Tag: Blue Ribbon Foodies

2026 Minnesota State Fair Special Baking Contests

Be a Baking Champion: Compete at the Minnesota State Fair’s Annual Baking Competition

New in 2026: Land O’Lakes Shortbread Contest & More!

Minneapolis-St Paul, MN – June 23, 2026 – The Minnesota State Fair will be here before we know it. For many Minnesotans, that means it’s time to showcase their baking skills and compete for cash prizes and blue-ribbon bragging rights.

With more than 80 baking categories or “classes,” the Minnesota State Fair’s annual baking competition celebrates the best cookies, cakes, breads, pies, and more. Don’t miss the new Land O’Lakes “Best-Ever Shortbread” and Blue Ribbon “Savory Scone” special contests.

Registration is open now and closes Tue, Aug 4, 2026, 4:30pm CT. The event’s pre-Fair drop-off date/time is Sat, Aug 22, 2026, 9:30am to 1pm CT (Creative Activities Building, Minnesota State Fairgrounds), with winners announced Thu Aug 27, opening day of the Fair. In the same Creative Activities Building, display cases will showcase the best of the best all days of the Fair (Aug 27-Sep 7).

Land O’Lakes “Best-Ever Shortbread Contest”

From traditional to totally creative, all styles, flavors, and shapes of shortbread qualify for this contest. Just be sure to use the beloved Land O Lakes brand of butter. We want to see a huge variety of entries. Wow the judges with a standout flavor, buttery aroma, melt-in-your-mouth texture, and a beautiful presentation. A unique mix of shortbreads will win, with $350 in prizes split among top three winners ($200/1st, $100/2nd, $50 3rd), plus bonus prizes for all “best-in-class” cookie winners. Looking for inspiration? Check out these Millionaire Shortbread Bars and Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints, then brainstorm what you’ll bake for the contest.

Land O’Lakes Live Event: Thu Sep 3

Join us for a live baking event featuring Land O Lakes® Butter in the Cambria Kitchen on Thu, Sep 3, 2026. The day begins with a 10am meet/greet session featuring 2026 Land O’Lakes shortbread contest winners. Then, Jackie Thesing @SweetGirlTreatsMN showcases a to-die-for Browned Butter Toffee Pecan Cookie recipe with live demonstrations at 11am, 12pm, and 1pm. Enjoy complimentary tastings while supplies last.

Blue Ribbon Group “Savory Scone Contest”

It’s time to put the spotlight on savory scones, like tomato/basil, cheddar/chive, or prosciutto/gruyere. Bake your best outstanding scone (circular, square, or triangle) that looks, tastes, and smells fantastic. A unique mix of scones will win. Awards: $200 1st, $100 2nd, $50 3rd (gift cards), plus bonus prizes for quick bread “best in class” winners. As a warm-up, try these Cheddar Scallion Scones from King Arthur Baking Company, or these prize-winning Parmesan & Chive Scones.

Key Dates to Remember

Competitors Register by Tue Aug 4, 2026, 4:30pm
Drop-Off Day is Sat Aug 22, 2026, 9:30am to 1pm
Land O Lakes® Butter Demos, Cambria Kitchen, Thu Sep 3, 10am to 1:30pm
View Winner Displays Aug 27 to Sep 7 in Creative Activities Building

First Time Participant or Need a Refresher?

Go to the Competitions/Creative Activities/Baked Products section found here at MNStateFair.org to sign up.
To find all baking rules, regs, open classes, and any special contests, be sure to download the Creative Activities/Baked Goods Premium Book Section. Jump to pages 12-14 for the special contests.
For extra guidance and frequently asked questions, go here.
Ultimately, be sure your registration clears and you receive an email confirmation. Save that email, just in case you need it later.

Dubai Chocolate Coffee Cake

Dubai Chocolate Coffee Cake, is an award-winning creation made by Minnesotan, Maram Falk, who took first place in our Blue Ribbon Group Coffee Cake Contest at the 2025 Minnesota State Fair. Her recipe combines three batter layers (one cardamom, one chocolate, and one pistachio). She marbles them together and sprinkles a chocolate/cardamom crumble on top before baking.

