New Jersey woman wins world-class baking contest

A New Jersey woman has reached the Holy Grail of amateur baking. This year’s Pillsbury Bake-Off grand prize goes to Sue Compton of Delanco, a quiet river town in Burlington County.
Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups. Judges called them “cute”, and that’s what earned Sue Compton a million-dollar grand prize, overcoming 10,000 other entrants from around the country. In accordance with contest rules, her original recipe uses four products made by Pillsbury and its associated brands including pre-packaged cookie dough, raspberry jam, and chopped walnuts.

A New Jersey woman has reached the Holy Grail of amateur baking.

This year’s Pillsbury Bake-Off grand prize goes to Sue Compton of Delanco, a quiet river town in Burlington County.

Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups. Judges called them “cute”, and that’s what earned Sue Compton a million-dollar grand prize, overcoming 10,000 other entrants from around the country. In accordance with contest rules, her original recipe uses four products made by Pillsbury and its associated brands including pre-packaged cookie dough, raspberry jam, and chopped walnuts.

Compton, a mortgage loan processor by trade, is new to baking competitions like the Bake-Off  “I hadn’t followed it or known much about it. I was reading the coupon section of the newspaper, advertising the contest was coming up. I found out the deadline was the next weekend, so I created it that weekend and submitted it the next day.”

Compton describes herself as a shy person who was humbled by the recipes of her fellow competitors. Contest judges praised her ice cream cookie cups because they are so simple, requiring little more than assembling ingredients into a charming presentation.

The award-winning recipe for Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Start to Finish: 45 minutes

1 package (16 oz) ready to bake refrigerated sugar cookies (24 cookies)
4 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate baking chips
1/4 cup seedless red raspberry jam
1 1/2 cups vanilla bean ice cream, softened
24 fresh raspberries
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with no-stick cooking spray. Place 1 cookie dough round in each muffin cup. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
2. Place 2 teaspoons of the sugar in small bowl. Dip end of wooden spoon handle in sugar; carefully press into center of each cookie to make 1-inch-wide indentation. Cool completely in pan, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix walnuts and remaining 2 teaspoons sugar; set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring after 30 seconds, until smooth.
4. Run knife around edges of cups to loosen; gently remove from pan. Dip rim of each cup into melted chocolate, then into walnut mixture. Place walnut side up on cookie sheet with sides.
5. In another small microwavable bowl, microwave jam uncovered on High about 15 seconds until melted. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon jam into each cup. Freeze cups about 5 minutes or until chocolate is set.
6. Spoon ice cream into cups, using small cookie scoop or measuring tablespoon. Top each cup with fresh raspberry. Store in freezer; let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before serving.
24 tartlets

1 Serving: Calories 150 (Calories from Fat 70); Total Fat 7g (Saturated Fat 2 1/2g, Trans Fat 1 1/2g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 60mg; Total Carbohydrate 19g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 12g); Protein 1g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 0%; Iron 2% Exchanges: 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.