The sweet anticipation of a win was intense at the 2025 “Great Cookie Book Taste Off.” Milwaukee’s media personalities and We Energies Cookie Book recipe submitters gathered to test their taste buds.
The event kicked off with a new challenge: guessing the number of Anna’s Molasses Cookies — submitted by Patrick Stevenson from Sparta — in a cookie jar. Contestants had less than a minute to look at the jar and make their guess, with the closest guessing team getting a point to kick off the competition.
Six teams then began the taste test. Each team studied, smelled and tasted three different cookies. The goal was to identify up to five different ingredients in each cookie. “It is so much harder than it sounds,” said Spectrum News’ Ryan Burk, capturing the sentiment of many of the contestants.
The competition heated up with a four-way tie for first place. The tiebreaker was a cookie stacking race. In the end, one team’s cookie tower stood tall, claiming victory.
After a two-year reign as the self-proclaimed “Cookie Book King,” WITI-TV anchor Ben Handelman was dethroned when his team’s cookie stack crumbled. The new champions are: Vince Vitrano, host of Wisconsin’s Morning News on WTMJ-AM, Bre Barnett from the Milwaukee Uncut Podcast and recipe submitter Connie Thomason from Pewaukee.
“The competition was wonderful. What they do with this Cookie Book is unbelievable,” said Thomason.
But Handelman isn’t giving up that easily. “I’m going back next year to get that third title,” he vowed.
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Congratulations to the champions:
First Place:
Vince Vitrano, WTMJ-AM
Bre Barnett, Milwaukee Uncut Podcast
Connie Thomason, Minne Maple Bars from Pewaukee
Second Place:
Ben Handelman, WITI-TV
Denise Heckel, Chocolate Frosted Cookies from Kenosha
Third Place:
Drew Burgoyne, WDJT-TV
Carol Burgess, Orange Zest Cookies from Elkhorn
Denise Conrad, Merry Cherry Shortbread Cookies from Sussex
Other competitors:
Adriana Mendez, WTMJ-TV. Richie Burke, Milwaukee Uncut Podcast. Marcus Allen, WKLH-FM. Ryan Burk, Spectrum News. Jeramey Jannene, Urban Milwaukee. Mary Turner, Peaches and Cream Cookies from Oak Creek. Martha Chaveriat, Frosted Cutout Cookies from Watertown. Denise Heckel, Chocolate Frosted Cookies from Kenosha. Paula Waldoch, Chocolate Bourbon Cookies from Milwaukee. Linda Huenink, Butterscotch Scotties from Mukwonago.
Cookie Book coming Nov. 1
The holiday season kicks off Saturday, Nov. 1, with the release of the 2025 We Energies Cookie Book. This year’s Cookie Book is overflowing with 37 delicious treats from home bakers across the state. Each recipe was hand-picked by We Energies employees during the rigorous and tasty testing process. The book will be available online and at events statewide throughout November.