The topping features the Middle Eastern dessert, knafeh, a nod to her Palestinian ethnicity, while the cardamom cake recognizes her husband’s Swedish heritage. Crushed pistachios, chocolate ganache, and pistachio cream are the cake’s finishing touches. This winning entry blurs the boundaries of the coffee cake category, something the special contest encouraged.

First Blue Ribbon Win for Maram Falk

Maram is an engineer and project manager by day, and hobby baker in her spare time. While she has placed in prior years at the fair, this is her first blue ribbon win. She credits French pastry chef, Bruno Albouze, for the marbling technique she used. She tested various temperatures for baking and settled on 330 degrees F. As a result, the cake stays moist and the marbling intact.

State fair baking judge Maureen Fischer said about the entry: I loved the beautiful appearance and taste of this coffee cake which has a warm spice (cardamom) added to both the crumble and the cake. The crumble topping included pistachios and knafeh which gave it a lot of texture, without being overwhelming, and a green and chocolate drizzle brought it all together. The cake was deliciously moist and had great visual appeal with pistachio (green), white and chocolate cakes ribboning around each other.

Dubai Chocolate Coffee Cake: Best Out of 80 Entries

Maram won out of 82 coffee cakes delivered for judging; 152 people had registered. As the first place winner in the Blue Ribbon Group Coffee Cake Contest, Maram wins a $200 shopping spree from King Arthur Baking Company. Additionally, Maram takes home a Blue Ribbon Group apron, plus of course a blue ribbon and all the glory that comes with that honor.

Maram shared what inspired her entry, by noting, “Dubai Chocolate is the current social media craze but it has been around for a few years now. It features an ingredient (knafeh) that is significant to my family’s Palestinian ethnicity. I wanted to make this coffee cake about my and my husband’s cultures being “married” so it is a marbled cake featuring the knafeh and his Swedish heritage in the cardamom cake.”

Baker Tips

Find Maram’s Blue Ribbon Group Coffee Cake Contest winning recipe below. Bake like a blue ribbon winner with these helpful baking tips:

When you butter the pan, apply a thin layer on bottom and sides of pan, using a pastry brush. Add parchment paper to match bottom of pan and butter that too. As a result, your cake is less likely to stick, and will release more easily from the pan.
Use freshly ground cardamom, prepared in a spice grinder or by mortar and pestle). The already ground kind is not strong enough to be aromatic or have the desired flavor in this coffee cake.
If mixture begins to separate, use a double boiler to gently heat the bowl, or a kitchen blow torch over the mixture, to emulsify.
Buy knafeh, unbaked, from a local bakery, if available. If not available, try phyllo dough. Maram used an air fryer to make it crisp. A toaster oven, regular oven, or pan on stovetop are back-up options. Maram got her knafeh and her pistachio cream from Goden Nuts in Columbia Heights.
The base layer is the cardamom cake, on purpose, as it is the most dense, and that structure is needed at the bottom.
The less typical 330 degrees F works here to keep the cake moist and the marbling intact.
Add a green drizzle, in addition to the ganache for a color accent, using pistachio cream, white chocolate, and a splash of heavy cream.

Additional Winners

The Blue Ribbon Group Coffee Cake Contest had impressive runners-up too. Jen Walker won 2nd place and a $100 prize for her Blueberry Corndog Coffee Cake. Joanne Holtmeier took 3rd place and a $50 prize for a Tiramisu Twist Coffee Cake. Some of the other standouts were a chocolate cherry version and one with pumpkin, cranberries, and pepitas, and an almond one with candied fruit.

Special Award Coffee Cake Winners, each taking home a $25 King Arthur Baking Company gift card, are:

Karen Cope for her apple coffee cake, Kimberly Maize for her ring-style coffee cake
Michele Seyward for her pull-apart coffee cake, Marilyn Johnson for her square coffee cake,
Sean Johnston for his Bundt-type coffee cake.

You may recall Seward won our Kowalski’s Markets Best Chocolate Cake Contest with this stunner.

Look for all these winning entries, plus hundreds more, all on display in the Creative Activities Building during the entire fair (Aug. 21 to Sept 1, 2025). In addition, discover more award-winning recipes at BlueRibbonGroup.net and BlueRibbonFoodies on Instagram and Facebook.

