Author: Cyndi Harles

Minnesota State Fair Mojito Lime Cookies

These Minnesota State Fair Mojito Lime Cookies are THE citrus sweet treat you need this summer. Have you ever had a Mojito? That delightful Cuban drink with crushed mint and fresh lime? I hope you have. It is one of my favorite cocktails to have on vacation and in warmer temps. The cocktail also served as direct inspiration for these award-winning Minnesota State Fair Mojito Lime Cookies.

Created by hobby baker Greg Boe, these cookies won second place at the 2013 Minnesota State Fair. He cleverly titled them “Incognito Mojitos.”

Stack of Minnesota State Fair Mojito Lime Cookies

My cohort Crystal was the lucky one to remake Greg’s recipe. Find her step-by-step tips below that walk you through baking process. Or if you’re already ready to bake them, hit the “jump to recipe” button.

Every bite of these winning cookies will make you think of sunshine. The texture is light and chewy. Their aroma is magical. The lush lime flavor will transport you to the tropics. Enjoy!

-Cyndi

Step by Step: Minnesota State Fair Mojito Lime Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, with the rack in the middle of the oven. Next, zest your lime and set aside.

Mix together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Melt your butter in the microwave. In another bowl, put in the sugar and cream cheese, and pour the warmed, melted butter on top. Whisk to combine, making sure there are no clumps of cream cheese visible.

To this mixture, add the oil, egg, lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk everything smooth. Gently fold in the flour mixture until a consistent dough is formed. Roll the dough in balls of approximately 2-3 tablespoons. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown.

Icing Adds a Sweet Minty Finish

Finely chop the mint for the icing and set aside. Mix the milk and confectioners’ sugar until smooth.  Then add/blend in the corn syrup, vanilla extract and chopped mint. Mix until icing is shiny and smooth. Make sure you let the cookies completely cool before applying icing.

Spread the icing onto the cooled cookies. You may want to let the iced cookies sit before serving to give the icing a chance to harden. The hardened icing is like a candy shell on top of the chewy cookie! Yum! Enjoy!

-Crystal

 

Blueberry Pie

No matter how you slice it, this blueberry pie is delicious! And it’s a gorgeous one as well.

You use fresh blueberries in the filling. Sugar, a pinch of salt, and a few tablespoons of fresh lime juice gives it a perfect balance of flavors and perfect level of sweetness. You thicken the filling with cornstarch.

Blueberry Pie North Carolina State Fair Winner 2

Derrick Lingle won 1st place with it at the North Carolina State Fair.  The win was an impressive feat, with this fair being one of the largest in the country. (Find our top 30 list here.)

Blue Ribbon Blueberry Pie

The winner’s easy-to-follow crust directions help ensure a lovely lattice crust. Find the recipe below for step by step tips. Derek likes to make his top and bottom crust separately. The top crust is thicker for easy handling. The bit of extra effort pays off with how impressive it looks when you’re done.

Blueberry Pie North Carolina State Fair Winner 3

When you’re craving an amazing fruit pie, this is a go-to recipe for sure. July and August is blueberry picking time in Minnesota, but fortunately, you can find great tasting blueberries in stores year-round. One taste of this and you’ll know why it won. Bake it today.

Find more pie recipes by searching for pie on our blog landing page here. Enjoy!

-Cyndi

 

SPLENDA LOW-TO-NO SUGAR SHOWDOWN 2023

SPLENDA LOW-TO-NO SUGAR SHOWDOWN

Baking Contest Seeks Best Low-To-No Sugar Pies, Cookies, Cakes, Breads, Chocolate Desserts, Citrus Sweet Treats

Minneapolis-St Paul, MN – June 20, 2023 – Watch for the Splenda Magic Baker “Low-To-No-Sugar Showdown” 2023 state fair recipe contest series this summer in 6 different cities in the Midwest and two southern states. If you love cakes, cookies, pies, and other sweet treats but prefer them with little to now sugar, this competition is for you!

$350 in Prizes at Each of 6 Fairs

Six prominent state fairs will host the contest, including Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, and Arkansas. Prizes are $200 for 1st place, $100 for 2nd place, and $50 for 3rd place. Judges choose winners for the best flavor combinations, taste and aroma, among other criteria.

Splenda Magic Baker Low to No Sugar Showdown

The pop-up events will feature giveaways of Splenda Magic Baker, the brand’s new zero-calories, zero-sugar sweetener, while supplies last. Splenda Magic Baker comes in 16 ounce bags. It measures and tastes like sugar. Use it 1 to 1 for replacing sugar. You can find recipes and baking tips at Splenda.com.

 

Six Fairs – Six Sets of Prizes

Here’s a quick run-down of when each fair is, a link to their competition department, their contest theme, register by date, contest date, and location at the fairgrounds. Most fair’s require advance registration, which bakers do, directly with each fair’s competition department.

For questions about competing, contact the fair’s entry office or the Blue Ribbon Group here.  If you can’t compete at any of the above 6 fairs, don’t fret. Read below about our bonus prizes for low to no sugar state fair winning recipes.

