Norfolk bakers are the fair-est

Oct. 19--As part of The Virginian-Pilot's 2014 Dream Team of bakers, Eileen Ballance and Debbie Wilson of Norfolk went on to showcase their winning recipes at the State Fair of Virginia, where they placed first and second in their respective categories of candy and cookies.

Pilot contestants garnered 10 awards at the fair with four first-place ribbons. This year's recipes featured honey-sweetened baked goods. Ballance won for her Honey Marshmallow S'mores and Wilson for her Honey Cookies.

Here's a closer look at the two Norfolk winners and their delectable concoctions.

Eileen Ballance

Winning Recipe Honey Marshmallow S'mores

Originally from Pennsylvania

Neighborhood Roland Park

Family Married to Lee; two grown daughters, Crystal and Juleen

Employment Administrative assistant for health insurance organization

Hobbies Cooking, knitting and gardening

Ballance has competed "two or three" previous times for the Pilot's Dream Team, but this was the first year that she placed.

"Everything I saw at The Pilot was lovely -- over-the-top lovely," she said. "I didn't go with the expectation that I would win. It was a surprise."

Ballance created her recipe for Honey Marshmallow S'mores especially for the compeition. She first experimented with caramel candies, but wasn't satisfied with the product.

Then she remembered taking a candy-making class 30 years ago where she learned to make marshmallows.

"They are different from the marshmallows that you buy," she said. "They are fresher and you can make them to your taste -- you can add flavorings if you want."

So Ballance replaced some of the sugar in the recipe with honey and baked a few trial batches. Once she was satisfied with the consistency of the marshmallows, she worked on how to "dress them up."

She dipped some in coconut and others in crushed pistachios, but felt that the toppings overpowered the taste of the marshmallows.

"Then I tried chocolate -- and thought of s'mores," she said.

She dipped the marshmallows into dark chocolate and rolled them in finely ground graham cracker crumbs.

"The chocolate kind of formed a shell on the outside, but didn't take away from the marshmallow taste," Ballance said. "I made some on sticks and that worked well too. If I didn't have to send them in a Ziplock bag for the fair, I would have presented them on a stick because that was fun."

Ballance made samples of the different varieties for family and friends to try. None of them preferred the s'mores variety, she said. They liked the coconut- and pistachio-dipped candies better.

"But I really leaned toward the s'mores and that's the one I ended up doing for the contest," she said.

It seems her instincts were right. Ballance's Honey Marshmallow S'mores won first place at the state fair. It wasn't her first state fair win, however. She previously won blue ribbons for mint candies and honeywheat bread, second place for sugar-free peanut butter cookies and a third place ribbon for a recipe she can't remember.

Those submissions were not made through The Pilot's Dream Team, but Ballance said she has enjoyed the newspaper's competition.

"Anybody that likes a challenge and likes to bake should try it," she said. "Some of the bakers are just amazing. They don't just make your run-of-the-mill recipes."

Debbie Wilson

Winning Recipe Honey Cookies

Originally from Newport News

Neighborhood Ghent

Family Married to Ken; son, Yaakov, 18; daughters Miriam, 15 and Sima, 12

Employment School librarian and administrator

Hobbies Baking (I enjoy the outcome), reading and exercising

Wilson, who is Jewish, said she cooks and bakes all the time for her family, following the kosher dietary laws of their faith.

Several years ago, while looking for a good treat to help celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Wilson's daughter, Sima, found an interesting cookie recipe in a book.

"We eat a lot of goodies at Rosh Hashanah because the tradition is that you want to have a sweet New Year," Wilson said. "This recipe just seemed a little different, so we tried it -- and we loved it!"

Wilson described the appeal of the honey cookies as their texture -- soft on the inside with a hint of crunch on the outside. They also have a bit of spice, "so they have a lot going on," she said.

"We're typically a chocolate family, so for us to like something that's not chocolate says something about the cookies," she said.

Now the puffy, dual-textured honey treats have become a special annual tradition for the Wilsons during Rosh Hashanah.

The cookies won second place at the state fair after garnering a blue ribbon in The Pilot contest. It was Wilson's first entry in the newspaper's event.

"It was kind of nerve-wracking," she said of The Pilot judging. "I met one woman who was a beekeeper and had raised her own honey. I didn't think we had a chance."

The cookie category was announced last.

"I saw the judges looking at my cookies and then they called my name," she said. "I was with Sima and we both were so excited!"

Wilson said the experience was a lot of fun.

"I thought in my heart it would be special to use honey -- there is just so much symbolism tied to honey and the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah," she said.

"Now my husband jokes that there's an award-winning baker in the house!"

Lia Russell, 222-5562,[email protected]

THE RECIPES

Honey Marshmallow S'mores

Makes: 30 to 40, depending on the size

Cooking spray, to coat pan

1 cup water, divided

2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin

11/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 egg whites, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

6 ounces Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, 60 percent cacao, melted

1 sleeve honey graham crackers, ground

Spray a 9-by-13-inch pan with cooking spray, and press a layer of plastic wrap onto bottom and up the sides, extending the plastic wrap at the narrow ends of the pan. Spray the plastic wrap with additional cooking spray.

Place 1/2 cup of cold water in a small bowl and add gelatin. Let sit until water is absorbed.

In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of water, sugar, brown sugar, honey and salt. Bring to a boil, and cook until temperature reaches 260 degrees.

Meanwhile, beat the egg whites with a mixer equipped with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.

When the temperature of the sugar syrup nears 260 degrees, place the gelatin mixture in the microwave for a few seconds to liquefy it. When sugar syrup reaches 260 degrees, remove from heat, and whisk the gelatin mixture into the syrup.

Slowly stream the syrup into the egg whites and beat with a mixer on medium speed. After the syrup has been incorporated, increase mixer speed to high and beat for 10 minutes.

Scrape the marshmallow mixture into the pan, and let sit uncovered overnight.

The next day, brush the top of the marshmallow mixture with powdered sugar. Invert onto a work surface that has been dusted with additional powdered sugar. Peel away plastic wrap, and dust powdered sugar onto the top.

Cut into small rounds with a cookie cutter or, to minimize waste, cut into small squares. Dust each piece with powdered sugar.

Brush the individual marshmallows with a small amount of melted chocolate, and then roll in the graham cracker crumbs. Let air dry for a few minutes to set the chocolate.

Source: Eileen Balance

HONEY COOKIES

Makes: 20 to 22 cookies

23/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 large egg

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup turbinado sugar, also known as raw sugar or demerara sugar, for rolling

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer set to medium speed, beat the egg and sugar until creamy and light.

Reduce the speed, and add canola oil. Return to medium speed and beat.

Measure the honey in the cup used for the oil; this will help it slide out. Add honey and vanilla to the bowl, and mix.

Stir in the flour mixture to complete the dough.

Place turbinado sugar into a small bowl.

Using a cookie-dough scooper or your fingers, scoop out walnut-sized balls of dough. (If using your hands, roll the dough between your palms to form small balls.) Roll the balls into the turbinado sugar to coat. Place onto the cookie sheets.

Bake for 11 to 12 minutes until golden and flattened.

Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Source: Debbie Wilson

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