Kristina Ormsby went into Zeb’s thinking she was just going to connect with the community, but she walked out a cookie contest champion.
“I did not think I would win, no,” she said.
The Eudora Times hosted its second annual cookie contest last week. Ten bakers from the community shared their favorite holiday recipes to give residents a chance to vote for their favorites while fundraising for the Times.
About 200 people attended the event to taste test and vote.
First place went to Ormsby for her buckeye cookies. The easy recipe is a perfect pairing of chocolate and peanut butter — and who doesn’t love that, she said.
It’s her go-to recipe because everyone likes it. She’s been making it for so long she’s not sure where it came from. Cooking for others is something important to her, she said, so the competition was fun.
The buckeyes are the perfect travel companion because they hold up well and also keep well in the freezer.
Second-place winner Noah Steffen, a student at Eudora High School, came up with his recipe all on his own. He wanted to combine a known favorite — mint and chocolate.
The cookies are like a classic chocolate chip cookie but with mint chips as well. Steffen has always been a baker, and he plans to pursue being a pastry chef after he graduates. His inspiration comes from his family as he grew up watching them bake.
He first made this recipe when he was in eighth grade and immediately knew he may have a new classic on his hands.
“I mean, everybody loved it, so I just kind of went from there and started to make it a lot more for my family and friends and every one of my family members and friends loved it,” he said.
The whole thing gave Steffen a confidence boost to see so many people loving his creation.
“I feel really great. I also feel proud of myself because it’s my first time ever doing a competition ever,” he said.
Dana Campbell also comes from a family of bakers. Her husband’s aunt Barbara Seiwald is last year’s reigning cookie champion. That’s why she decided to participate — she was encouraged by her family of bakers. Her cookies took third place.
“I just saw her do it last year and then all year she had the bug in my ear that I should do it,” she said.
She said she found the recipe from @thehayleycakes Instagram — a viral baker. Campbell was inspired to try the wet on wet icing technique to create a wreath on each of her cookies that looked like brushstrokes. The sugar cookies had a lot of almond extract in them, which is her secret to making them the ultimate crowd pleaser, she said.
Baking brings back good memories of childhood baking for her, she said. It was good to share it with the community, as well.
“Growing up, we always would bake with my mom and my siblings, especially around Christmas, so doing it around Christmas is sentimental,” she said.
The cookiebook with all of the bakers’ recipes are available around town, including at Zeb’s, Kaw Valley State Bank and Main St. Scoops & Sweets. More will be available early this week at Gene’s and the library.