Want to Win Year’s Supply of Splenda Magic Baker Sweetener?

Bonus Prizes for Sugar-Free Winning Bakers at ANY Blue Ribbon Group Top 30 Fair

We invite you to compete in any general baking class/category at ANY of our top 30 fairs for a shot at winning a year’s supply of Splenda Magic Baker ($96 value). To qualify, use any Splenda product and place 1st, 2nd or 3rd at your fair, in any general baking class/category. Then submit your details, winning recipe, and photo here by 11:59pm on October 13, 2023. We will choose up to 6 winners: 1 for each of 6 U.S. regions, if applicable: Midwest, Southwest, Southeast, Northeast, Pacific, or Rocky Mountain regions. Winners will be chosen and contacted by year-end, by 11:59pm on December 31, 2023.

Good luck to all the participants!

This post was originally published June 20, 2023 and was updated July 13, 2023.

 

Homemade Caramel Corn

Homemade Caramel Corn: Lean how to make it with this special recipe.

Caramel corn and state fairs go hand in hand. In fact, Cracker Jack’s, the molasses-coated peanut/popcorn treat debuted at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Next time you have a hankering for this sweet snack, use this easy go-to recipe. It calls for just 6 ingredients. Add some salted peanuts and you’ll have homemade Cracker Jack’s, a snack the whole family will love.

And if you’re looking for another quintessential state fair recipe, try your hand at these homemade corndogs.

-Cyndi

 

Oatmeal Cookie Sliders

Oatmeal Cookie Sliders: chewy oatmeal cookies sandwich a creamy rich filling in this blue ribbon winning cookie from the Arkansas State Fair.

Oatmeal Cookie Sliders 2

Oatmeal cookies are a classic. The reason why is they are delicious and easy to make. So are these oatmeal cookie sliders.. I love it when winners put a fun spin on an quintessential cookie. A couple other all-time favorites are these “slider-like” sweet treats and these “twisted” peanut butter cookies.

Recipe credit goes to Rhonda Hull, who took first place for them back in 2014. One taste and you will agree: they are a winner! The mouth feel of these cookies are marvelous and you will not want to stop at one.

-Cyndi

 

Toasted Pecan Honey Squares

These simple and scrumptious Toasted Pecan Honey Squares are a winning sweet treat. They come from Cheryl Adkins, a home baking exhibitor at the 2015 Ohio State Fair. She won second place for these shortbread cookie bars topped with a pecan-pie type “filling.” They recall the beauty of a classic pecan pie and remind us how tasty it is to add pecans to any dessert, like with this THIS cheesecake.

Toasted Pecan Honey Squares 2

With just 8 ingredients, you’ll have these out of the oven in no time!

The hardest part of this toasted pecan honey squares recipe is waiting long enough for them to cool. They are tender and chewy with just a touch gooey… and oh so good!

-Cyndi

 

Coconut Cream Cookie Cups

You will be completely delighted with these easy and delicious Coconut Cream Cookie Cups. They have just three ingredients in the cookie dough (flour, sugar and butter) and four more in the filling, plus garnishes. We made them with a variety of toppings, including coconut, walnuts and macadamias. We tried a couple different sizes. The minis were adorable.

Mini Coconut Cream Cookie Cups

From our very first trial run, we simply loved the “just slightly sweet” cookie cup contrasted with the rich, creamy and sweet filling. With the first bite, you will be wowed.

You make the cups a bit thick, so they’re sturdy enough to hold a good size portion of the filling.

Cream cheese, whipped topping, powdered sugar, and coconut extract make up the filling.

Toasted coconut tops off the cookie and makes these coconut cream cookie cups a show stopper!

1 solo Coconut Cream Cookie Cup

Award-Winning Cookie!

Deb Gruber at the Great Allentown Fair won with these cookie cups back in 2013. If you follow this recipe, you will have a winning sweet treat on your hands too! And in your belly. They are 100% a crowd pleaser!

Deb originally titled her entry “Hawaiian Delights.” Coconut alone can give any recipe a tropical flair. If that’s a theme you love, be sure to try THIS epic pie sometime. Happy baking to you!

-Cyndi

 

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies

The classic peanut butter cookie is reinvented with these Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies. Minnesota State Fair contester Loretta Ratajczyk created these. The simple but inventive additions of chocolate, chopped peanuts, and crushed vanilla wafers, paid off! Loretta won 1st place and blue ribbon bragging rights in our special cookie contest back in 2013 .

What also makes these peanut butter cookies so incredibly tasty is her addition of almond flavoring. Just wait until you try these! They are also easy and fun to make. In fact, my daughter Olivia enjoyed helping me this time around. Check out the steps below to see how we put together these award-winning cookies.

Step-By-Step: Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies

While your oven warms up (set to 375 degrees F), mix together the sugars, butter, shortening, peanut butter, and egg.

