Carolyn Gurtz of Gaithersburg, MD won the $1 million prize in the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest. That's a fabulously hefty prize for a cookie recipe. Gurtz's recipe for Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies beat the 99 other competitors.
Everything's bigger in Texas, and for Carolyn Gurtz of Gaithersburg, MD, one thing's for sure - her bank account just got $1 million bigger! Today, Gurtz captured the $1 million grand prize at the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest for her Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies. Bake-Off awards show host, Sandra Lee, handed over the dough and a complete set of GE Profile kitchen appliances valued at $10,000.
Inspired by her love of baking and the great flavor of peanut butter, Carolyn Gurtz's recipe combines Pillsbury Create 'n Bake Refrigerated peanut butter cookies with JIF Creamy Peanut Butter and Fisher Dry Roasted Peanuts to create as one judge stated, "A new twist on an old classic." Taking the cake - or cookie - in the Sweet Treats category, contest judges agreed that Gurtz's recipe surpassed the 99 other competitors as the grand prize winner for its simplicity and approachability, allowing the home cook to take a convenience product and turn it into an unexpected cookie that bursts with layers of peanut butter flavor. Contest judges described Gurtz's Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies as a delightful taste that combines two classic cookies- a snickerdoodle and a peanut butter cookie.
A homemaker with a passion for baking inspired by her parents, Gurtz still has the mixer her mother bought her more than twenty years ago. Now 59, she fondly recalls the day her parents first introduced her to cooking at age seven. Fulfilling a lifelong dream to reach the Bake-Off Contest, she literally cried from joy upon learning she'd been selected as one of the 100 finalists. "This is like winning the gold medal," said Gurtz, who has been entering recipes in the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest for the past 15 years. This Sunday School teacher and mother of two knew she was on to something when her son smelled them cooking and declared them a "winner" after just one bite.
You can see all the recipes from the contest - including the recipe for Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies - here.
