Itty Bitty Bakers’ third-annual cookie championship

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF ITTY BITTY BAKERS

Last year’s Best All-Around cookie winner was Emma Cooley’s “Deck the Doodles” entry.

Bake a Batch!

Itty Bitty Bakers kids’ Christmas Cookie Bake-Off returns for the third year

In 2020, Itty Bitty Bakers hosted its firstever Christmas Cookie Bake-Off. It was a huge hit—with several parents mentioning it was the highlight of the season for their families—and it’s back again in 2022 for the third iteration.

This year’s event will take place Sunday, December 18th, from 1 – 4 p.m. at the Trussville Public Library’s The Cahaba Meeting Room. Age categories are 5-9 and 10-14; there is no fee to enter. This year’s categories include: • Best Tasting Cookie • Most Festive Cookie • Most Unique Cookie • Best All-Around Cookie (a cookie which encompasses all three of the above)

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21 Charlotte Guess won Best Tasting Cookie in 2021 with her Butterscotch Gingerbread.

Judges accept the treats, then taste-test behind closed doors.

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There will be one winner from each age group per category, and winners will receive a $50 Itty Bitty Bakers gift card that can be used on any class, camp, or shop merchandise. The two Best All-Around winners will also receive Wooden Spoon Award trophies. Judges for this year will be determined soon; last year’s judges included Ramsey Nuss of Good Neighbor Baking; Ashley Brown of Ashley’s Famous Cookies; and Adam Hickman of Foxhound Bee Company.

Participants must choose an acceptable cookie entry (see rules below) and arrive between 1 and 4 p.m. on the day of the event. After taking a picture with their entries, participants will present their cookies to the judges. Official taste-testing will begin at 4 p.m., and winners will be contacted via email and social media the following day.

Rules are as follows:

• Participants must be between the ages of 5 and 14. • Cookies must be presented on a disposable plate, platter, or box labeled with the child’s name and name of the cookie. • Judging is based on cookies alone, not presentation. • Participants must have at least four cookies to sample. • All cookies must be baked (have a step that includes the oven). • Cookies must be made with minimal help from adults (including cookie selection process, grocery shopping, and kitchen cleanup). • Acceptable cookie entries: sugar, shortbread, bar, sandwich, crinkle, spritz, wafer, fortune, dipped, and stuffed cookies; cookie cups, cut-out cookies, pfeffernüsse cookies, biscotti, meltaways, alfajores, and animal crackers. • Cookie types not allowed: French macarons, coconut macaroons, meringues, scones, crepes, pizzelles, brownies, blondies, haystacks, stroopwafel, waffle cookies, truffles, churros, rugelach, cannoli, cookie dough, whoopie pies, eclairs, lady fingers, no-bake cookies, pie dough cookies, palmiers, Pop-Tarts, and decorated storebought cookies. • Registration required. Visit ittybittybakers. com/bakeoffregistration. • Cookies should be made with minimal adult help. Encourage your kids to pull out old cookbooks, check out cookbooks from the library, or get ideas from family members (like grandmom!). Make sure kids are involved start to finish, from ingredient shopping to kitchen cleanup!

For more information, visit ittybittybakers.com/post/3rdannual-kids-christmas-cookie-bake-off-2022.