Classic cookie ingredients

Here comes what I like to consider the “secret” ingredient- almond flavoring, instead of typical vanilla. Once the batter is mixed, add it in. It really gives the cookie a fantastic flavor. Next combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to the mixture. Get everything mixed together and shape dough into walnut sized balls. Olivia was a fantastic helper during this step.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies Olivia

Dip tops into sugar. Place sugared dough balls on a baking sheet, sugar side up. Crisscross tops with a fork. This step in making peanut butter cookies always makes me think of making them as a child. It’s classic.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies Step 2

Bake 10-11 minutes, or until lightly-browned. Allow to set 5 minutes on cookie sheet. Remove and fully cool.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies Step 3

Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

While cookies are cooling, prepare the topping ingredients. Grind together the peanuts and vanilla wafers. I used a food processor for a finer texture. You could also put the ingredients in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second increments. Loretta has a great tip: to thin the chocolate she adds a generous tablespoon of solid shortening when melting the chocolate. Here is my toppings station.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies Step 4

Dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate. To apply the peanut and vanilla wafer topping, you can either dip the cookie into the mixture, or set the chocolate dipped cookie on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with topping. Refrigerate a few minutes for a quick set. I recommend this, because you won’t want to wait to bite into these cookies!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies 2

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies

Another great winner’s tip is to save any leftover peanut/wafer mixture. It can be frozen and used for other desserts. Bonus!

Here’s Olivia proudly displaying her hard work:

Thank you Loretta for a wonderful recipe!

-Crystal

Note: This was previously published on our former website, StateFairRecipes.com. Find another all-time favorite from our archives with this epic cookie here.

Coconut Peanut Butter Power Balls

Coconut Peanut Butter Power Balls: one taste of these and you will think you won the lottery. They are scrumptious and satisfying; perfect for midday snacks or noshing before a workout.

Coconut Peanut Butter Power Balls

They are also “no-bake,” come together in minutes and can easily be customized with your favorite ingredients.

You don’t even use a stovetop. You use one single bowl instead.

One could even consider these coconut peanut butter power balls a “healthy cookie.” We are fine with a loose definition of the term “cookie.”

These nutritious treats have wheat germ, flaxseed, oatmeal, and coconut oil. Vanilla, honey, maple syrup, and salt will round out all the flavor. Use unsweetened shredded coconut, zero-sugar chocolate chips, and peanut butter made only with peanuts, no oil or sugar added. That way, the recipe becomes a diabetes-friendly treat. You can feel good about eating them. Yay for guilt-free foods!

Preparation Tip

I often do the last mixing by hand, with either food gloves on or freshly washed hands. It helps to squeeze the “dough” tightly in your hand before shaping. You literally squish the “dough.” With this method, you get everything evenly distributed so you can taste all the ingredients in each bite.

I like to toast the coconut and vary up the shapes sometimes. Just be sure you use enough honey and coconut oil, so they can hold together and stay tender. You can also tailor the ingredients to your tastes as well, like add protein powder, chia seeds, and spice blends. Search for more variations on this creation by entering “power ball” in the search bar here, or anywhere else on the site.

I ate A LOT of no-bake cookies growing up. These “Power Balls” have that same chewy texture I love and crave. AND they help you power through the day as an on-the-go snack.

For a final tip. We invite you to come up with your own variation on this recipe. Then look for ways to “healthify” your favorite cookies, cakes, pies, and breads. Find some great tips here.

Cyndi

Rainbow Soba Noodle Salad

This rainbow soba noodle salad combines colorful produce (zucchini, yellow squash, snow peas, carrots, cabbage, and spring onions) with a flavorful ginger sesame dressing. It’s a winning recipe. In fact, we’ve been calling it one of our favorite “winner for dinner” creations.

Sensational Soba Noodles

I made this salad a few weeks ago after hitting a couple of my go-to farmer’s markets: the Lyndale Market, and Mill City farmer’s market. I got a boatload of vegetables plus these great buckwheat soba noodles from Dumpling & Strand, “Noodlers at Large.” Their artwork is awesome too.

These soba noodles are gluten-free and cook up in seconds, like 120 seconds. I really had only used them in one other recipe, a “fast food” one where I thawed some frozen peanut dipping sauce–I had made a quadruple batch last time around and put half cup portions in freezer bags–and simply mixed it in with some noodles and a tiny bit of water. It is like a 2 ingredient salad. Like I said: fast food.

This time however, I imagined something with a bit more heat and a lighter, vinaigrette-type dressing. That’s how this rainbow soba noodle salad came to be. I love the chili oil in it. It goes great with the sesame oil/liquid aminos combo. Well, the salad turned out delish and was a BIG winner at dinner. I had hosted a potluck party. I marinated and cooked some tempeh to go on top of the soba salad. Together those two elements make a vegetarian main dish for some, and a hearty side dish for others. By the way, I’ll have to share the tempeh recipe another time. I wasn’t able to snap any photos this time around.

I will definitely be making this rainbow soba noodle salad time and time again. It was so easy and flavorful. I hope you enjoy it soon too, and that you enjoy the rest of your summer!

-Cyndi