Check out the winning recipes from the 2024 Allentown Fair

The Allentown Fair held 11 culinary contests this year. Here are the first-place winning recipes so you can try to make these dishes at home.

PA PREFERRED JUNIOR BAKING COOKIES, BROWNIES AND BARS CONTEST

GREAT UNCLE OBEDIAH’S BROWNIES

1 cup Conebella Farms PA PREFERRED butter

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

4 lg. Weis PA PREFERRED eggs

2 tsps. vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the chocolate ganache:

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

½ cup heavy cream

For the Butter Mint Frosting:

½ cup Conebella Farms PA PREFERRED butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbsps. milk

1 tsp. peppermint extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and 8 oz. chocolate over low heat stirring frequently until  smooth.

In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition.

Add the vanilla extract.

Gradually mix the melted chocolate mixture into the sugar and egg mixture until well combined.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder.

Gently fold the dry ingredients and remaining 8 oz. chocolate chips into the wet mixture.

Pour the batter into a 13-inch by 9-inch pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool completely.

Butter Mint Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy.

Gradually add the powdered sugar, milk and peppermint extract, beating until smooth.

Chocolate Ganache: In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over low heat until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate, mixing until smooth.

Pour the ganache over the brownies and spread evenly. Refrigerate until hardened. Cut with a two-inch round cookie cutter. Pipe the butter mint frosting over the hardened ganache.

— James Harada, Emmaus

FRUIT PIES CHALLENGE (EXCLUDING APPLE)

PUMPKIN PIE

Crust:

3 cups flour

1 ½ tsps. salt

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 ½ cups butter-flavored Crisco

1 large egg, beaten

5 Tbsps. cold water

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Filling:

4 eggs

1 ½ cups sugar

2 can evaporated milk

3 cups pumpkin

1 tsp. salt

3 tsps. pumpkin pie spice

Crust: Mix flour, salt, sugar, cinnamon and Crisco with mixer. Add beaten egg mixed with water, vanilla and vinegar. Divide dough into two pieces and wrap in plastic wrap. Place dough in refrigerator for at least one hour.

Using rolling pin, roll out each piece of dough on a floured board and transfer into two 9-inch pie dishes. Trim excess and flute edge. This recipe makes two pie shells plus enough for cut-outs, if desired. Pole bottom of crusts all over with the tines a fork. Place pie shells in freezer for 1 hour prior to baking. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove pie shells from freezer and place on a baking sheet. Line pie shells with parchment paper. Add pie weights to center. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove crusts from oven and lift parchment paper and weights out. Return to oven and bake for 5 minutes. Then set aside to cool.

Filling: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Add the pumpkin, evaporated milk and eggs, and whisk until well combined. Pour pumpkin mixture into two cooled pie shells. Cover edge of crust with a crust guard or foil. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes. Remove pies from oven and let cool. Make cut outs with excess doubt and place on top of cooled pies, if desired.

— Sharon Kurtz, Emmaus

QUICHE CONTEST

THAI BEEF QUICHE WITH CUCUMBER

Crust:

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

⅓ cup pastry flour

⅝ tsp. salt

1/3 cup butter, divided

⅓ cup cold water

Beef Filling:

Olive oil

1 lb. 90/10 ground beef

1 Tbsp. chili paste

2 Tbsps. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsps. fresh lime juice

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

½ red onion, thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, minced

Handful fresh basil leaves

Egg Filling:

6 eggs

¾ cup milk

¾ cup heavy cream

⅜ tsp. salt

⅜ tsp. pepper

Cucumber

Crust: In a large bowl, sift together both flours. Stir in salt. Rub in half of the butter until uniform as small crumbs. Rub in remaining butter, leaving some large pieces. Add cold water and minimum amount more to have dough come together. Fold over itself a few times and shape into a disc. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Beef Filling: Combine chili paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar and lime juice in a small bowl. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan. Add ground beef and cook until browned throughout. Add bell pepper, onion and garlic and cook until softened. Pour the sauce over the mixture and stir until heated throughout. Add basil leaves and stir. Transfer to a glass measuring cup to cool slightly.

