Ohio Expo Center
Home > About Us > Recipes > Blue-ribbon holiday cookie recipes

Blue-ribbon holiday cookie recipes

Orange-Cranberry Crumble Bar Cookies

Recipe by Theresa M. Burke, DVM, Columbus, Ohio
First place, Cookies and Pastries (Bar Cookie), 2015

Baking temperature: 350 degrees
Baking time: 40-50 minutes
Yield: 12 bars

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1 cup cold butter, cubed
  • 1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1 cup flaked coconut
  • 2 tsp. grated orange peel
  • 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1 can (14 oz.) whole berry cranberry sauce
  • 1 cup orange marmalade

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and ginger; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  • Stir in oats, coconut and orange peel.
  • Place 3 cups of this mixture in another bowl; stir in pecans. Set aside for topping.
  • Press remaining oat mixture into a greased 15” x 10” baking pan.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Combine cranberry sauce and orange marmalade. Spread over crust.
  • Top with reserved oat mixture.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Cool on a wire rack. Once cool, cut into bars.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe by Lyle Linerode, Heath, Ohio
First place, Cookies and Pastries (Chocolate Chip Cookie), 2015

Baking temperature: 375 degrees
Baking time: 9-11 minutes
Yield: Approximately 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup shortening/butter (Editor’s note: I like using half butter and half shortening, but some people prefer all shortening or all butter. As a general rule, cookies made with all butter tend to be flatter and crispier, and cookies made with all shortening tend to be a little taller and slightly softer.)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Cream butter and sugars.
  • Add eggs, vanilla and cream.
  • Add dry ingredients, chocolate chips and mix well.
  • Drop by teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (Editor’s note: I love using parchment paper for easy clean-up. Lay a piece down on your cookie sheet so the treats will slide off easily and your cookie sheet is easy to clean.)
  • Bake 9-11 minutes at 375 degrees.

Molasses Ginger Cookies

Recipe by Bernadette Harvey, Powell, Ohio
First place, Cookies and Pastries (Oatmeal Cookie), 2015

Baking temperature: 350 degrees
Baking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 dozen cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 ½ cup butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup molasses
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 ½ cups flour
  • 1 Tbsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. cloves
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • Additional sugar for rolling

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, molasses and eggs until light and fluffy.
  • In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
  • Add dry mixture to the butter sugar mixture; mix to combine.
  • Refrigerate dough for at least two hours.
  • Shape dough into 1” balls and roll into additional sugar.
  • Place on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Back to
Top
Tickets & Deals