Patty Hoth of Advance, first place, Rugelach, in the Winston-Salem Journal's Annual Cookie Contest.
Pepperment chocolate macarons by Barbara Ijames, winner of the cookie division in the Journal's Holiday Dessert Contest.
Pecan Butter cookies, made by Linda Long, took second place in the Journal's cookie contest.
The Winston-Salem Journal may not have sponsored a holiday dessert contest this year, but we still have a craving for seasonal sweets.
So this week we are sharing some favorite winning cookies from past contests.
In 2016, Barbara Ijames won first place with a holiday-themed version of French macarons. These sandwich cookies have a chocolate-almond flavor and feature a white-chocolate and peppermint ganache. IJames boosted the holiday appeal with a sprinkle of crushed peppermint candies on top.
"I had made the recipe before with chocolate ganache, but I thought this might be more Chistmas-y," Ijames said of the peppermint.
Back in 2010, Patty Hoth of Advance wowed judges with her version of rugelach, a Jewish cookie said to have originated in Poland, but which is popular all over Europe as well as in Israel and the United States.
These are bite-size, crescent-shaped cookies that can have several different fillings, such as raisins, nuts, poppy-seed paste or jam. If using jam or preserves, she uses only about ⅓ to ¼ cup. "You just want to spread a thin layer," she said.
Hoth said at the time that she chose this partly because it’s easy to make and the dough can be made ahead — in fact, she recommended making the dough a day ahead for best results.
"It's kind of fun," she said of the recipe. "You roll out the dough and cut it like a pizza pie."
Finally, we recommend these pecan butter cookies — a shining example of simple goodness in a classic, crisp cookie.
In a such a simple recipe, the key is quality ingredients, including fresh nuts.
Pecan butter cookies were a winner for Linda Long of Yadkinville back in 2011. Long had been baking these cookies most of her life — since she was a 10-year-old in fifth grade.
"I had to bake something for school, and this is what I got out of a cookbook,” she said in 2011. “My family loved them, so I just have continued to bake them."
As an adult, the cookies became part of her holiday tradition of annual gifts to friends and family.
Even in a year when we won’t be having all the usual holiday parties, we still can have the usual holiday baking. Share the bounty by making a contactless delivery — on the porch or doorstep of a friend, family member or maybe even a neighbor or stranger who could use a little holiday cheer.
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December 01, 2020 at 11:00PM
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Winning cookies provide a little holiday cheer - Winston-Salem Journal
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Butter Cookies
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