Mocha Cake & Cupcakes

Mocha Cake & Cupcakes: If you want to be a blue ribbon baker, bake this Minnesota State Fair 1st place winning recipe. The batter has both freshly brewed coffee and espresso powder in it, plus cocoa powder. As a result, the cake’s flavor is out of this world. The thick, rich and creamy buttercream frosting is phenomenal as well.

Dahna Jacobson, a repeat winner in multiple divisions, absolutely loves this mocha cake recipe, originally a cupcake recipe from the Brown-Eyed-Baker. She adapted it into a layer cake.

The mocha chocolate cake immediately became Dahna’s go-to recipe and she went on to win multiple Minnesota State Fair ribbons with it, including one in 2023. Ten years in – 2014 was her first year competing – and she already has 12 ribbons total, including 3 blue ribbons, mostly for various cakes, but also quick breads. Dahna keeps photo boxes celebrating her achievements, like this one.

About her state fair baking experiences, Dahna shared, “I’m most proud of my first ribbon because I entered a single cake that year and really didn’t expect to win. I had never entered any baking competitions prior. Also, my first blue ribbon has a funny story. When I arrived at the fairgrounds, my white cake had shifted and was smushed on the side… I rushed home and made a fresh batch of buttercream and re-frosted the cake and it ended up winning first place!

TV News Appearance

We invited Dahna to showcase this favorite mocha cake recipe of hers on KARE 11 News (NBC-Minneapolis St Paul), live at the fairgrounds. Here’s a link to her appearance. Find it here.

This mocha cake & cupcakes recipe makes one double layer cake, 32 cupcakes, or about 64 miniature-sized cupcakes. You simply adjust the pans and baking times for the different versions.

Put this is the must-make pile for your next home-baking adventure. It’s a winner!

-Cyndi

p.s. Love the buttercream? Try these, also cupcakes, or type in “buttercream” as a search option for numerous more options.

Homemade Salted Nut Rolls

Homemade Salted Nut Rolls: if you love Pearson’s Salted Nut Roll candy bars, you are in for a treat. This recipe makes the best homemade salted nut rolls. Seriously. The BEST! Everyone who tastes them absolutely loves them.

They are the perfect combination of sweet, salty, chewy and crunchy. Plus, you can make them a variety of ways. We like the classic, log form, because they are so cute on a stick. However, with Salted Nut Roll Bars, you just have to shape the nougat into one portion.

But first, let’s talk about overall helpful tips and tricks. This is a fun recipe. You just may get your hands messy, but the caramel is so tasty to clean up.

Preparation Tips

To get started, get yourself A LOT of salted peanuts. A LOT. They’re what makes this treat so fabulous.
I usually make at least two cans of the caramel at a time so I have it on hand
Make these homemade salted nut rolls in two stages if desired, by freezing the marshmallow “nougat” after you have formed the logs
Avoid some messiness by using forks to work with the logs for the caramel and peanut layers
Experiment with how you like the nutty exterior. With a rough chop, you’ll need to press the peanuts a bit to adhere them to the inner layers and you’ll get a big crunch. With a finer chop, you get more coverage but a more chewy, less chunky bite.
Consider making recipe as is first, especially if you want the classic taste and look, and go from there.
The recipe “as is” has, in our experience, the best nougat to caramel and peanuts ratio. It also tastes the most like the Pearson’s salted nut roll candy bar, which I love.
Try variations on the recipe, like the “low sugar version” where you sweeten cream cheese with honey or a sugar substitute, then use a sugar-free caramel ice cream topping.
You can opt to use min or full size marshmallows instead of marshmallow fluff. About 3 cups would work, plus 3 cups of powdered sugar, a stick of butter (8 tablespoons), a teaspoon of vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Then there is, of course, the no-fuss version made as a layered pan of bars.

This Five Boys Baker recipe was my initial attempt at trying to replicate my favorite candy bar. The recipe’s filling, made with marshmallows, was delightful. That said, I ended up going with a simpler marshmallow fluff version with a different process and shape. Plus, the biggest difference is my go to caramel hack: boiling sweetened condensed milk in an unopened can, then simmering for two hours. SO EASY!

Yet another variation to try would be shaping the nougat into small round shapes (instead of logs) before dipping each in caramel and tossing in a bowl with peanuts. Salted nut balls, anyone? =)

Yet another, shorter variation is making this recipe into bars.

