 3 for $1, with all the money going to The Dayton Foodbank.
The top three winners will receive grocery gift cards in the amount of $100, $50 and $25 respectively.
Some people claim baking is in their DNA, which just might be true because the grand-prize winner of our annual cookie contest is the daughter of last year’s grand-prize winner.
"I love to cook. I love to bake, and I got that from my mom," said Laura Haber of Miamisburg. Last year, her mom, Jean Schaney, won with her recipe for Caramel Snickerdoodle Bars, and before that, won the grand-prize in 2010 for her Hungarian Butter Cookies.
Haber said her mom wasn’t able to enter the contest this year, but encouraged Haber to do so. “She told me, ‘You’re going to win! You’re going to win!’” Haber said.
And win, she did. Her Red Velvet Cannoli Cream Sandwich Cookies are plush and dreamy. The cannoli cream in the center is luscious and the red velvet cookie hints of cocoa; plus, the white icing gives it visual pop and added texture.
Haber says the cookies can be made ahead of time and frozen. “Thaw by putting them on the counter for about an hour,” she said. After assembling with the cannoli cream filling, keep the cookies refrigerated.
Oh, Haber herself is a three-time finalist in our annual contest. In 2012, her Pumpkin Whoopie Pies came in second place; in 2013, her Pecan Tarts won third place. Looking ahead to next year's contest, she's definitely the one to beat.
>> 1ST-PLACE RECIPE: RED VELVET CANNOLI CREAM SANDWICH COOKIES <<
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Occasionally, success happens overnight. In the case of Tami Monnig of Springboro, she didn't even need that long. "It was a last-minute thing, and I started experimenting in the kitchen on Monday morning, then my husband brought them in to your office," Monnig said.
Where did her inspiration come from? “I had made a brownie cheesecake pie, and it was really good. I added the peppermint baking chips to the chocolate and made them smaller. So I just put a Christmas spin on it.”
Monnig also gives credit to her mom: “My mom is a really great baker and cook, and always made things from scratch. I modify and simplify with some premade ingredients. We’re a little competitive with each other.”
Monnig said she began helping her mom in the kitchen when she was 6 or 7 years old. “I was doing my own thing by 10,” she said.
Her Chocolate Mint Cheesecake Cups are almost to die for. The first flavor you encounter is the crunchy peppermint, then the chewy chocolate cup and silky cheesecake center.
>> 2ND-PLACE RECIPE: CHOCOLATE MINT CHEESECAKE CUPS <<
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Sometimes it pays to be daring and try something new. Other times it pays to stick with what works, and our third-place winner, Karen Findlay of Huber Heights, did just that with her Molasses Cookies.
“I make them every Christmas,” she said.
She’s kept this tradition going for more than two decades, and the recipe was passed down from her mother-in-law.
The cookie’s texture sets it apart — it’s chewy yet firm; the molasses flavor is pleasant, and the spices are just the right balance.
If the cookies turn out too hard, Findlay has a neat tip: “Put a slice of bread in an air-tight container and they’ll soften up overnight.”
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The competition for this year’s contest was quite keen. We had 45 entries, and many of the cookies were terrific. In addition to our top three winners, the judges thought one more cookie deserved special recognition.
"You can't beat butter and sugar and chocolate," said Geni Thurin of Dayton about her Cracker Toffee.
She saw the recipe on Facebook, then looked for it on Pinterest. “There was a lot of variation, but I didn’t see one with Club Crackers. I had made it with regular crackers before, but thought it would be richer and buttery with the Club Cracker.”
She tested the recipe with a group of high school friends. “They couldn’t believe how good it was,” Thurin said.
Then she took a sample in for the staff at the Oakwood Club, where she’s a hostess several nights each week. “They loved it,” she said.
We think you’ll love it, too. The Club Cracker provides a nice foundation for only three other ingredients that make this delicious holiday treat.
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