Contributed by: Kristen OlsonBetty Crocker Food Editor
Hi Food Lovers! Kristen Here.
Are you ready for the best food EVER? As a member on the expert panel for the first ever Munchies Awards, I know I am!
What Are the Munchies? The Munchies: People’s Choice Food Awards recognize the most amazing tastes, faces and places in the world of food. The nominees are chosen by a panel of culinary celebs (including yours truly) and led by James Beard Award-winning TV personality and chef Andrew Zimmern.
With a Little Help From Our FriendsThe Munchies ballot was created by some of your favorite food people: TV stars, bloggers, cookbook authors, restaurateurs, and beyond. Our mission: to bring you the best of the best, from household names to under-the-radar finds. We selected 5 nominees in 20 categories. Now it’s up to YOU to decide who’s worthy of The Munchies awards!
Let Your Taste Be HeardNow’s your chance! Share your opinions on 20 mouthwatering categories: world-class chefs, food trucks and everything in between. Vote for your faves once a day through April 30th (even recast your whole ballot with just a click!) and spread the word to create a landslide of love for your picks.
One Good Meal Deserves AnotherWhile celebrating food, we’re also fighting hunger. On behalf of our expert panel and all our voters, we’re donating $15,000 to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity.
Taste in ActionWe’ve been having so much fun finalizing the ballot. But the best part about being on the panel is that I get to experience some of the best foods in the country!
One of my favorite things in the world is a warm cookie, so I insisted that we test all of the cookies that were nominated and have them go head to head in the Betty Crocker kitchens. (My job is so awesome!)
The cookies arrived tied with bows, wrapped in pretty boxes and decorated with adornments. We lined them all up to judge them for ourselves…
Nominee: Chocolate Sable, Miette, San Francisco, CAA complex, chocolaty shortbread style cookie that melts in your mouth, a chocolate lovers dream.
Nominee: Coconut Macaroon, Salty Tart Bakery, Minneapolis, MNCrunchy toasted coconut on the outside with chewy creamy coconut inside, even coconut haters can’t pass this one up.
Nominee: Compost Cookie®, Momofuku Milk Bar, New York, NYA mix of delectable leftovers; pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch, chocolate chips and coffee grounds pair so well in this chewy cookie.
Nominee: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookie, Levain Bakery, New York, NYA giant extra-rich dark chocolate and peanut butter cookie with a crunchy outside and fudgy inside.
Nominee: Macaroons, Kee’s Chocolates, New York, NYPlayful colors, fun flavors, crunchy outside and chewy inside, just what you’re looking for in a Macaroon.
We know which one we fell head over heels for, but what about you? Comment below, then cast your vote!