Whatever way you make these, you are going to love them! They are truly my obsession. Same with this nutty tart you can make into cookie cups or tiny tarts.

-Cyndi

Blue Ribbon Foodies at the Minnesota State Fair

Blue Ribbon Foodies at the Minnesota State Fair: The Blue Ribbon Group took over the Creative Activities Building’s Cambria Kitchen at the Minnesota State Fair on August 25, 2024. As a result, we shared many tastings and great baking tips all day long. If you caught our demonstrations and complementary tastings and want the recipes, you are in the right place. Here is what we featured and the links to each recipe.

Nutty Honey & Seed Tarts

This is an all-time favorite we have many in many forms. It originally won “best pie” in one of our contests at the Wisconsin State Fair.

Hummingbird Cake

This is a specialty cake created by our fellow Blue Ribbon Foodie, Jackie Thesing @SweetGirlTreatsMN.

Salted Nut Roll Bars

This is an original creation for our baking friends everywhere, especially ones who like homemade versions of great candy bars.

Almond & Banana Snacking Cake

You can’t go wrong with any type of banana bread. This one is thick and thoroughly delightful. It comes from Ryan Ceresnak with @TheNerdyBakerMN.

Lemon Coconut Balls

The perfect citrus sweet treat you can make with or without macadamia nuts. Heather Pfeiffer won a blue ribbon for this cookie at last year’s Minnesota State Fair (2024).

Homemade Honey Nut Granola

Fun fact: this recipe earned a teenager his first food-related blue ribbon win! (Yay Lars!) You sweeten it with honey. As a result, it’s not overly sweet, which lets the nuts and oats shine. We served this on top of yoghurt for fairgoers and it was a total hit! You will want to make a double or triple batch of this!

Zucchini Bread Mini Muffins

Another winning creation, from another recipe shared by blue ribbon baker Heather Pfeiffer.

It was a fun scene and we hope you enjoyed all the deliciousness!

Please follow us social media: Blue Ribbon Foodies on Instagram and Facebook. And we hope to see you at next year’s Minnesota State Fair, which runs August 21 through Labor Day, September 1, 2025! Blue Ribbon Foodies at the Minnesota State Fair is bound to return in some way or another. Until then, keep on baking!

This post was updated Sept 4, 2024 with recipe images.

Zucchini Bread Mini Muffins

Zucchini Bread Mini Muffins: you make these delightful treats with classic quick bread ingredients. The zucchini and vegetable oil give the muffins a terrific texture, a quality also helped also by using both baking soda and baking powder. The hint of cinnamon is delicious, as are the walnuts. They give a delightful chewiness to the muffins. If you are not into nuts, simply leave them out!

These zucchini bread mini muffins are a delight to eat and make. You can make them into regular size muffins or a loaf, and with or without walnuts. Your choice! Whatever way you make this winning recipe, you will love it!

The recipe comes from Heather Pfeiffer, who used the recipe and placed second for zucchini bread at the 2023 Minnesota State Fair. It was featured in recipe demos and tastings at the 2024 Minnesota State Fair, hosted by the Blue Ribbon Group in the Creative Activities Building’s Cambria Kitchen. Heather’s main tip with the recipe is to drain but not squeeze the grated zucchini before mixing it in. Don’t miss Heather’s blue ribbon winning cookies, also on this site here. And if you love quick breads, this one is a must try too!

Enjoy!

-Cyndi

Lemon Coconut Balls

Lemon Coconut Balls: a blue ribbon winning recipe at the 2023 Minnesota State Fair.

These are another must bake cookie. Delightfully easy and deliciously perfect. You can make these lemon coconut balls with or without macadamia nuts.

Recipe contest goes to Heather Pfeiffer, pictured here with Blue Ribbon Group founder, Cyndi Harles.

Heather has won numerous ribbons at the fair. We invited her to showcase these cookies at our demo day event at the state fair. They were a huge hit!

Find all the recipes we featured in the Creative Activities Building, Cambria Kitchen, here.

