Gustafson wins SHS cookie bake-off

Freshman Ella Gustafson won the cookie bake-off at Sundance High School. As a member of one of the FACS Foods classes, she baked S'more Cookies.

Judges evaluated the cookies according to cookie appearance (size, shape, décor), texture, taste, holiday theme and overall plating. Recipes had to be adjusted to make approximately 2 dozen cookies.

"I was surprised to win. It was a new recipe that I had never made before. And I thought some of the other cookies may look more like Christmas", said Gustafson when she discovered she was the winner of the competition.

Ella's recipe is below:

S'more Cookies

preheat oven to 375°

¾ C. butter, softened NOT melted

½ C. white sugar

½ C. packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1¼ C. flour

1¼ C. graham cracker crumbs

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

1½ C. semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 Hershey™ bars, chopped

1 C. mini marshmallows

Red M&Ms™, if desired

Cream together butter and sugars. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and salt. Mix until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and chopped Hershey™ bar until well combined. Spoon out with cookie scoop. Drop on baking sheet about three inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove and quickly press three marshmallows into each cookie. Return to oven and cook for another three minutes. To make more festive, push one red M&M™ in center while marshmallows are hot.