The pressure was on! An exclusive sneak peek of the 2024 We Energies Cookie Book was up for grabs — and pride was on the line —at the “Great Cookie Book Taste Off,” where some of Milwaukee’s media celebrities and 2024’s We Energies Cookie Book recipe submitters gathered to guess the ingredients in a sampling of this year’s featured treats.
Seven teams dove into a taste test featuring three cookies. Teams needed to identify ingredients in each.
Reporter Debbie Lazaga from 620 WTMJ recapped the event on the station’s morning show the next day. She described how contestants had to choose between tough-to-determine ingredients like rum and bourbon and light and dark brown sugar.
“There was actually work involved,” Lazaga said. “It was not an easy thing. It wasn’t just go in and eat cookies.”
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski, Marquette University Law School’s Judge Derek Mosely and We Energies President Mike Hooper had the tough task of judging the event, tallying up the scores while munching on cookies themselves.
“It was an amazing event that showcased so many different flavor profiles. There were some truly talented bakers. I can’t wait for the book,” Mosley said.
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The event did not end without some drama. With a tie for third place on the line, two teams faced off in a two-minute cookie-stacking race. One cookie tower stood victorious at the end, while the other fell in the final seconds.
CBS58 Evening Anchor Natalie Shepherd and Chief Meteorologist Drew Burgoyne competed against each other for third place. Burgoyne’s team thought they had it, but a bump tumbled their cookie stack. To that Shepherd said, “That’s the way the cookie crumbles.”
Congratulations to the champions:
First place
Ben Handelman, FOX6
Dave Coombs, 96.5 WKLH (WKLH story)
Jennifer Laurin, Lemon Curd Thumbprints cookie recipe submitter from Port Washington
Second place
Ryan Burk, Spectrum News 1
Alex Strouf, ESPN
Michelle Kaczmarowski, Cherry Pie Cookies recipe submitter from Racine
Third place
Natalie Shepherd, CBS58
Alex Groth, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Jenna Gruszcynski, Peanut Butter Middles recipe submitter from South Milwaukee
Cookie Book coming Nov. 1
The 2024 We Energies Cookie Book celebrates childhood memories with 37 recipes from home bakers from around the state. Along with the recipe, the book features a story from each baker about their cookie. The book will be available to download from the We Energies website Friday, Nov. 1, and at distribution events across the state throughout November.