2024 “Top 30 State Fairs” List

New: 2024 “Top 30 State Fairs” List

Do you love state fairs like we do? Check out our new 2024 “Top 30 State Fairs” list. This second annual compilation is based exclusively on two factors: per day attendance numbers (total 2023 attendance divided by total days open) and their baking competitions (history of past Blue Ribbon Group special contests). Our other criteria? They have to take place the second half of the year, the Blue Ribbon Group official state fair season.

Attendances ranged from 27K to 153K for per day averages (based on top 30 list). That is A LOT of people through the gates each day. All take place in the second half of the year, with the majority happening in August and September. The State Fair of Texas has the highest total attendance – 2.5 million – but since it’s spread out over twice as many days as Minnesota and others, it lands in the 4^th “best state fair” spot.

Top 30 State Fairs List - Best State Fairs

Big E Fair Added for 1st Time: Lands in Top 10

New to our “Top 30 State Fairs” list is the Big E, the biggest fair in Massachusetts. It lands in the # 8 spot. The Big E is considered America’s only multi-state fair and is the largest in the whole NE region. As a result, we count the Big E as a state fair. It represents all of New England with entertainment, unique foods, competitions, and more. Per research, the Big E’s Massachusetts State Exhibition Hall literally pays homage to all six New England states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. We have had many cookie contests at the Big E in years past. Welcome to our best state fair list, Big E!

The other biggest changes with our list:

Attendance leapt at many fairs, especially at Kentucky (up 14 percent) and at Wisconsin, Ohio, and New York, among others
Total attendance for all 30 top fairs jumped from 22.2 million fairgoers to 23.5 million
We narrowed the top 30 list to only have official state – or multi-state – fairs.
At the same time, we added 20 runner-up best fairs, for an Honorable Mention list.

2024 Honorable Mention U.S. Fairs:

For the first time, we also compiled an “honorable mention list” of sorts, to include the largest county and regional fairs we have worked with over the years. This gives our list greater/deeper representation of the entire country. Six land on the West Coast. Six land in the Northeast. The rest span the entire continental U.S. We have managed special recipe contest at each of these fair in the past. They are tried, true and extremely popular events, just like the official state fairs, but with a different label.

Daily average attendance numbers range from 94K to 10K per day, which is how they are ranked here.

Since 2006, Blue Ribbon Group has managed special recipe contests at large state, county and regional fairs. Find a collection of winning recipes at BlueRibbonGroup.net and featured on BlueRibbonFoodies on Instagram and Facebook.

2024 Minnesota State Fair Blue Ribbon Special Contests

2024 Minnesota State Fair Special Contests To Feature New Fresh Salsa, Nutty Cookie, Mighty Muffin Recipe Contests

Minneapolis-St Paul, MN – July 22, 2024 – With over 75 baking and cooking categories at the Minnesota State Fair this year, home cooks and bakers will have many ways to win in the kitchen, including $1,000 in prizes in Blue Ribbon Group special contests and awards. The annual and much beloved tradition of blue ribbon baking and cooking returns!

There’s a new Fresh Salsa contest thanks to Bushel Boy Farms, a Nutty Cookie contest from the Blue Ribbon Group, and a Mighty Muffin contest from 3 Cricketeers. The general/classic baking categories (divided into “classes”), range from 28 types of bread and 21 types of cookies, to 12 different kinds of cakes, and 3 pie flavors, plus international and gluten-free baking divisions. Let the games, er… Minnesota State Fair Blue Ribbon Special Contests BEGIN!

Register by Tue July 30, 2024, 4:30pm; All Special Contests & All Baking Categories Take Place Sat Aug 17, 2024

Rally time is now! Look for these new special contests, each with $100 to $200 for first place, plus runner-up prizes and special awards. Registration is now open. It closes Tue , 2024, 4:30pm CT. Open to Minnesota residents only. All contests happen Sat August 17, 2024, drop off 9:30am to 1pm, Creative Activities Building. Winners announced Thu August 22, 2024. Having trouble finding what you need to participate? Drop us a line here.

Bushel Boy Farms “Fresh Salsa Recipe Rally”

Make a fresh-tasting, crowd-pleasing salsa with premium, locally grown Bushel Boy Farms tomatoes as the star ingredient. Bushel Boy’s tomatoes are grown right here in Owatonna, Minnesota at their high-tech greenhouses and picked at perfect ripeness. Combine them with other ingredients for a masterful and award-winning homemade salsa (refrigerated, not processed/canned). Present with your favorite chips for dipping. $350 in prizes await the top 3 winners, plus bonus prizes for canned salsas (Class 1245 & 1246). Find recipe inspiration @BushelBoyFarms on Instagram & Facebook.

