Sweet Recipes from Ribbon Winning Creative Youths | State Fair of Texas (2024)

Photo Credit: Russell Robinson

Spending time in the kitchen with family is always fun – and it can also be a great way to keep your kids engaged and inspired to be creative. In fact, young Fair fans are inspired every year in the kitchen to create yummy food that they enter into our yearly Creative Art cooking contests. We collected a few ribbon-winning recipes here for you to try with your family. Of course, they won’t need much persuasion to tackle these recipes –they’re all delicious sweets and dessert recipes! Share your finished products with us on social media by using #BigTex. Happy baking!

TEXAS COWBOY COOKIES
by Rebekah Hale
from Grandview, TX
2nd Place – Youth Cooking, Children

Ingredients:
1 c. butter, softened
2 c. flour, spooned & leveled
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. old fashioned oats
1 c. corn flakes
2 lg. eggs
1 c. pecans, roughly chopped & toasted
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt
½ c. sweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. peanut butter chips
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat butter until light and fluffy. Add both sugars and beat well, scraping sides and bottom. Add eggs and vanilla and beat more. In another bowl, add salt, baking powder, and baking soda to the flour and lightly mix. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, but stop just before it’s fully mixed. Add oats, corn flakes, pecans, and coconut to the bowl and mix gently. Add both chips and mix until everything is well mixed. Do not over mix. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for anywhere between 1 hour to 24 hours. After you have chilled the dough for your desired amount of time, preheat the oven to 350°. Scoop dough onto cookie pan, leaving a couple of inches between. Bake 12-14 minutes until cookies are golden on the edges. Cool on pan for five minutes, then move to a rack.

MINT STARS
by Collin Palmer
from Royse City, TX
1st Place – Youth Cooking, Children

Ingredients:
2 T. butter
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1½ c. powdered sugar
Tiny star cookie cutter
1½ c. powdered sugar
¼ tsp. salt 1 T. milk

In a small mixing bowl, mix butter, powdered sugar, salt, milk, and peppermint extract until well blended. Between two pieces of parchment paper, roll the dough out to eight inches. Spread top with powdered sugar. Cut stars out and place them on parchment paper to dry. Store in an airtight container.

EASY PEEZY PRALINES
by Summer Garmon
from Krum, TX
2nd Place – Youth Cooking, Children

Ingredients:
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. Imperial brown sugar
⅓ c. heavy whipping cream
¼c. butter
1 c. Imperial powdered sugar
1½ c. chopped, toasted pecans
⅛ tsp. salt

Line a large cookie sheet with wax paper. Place brown sugar, whipping cream, butter, salt, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat. Immediately whisk in powdered sugar, then gently stir in pecans. Allow mixture to thicken and cool slightly, which takes approximately 1 minute. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of praline mixture onto wax paper and allow it to cool and set up.

Photo Credit: Russell Robinson

CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES
by Lawson Sanders
from Fort Worth, TX
3rd Place – Youth Cooking, Jrs.

Ingredients for cupcakes:
2 tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. kosher salt
2 c. sugar
1⅓ c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 c. grated carrots (less than 1 lb.)
3 extra lg. eggs
2 c. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. raisins
1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat sugar, oil, and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time. In another bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add grated carrots, raisins, and pecans to the remaining flour. Mix well and add to batter. Mix until just combined. Line muffin pans with paper liners. Scoop batter into 22 muffin cups until each is full. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350° and cook for 35 minutes more until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack.

Ingredients for frosting:
¾ lb. cream cheese, room temp.
½ lb. unsalted butter, room temp.
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 lb. confectioners’ sugar

Combine the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add sugar and beat until smooth. When cupcakes are cool, frost generously and serve.

RACHEL’S FUDGE
by Rachel Lucci
from Venus, TX
3rd Place –Youth Cooking, Jrs.

Ingredients:
2 c. Imperial sugar
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
⅔ c. evaporated milk
1¼ c. chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ c. butter
12 lg. marshmallows

Combine sugar, milk, butter, and marshmallows in a heavy stockpot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for five minutes, continuously stirring. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until all chips melt. Add pecans and vanilla. Stir well. Spread onto a well-greased 8-inch square pan.