Persistence paid off for Carolyn Gurtz when she beat out 99 other hopeful home chefs to bag a cool million bucks in the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off contest. “I’ve been entering for almost 15 years,” she told TODAY’s Lester Holt. “This was my lucky year.”
Carolyn wowed the judges with the simplicity and taste of her Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies, which one judge proclaimed “a new twist on an old classic.” Her secret? “The creamy center,” she explained. “When you taste it, it’s like, ‘wow, this is a surprise!’”
In TODAY’s Kitchen, Carolyn demonstrated the proper technique to Lester and Maria Menounos, which entails wrapping balls of peanut butter “about the size of a quarter” in Pillsbury cookie dough, rolling them in a ball, dipping them in peanut mixture, and flattening them with the bottom of a drinking glass.
As for the $1 million prize, “my husband’s a financial planner, so I said I give him some... but not all of it,” Carolyn said. “I know I’ll find something I want too!”
Discover the double-delightful secret of Carolyn’s cookies for yourself, as well as another contestant’s unique Toffee-Banana Brownies.
For more unique and delicious recipes, visit Pillsbury's Bake-Off Contest site.