Join Bushel Boy Farms to celebrate opening day of the fair, Thu August 22, 2024. They will take over the Cambria Kitchen to showcase fresh tomato creations and salsa contest winners, plus offer complimentary samples and other giveaways throughout the day.

Blue Ribbon Group “Nutty Cookie Contest”

Come compete in the “Nutty Cookie Contest” from the Blue Ribbon Group. We want a creative variety of nut-centric winning cookies. Make your tasty treats with your favorite nuts, from peanuts and pistachios to almonds and cashews. Any nut goes and any type tracks. They can be classic or creative: think biscotti, nut clusters, butter pecan shortbread, monster cookies, and more. Wow the judges with your outstanding cookie, how it looks and what they experience biting into it. A unique mix of cookies will win. Prizes are $200, $100 and $50 for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, respectively. Find inspiration @BlueRibbonFoodies on Instagram & Facebook.

Join us Sun August 25 at the fair for our Nutty Tarts & Treats event (Cambria Kitchen, Creative Activities Building). In the meantime, find a fantastic sample recipe to make here.

Mighty Muffin Recipe Contest

Make your 3 Cricketeers Mighty Muffin entry with 3C’s Pure Cricket Powder (1/4 cup or more) and additional ingredients known to give you power and energy, such as nuts, seeds, oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate. Awards: $100 (1st Place), $75 (2nd Place), $50 (3rd Place). Find their online store at 3 Cricketeers. Use code StateFair2024 for free shipping on your first order. Share your creative process by posting on Facebook or Instagram. Tag #3cricketeers

Join 3 Cricketeers on Fri August 23 for a day of demos and free tastings (Cambria Kitchen, Creative Activities Building).

Special thanks to our prize partner and all-around amazing baking company:

Key Contest Dates to Remember

Competitors Register by Tue July 30, 2024, 4:30pm
Drop Off Day Sat Aug 17, 20, 9:30am to 1pm
View Winner Displays & Recipe Demos Aug 22 to Sep 2 in Creative Activities Building

First Time Participant or Need a Refresher?

All registration goes through the Minnesota State Fair competition department. Registration is free! Once you’re signed up, there is no obligation if you later can’t participate. Go to the Competitions/Creative Activities/Baked Products section at MNStateFair.org to sign up (under the Participants tab).

Minnesota State Fair Blue Ribbon Special Contests: Quick-start tips:

Find all baking rules, regs, open classes, and cool special contests here and be sure to download the Creative Activities/Baked Goods Premium Book Section. Jump to pages 12-14 for the special contests, page by page.
Sign up for the Competition Department email list here and be sure to choose “Creative Activities” as your email list.
Create your online account here (then be sure your registration clears and is confirmed by email).
For step-by-step guidance: go here (for a written tutorial) or here (for a video) For FAQ (frequently asked questions) go here.

Minnesota State Fair Blue Ribbon Special Contests: Resources are aplenty, but if you still have questions, never hesitate to ask. The state fair competition office can be reached 651-288-4417 or competition@mnstatefair.org. We are available too, at statefairteam@blueribbongroup.net.

State Fair of Texas Best Sugar-Free Pie

State Fair of Texas Best Sugar-Free Pie: This recipe earned its “best sugar-free pie” at the 2022 State Fair of Texas. It’s a blueberry apple pie that’s packed with 6 cups of blueberries and a sliced apple.

The recipe is from Robert Cook, who has won MANY times at the State Fair of Texas. Learn how to make this “sweetened with Splenda” award-winning pie with Robert’s detailed recipe below.

My family raved about this pie when my niece re-created it for a special occasion. They especially liked how it wasn’t overly sweet.

The filling cooks up perfectly and the pie sliced just how you want it to.

If you love fruit pies, this is the recipe for YOU! And if you want more blue ribbon winning pie recipes, simply search for “fruit pie” on our site and you’ll find a huge collection of drool-worthy delights.

Enjoy!

-Cyndi