Maryland Alumna Takes Top Prize in National Baking Competition
College Park, Md. -- University of Maryland alumna Carolyn Gurtz, class of 1970, this week won the grand prize in the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest, a national baking competition held every other year. Gurtz, a grandmother and Sunday school teacher, captured first place and the $1 million prize for her double-delight peanut butter cookie recipe -- which combines Pillsbury cookie dough with a creamy peanut butter center and crunchy nut crust.
(Media-Newswire.com) - College Park, Md. -- University of Maryland alumna Carolyn Gurtz, class of 1970, this week won the grand prize in the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest, a national baking competition held every other year. Gurtz, a grandmother and Sunday school teacher, captured first place and the $1 million prize for her double-delight peanut butter cookie recipe -- which combines Pillsbury cookie dough with a creamy peanut butter center and crunchy nut crust.
Her recipe was selected as one of the 100 finalists, chosen from tens of thousands of entries from amateur cooks. In addition to winning the grand prize, Gurtz also won the Jif Peanut Butter Award for recipes using at least ΒΌ cup of Jif peanut butter. Her recipe will appear in The Pillsbury Classic Cookbook, which will be available at discount and grocery stores in May.
Gurtz, who has been submitting entries to Pillsbury's contest for the last 15 years, began cooking and baking at the age of seven. Since then, her interest has grown into a passion, although she admits she is more traditional, than gourmet in the kitchen.
A resident of Gaithersburg, Md., Gurtz is part of a Terp family. She received her degree in education in 1970, while her husband, Dennis, received degrees in 1968 and 1972 from the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Their son, Michael, received his degree in arts and humanities from Maryland in 1999.
Contacts: Beth Cavanaugh, 301-405-4625 or bcavana@umd.edu
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