But two years ago, the swirl cake mix disappeared from her grocer’s shelves — “so I had to get creative,” Posey said. She found a recipe for oatmeal cookies and started tweaking it, cutting down on the amount of white sugar and butter, boosting the amount of vanilla, and adding some extra cinnamon along with cinnamon chips.
She thinks the revised recipe “is even better than the original.” Judges who munched their way through more than two dozen excellent contest entries agreed, awarding Posey’s cookies the top prize in the 2011 Dayton Daily News Holiday Cookie Contest.
The contest attracted 28 entries from bakers throughout the Miami Valley who delivered a dozen of their freshly baked cookies to the newspaper’s South Main Street offices on Nov. 14. Guest judges — Bryan Bucklew, president and CEO of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association; State Rep. Jim Butler, R-Oakwood; and WHIO-TV NewsCenter 7 reporter Mark Bruce — helped with the challenge of evaluating each cookie recipe. entries were split into two groups, each with its own set of judges, then chose three “semifinalists” from each group — a very difficult task that prompted some rather spirited discussions as well as a second helping or two of cookies. Then the full panel of judges chose the three top winners.
When the dust — or was it powdered sugar? — settled, Posey’s cookies took top prize, Erin Pryor of Kettering was awarded second place for her Chocolate Spritz Snowflakes, and the mother-daughter team of Cynthia and Kaitlyn Edwards of Oakwood won third prize for their Maraschino Cherry Bars. Each winner received grocery-store gift cards.
Today we publish those top three winning recipes, and we’ll share a few more of the cookie-contest recipes in these Life section pages in the coming weeks. We haven’t prepared the recipes ourselves, and some recipes aren’t as precise or specific as those you’ll find in cookbooks and magazines. That allows you some leeway to put your own individual stamp on the recipes and make them your own — just as Lindsey Posey did.
“I see the value of having a tried-and-true recipe,” Posey said. “But I like to tweak. I like to make it my own.”
Our sincere thanks to all who entered the contest, and congratulations to the winners, who received grocery-store gift cards.
Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Cookies
From Lindsey Posey of Miamisburg
Ingredients:
1 stick plus 1/2 half stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 heaping teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup cinnamon chips (more or less to taste)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugars. Add softened butter and cream with sugars. Lightly beat eggs and add to mixture, then stir in vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir into the creamed mixture. Add oats, then cinnamon chips. Stir until just combined. Roll the dough into balls, or use a cookie scoop, and place on insulated cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with a fork or the back of a spoon. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Chocolate Spritz Snowflakes
From Erin Pryor of Kettering, who said, "We have a long-standing tradition in my family to make Spritz cookies at Christmas time. One year we put a twist on this holiday favorite and have made them every year since! You can use any color of Christmas sprinkles and any color of candy melts. Wilton candy melts work best and come in a variety of colors."
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cups flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 large egg1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Candy Melts
Sugar sprinkles (any color)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; mix well. Press cookies through a cookie press onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 5-7 minutes until set. Remove from oven and let cool. Melt candy melts until spreadable. You want to be able to spread the melted candy onto the bottom of the cookie with a knife. Do not over melt. Pour sugar sprinkles out onto a piece of wax paper. Spread the melted candy melts onto the bottom of the cookie and immediately dip in the sugar sprinkles to cover the bottom of the cookie. Set cookie, bottom side down, on wax paper. Candy will harden in just a few minutes. Store in an air tight container.
Maraschino Cherry Bars
From the mother-daughter team of Cynthia & Kaitlyn Edwards of Oakwood. "My daughter and I are the bakers of the family," Cynthia Edwards said. "We dedicate a full day to baking every year before the holidays. I received this recipe more than 20 years ago at a cookie swap, and it has become a family favorite. Uncle Don has even suggested that we are not allowed to attend the family Christmas celebration if we don't bring them!"
Ingredients:
Crust:
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
Filling:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
10-ounce jar maraschino cherries, drained/chopped (reserve juice)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons reserved cherry juice
3 to 4 tablespoons flaked coconut
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine first 3 ingredients; blend until crumbly. Press mixture into ungreased 13x9-
inch pan. Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
In a small bowl, combine all filling ingredients; mix well. Pour over crust. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.
In small bowl, combine all frosting ingredients except coconut; beat until light and fluffy. Spread frosting over cooled bars; sprinkle with flaked coconut. Cut into 36 bars.
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