30 Blue-Ribbon Recipes from Fairs Across America (2024)

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30 Blue-Ribbon Recipes from Fairs Across America (1)Emily TyraUpdated: Feb. 04, 2024

    These classic recipes took home the coveted blue ribbon at fairs across the country. Make these blue-ribbon recipes for cookies, cake, pie (and even a big burrito) and you, too, will feel the victory.

    Blue-Ribbon Butter Cake

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    I found this buttercake recipe in an old cookbook I bought at a garage sale and couldn’t wait to try it. I knew it had been someone’s favorite because of the well-worn page. —Joan Gertz, Palmetto, Florida

    Fudge Pecan Brownie Tart

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    I love inventing my own recipes and entering contests—I won a blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair for this one!

    Streuseled Zucchini Bundt Cake

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    Inspired by an abundance of zucchini, I found a new way to use it up in this spiced and lightly sweet cake. It even won a blue ribbon at our county fair! —Regina Stock, Topeka, Kansas

    Frosted Cashew Cookies

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    We savor these cookies at Christmas, but they're special year-round with coffee or tucked into a lunchbox. I won a ribbon with these cookies at my county fair. —Sheila Wyum, Rutland, North Dakota

    Golden Apple Pie

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    Taste of Home

    Pies are the dessert I like best to prepare. This one's the favorite for family get-togethers, and it has been awarded blue ribbons at a couple of local fairs. —Theresa Brazil, Petaluma, California

    Rhubarb-Filled Cookies

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    Taste of Home

    I won a blue ribbon at our local fair for these tender cookies. They're so pretty with the ruby-red filling peeking through the dough. Try making these special cookies and watch the smiles appear. —Pauline Bondy, Grand Forks, North Dakota

    Sweet Corn Muffins

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    I love making corn bread and corn muffins, but often the results are not moist or sweet enough for my taste. So I experimented until I came up with these light, pleasantly sweet muffins. They ended up winning a blue ribbon at our county fair. —Patty Bourne, Owings, Maryland

    Texas Pecan Pie

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    I won a blue ribbon for this pie at the Texas State Fair. Since I was in the military for more than 20 years, I didn’t really start cooking until after I retired. Now I enjoy spending my time in the kitchen. —Michelle Shockley, Wichita, Kansas

    Cookie Jar Gingersnaps

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    Taste of Home

    My grandma kept two cookie jars in her pantry. One of the jars, which I now have, always had these crisp and chewy gingersnaps in it. They're still my favorite cookies. My daughter used this recipe for a 4-H fair and won a blue ribbon. —Deb Handy, Pomona, Kansas

    Blueberry Lattice Bars

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    Since our area has an annual blueberry festival, my daughters and I are always looking for amazing new recipes to enter in the cooking contest. These lovely bars won a blue ribbon one year. —Debbie Ayers, Baileyville, Maine

    Amish Sugar Cookies

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    These easy-to-make, old-fashioned Amish sugar cookies simply melt in your mouth! I've passed this recipe around to many friends. After I gave it to my sister, she entered the cookies in a local fair and won best of show. —Sylvia Ford, Kennett, Missouri

    Sesame Wheat Braids

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    When I started making this bread, my husband and our six children liked it so much that I was baking every day! I was thrilled when the judges at our county fair gave these braids both a blue ribbon and a best of show award! —Nancy Montgomery, Hartville, Ohio

    Blue-Ribbon Doughnuts

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    Taste of Home

    What could be more delicious than a warm homemade doughnut? I've been making these tasty treats for my children and grandchildren for many years. —Kay McEwen, Sussex, New Brunswick

    Tropical Muffins

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    I entered these muffins at our county fair and won the grand champion award for baked goods. They're so moist, they don't need butter. —Sylvia Osborn, Clay Center, Kansas

    Winning Apricot Bars

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    This recipe is down-home baking at its best, and it really represents all regions of the country. It's won blue ribbons at county fairs and cookie contests in several states! Easy to make, it's perfect for potluck suppers, bake sales, lunchboxes or just plain snacking.—Jill Moritz, Irvine, California

    Muenster Bread

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    Many years ago my sister and I won blue ribbons in 4-H with this bread. The recipe makes a beautiful golden loaf with cheese peeking out of every slice. —Melanie Mero, Ida, Michigan

    Five-Star Brownies

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    Taste of Home

    There's a bit of my state's history behind these brownies' name and shape. In 1990, when I entered them at our state fair, Kansas was celebrating the 100th birthday of a famous native son, Dwight Eisenhower. In fact, that occasion was the theme of the fair. So I renamed my brownies, in honor of the rank he'd achieved as a general and cut them out with a star cookie cutter. They ended up winning a blue ribbon! —Pam Buerki Rogers, Victoria, Kansas

    Apple-Cherry Cream Cheese Pie

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    Taste of Home

    A layer of sweetened cream cheese topped with a tart fruit filling makes this pie popular with family, friends and co-workers. It won the blue ribbon at a local fair. —Donna Rettew, Jonestown, Pennsylvania

    Blue Ribbon Beefy Burritos

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    I have a son who lives in Mexico, so we don’t see him very often. When I make these burritos, it feels as if he is right there at the table with us, inhaling them. —Marina Castle, Canyon Country, California

    Corn Chowder with Potatoes

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    Taste of Home

    I developed this soup out of two others to create my own low-calorie recipe. It turned out so well that I entered it in my county fair and won a blue ribbon. —Alyce Wyman, Pembina, North Dakota

    Blue-Ribbon Herb Rolls

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    Taste of Home

    These rolls have been a favorite of ours for nearly 25 years. I even baked them in an old wood stove when we lived on a farm. I developed the recipe using several techniques I learned while studying the art of bread making. The recipe won a blue ribbon at our county fair. —Mary Ann Evans, Tarpon Springs, Florida

    Blue-Ribbon Apple Pie

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    This pie is special to me because I won a blue ribbon for it at the local fair and was able to compete at the state farm show. —Collette Gaugler, Fogelsville, Pennsylvania

    Blue-Ribbon Red Velvet Cake

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    Taste of Home

    This two-layer beauty features a striking red interior. It calls for more cocoa than most red velvet cakes, making it extra chocolaty. Feel free to change the color of the food coloring to suit the occasion. This recipe won a blue ribbon in the holiday cake division at the 2006 Alaska State Fair. I think this cake will be a winner in your house, too! —Cindi DeClue, Anchorage, Alaska

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    Taste of Home

    My biscuits won the prize for best quick bread at my county fair. One of the judges liked them so much, she asked for the recipe! These buttery, savory biscuits go with just about anything. —Gloria Jarrett, Loveland, Ohio

    Lime Mint Jelly

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    Taste of Home

    This holly-green jelly won a Best of Show at the county fair and I was so thrilled. Flavored with lime, it's delicious on roasted meats. —Gloria Jarrett, Loveland, Ohio

    Brown Sugar Icebox Cookies

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    Taste of Home

    My daughters and I have been fairly successful competitors at county fairs and baking contests for years. This is one of our winning recipes. —Eilene Bogar, Minier, Illinois

    Blue-Ribbon Rye Bread

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    My kids once had a little bread business, selling homemade loaves to neighbors and people in the community. Many purchased this rye that won best of show at our county fair. —Susanne Spicker, North Ogden, Utah

    Cherry No-Bake Cookies

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    I always loved my no-bake cookie recipe, but I was never able to place at the fair with it. So I mixed in some maraschino cherries, added almond extract and voila! I won a blue ribbon at the county fair in 2010. —Denise Wheeler, Newaygo, Michigan

    Originally Published: July 08, 2019

    30 Blue-Ribbon Recipes from Fairs Across America (2024)
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