Roll out dough into 12-13-inch circle and place into a greased pie plate. Crimp as desired. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Once crust is thoroughly chilled, line crust with parchment paper and pie weights and bake 15-16 minutes. Remove weights and dock crust. Bake for an additional 7-8 minutes. Remove crust from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Egg Filling: Whisk together eggs, milk, cream, salt and pepper until combined. Whisk in 3 cups of the beef filling. Pour into crust. Bake for 45-55 minutes until the center is just about set. Remove from oven and cool for several minutes. Top with cucumber, as desired.

— Sarah Keppel, Easton

“ANY KIND OF FRUIT” UPSIDE-DOWN FRUIT CAKE CONTEST

SOUTHERN PEACH UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

2 cups peeled and sliced peaches

2 Tbsps. bourbon

¼ cup butter

½ cup packed brown sugar

Batter:

¼ cup chopped peached

½ cup butter, softened

¾ cup sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups flour

1 ¼ tsps. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

½ cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine peaches and bourbon. Let stand 10 minutes.

Place ¼ cup butter in 10-inch cast iron pad. Heat in oven until butter is melted, 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange sliced peaches over brown sugar.

Batter: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fold in chopped peaches. Spread evenly over sliced peaches.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Invert onto serving plate.

—Ashley Troxell, Catasauqua

KING ARTHUR FLOUR ULTIMATE BROWNIE/BLONDIE CONTEST

UBE WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE BLONDIES

UBE Blondies:

2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 cup brown sugar, light or dark

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tsps. Ube extract

1 ½ cups King Arthur all-purpose flour

2 tsps. cornstarch

1/3 Ube powder

⅓ tsp. baking powder

4 oz. white chocolate

¼ cup Ube Halaya jam

⅛ tsp. salt

1 ⅓ tsps. vanilla extract, if desired

Coconut Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

4 Tbsps. coconut milk

1 Tbsp. milk

¼-½ tsp. Ube extract, depending on taste

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Cream Cheese Swirl:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

¼ cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. lemon juice

Prep the oven and baking pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides of the pan. Spray the parchment paper too.

Melt the butter and white chocolate for the batter. Place butter and white chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan filled with a few inches of simmer water. Be sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.

Cook over medium heat, using a heatproof rubber spatula to stir the mixture and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the chocolate and butter have melted and combined, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan or bowl from the heat and set on a wire rack to let the chocolate mixture cool slightly while you prep the other ingredients.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cornstarch, Ube jam, eggs and extract until combined. Whisk the sugars in one at a time, then slowly pour in the chocolate mixture, whisking continuously while doing so until completely combined.

Cheesecake: Combine cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly on top of Ube mixture.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted the center comes out clean and the top of the brownies looks shiny.

Cool the brownies on a wire cooling rack until they have reached your desired temperature.

Coconut glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, milks and Ube extract.

Once cooled, spread the glaze over the top of the brownies and place and allow to dry. Sprinkle with coconut flakes, if desired.

— Patricia Cameli, Saylorsburg

CLOVER HILL VINEYARD & WINERY’S MAC & CHEESE WITH TWIST CONTEST

CREAMY WHITE WINE MUSHROOM MACARONI AND CHEESE

1 lb. Cavatappi noodles

½ cup chopped shallots

1 cup heavy cream

½ lb. sliced Cooper cheese

1 jar Creamy 4 Cheese Alfredo sauce

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 cups butter

2 cups sliced Baby Bella mushrooms

1 cup Clover Hill Vidal Blanc wine

1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Milk, to add to make creamy

Melt 1 cup butter in pan. Sautee ½ cup finely chopped shallots and 2 cups sliced Baby Bella mushrooms in 1 cup butter and 1 cup Clover Hill Vidal Blanc wine.

Cook 1 pound of Cavatappi noodles in water until tender. Drain noodles and add to saute pan. Add 1 cup heavy cream. Add ½ pound cut up sliced Cooper cheese. Add 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese. Add 1 jar of Creamy 4 Cheese Alfredo sauce. Mix until creamy. May add more milk to make it very creamy. Place in a greased 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish.

Make buttered crumbs for the top using 1 stick of melted butter and 1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

— Madison Stettler, Schnecksville

THE PAMPERED CHEF CAKE ROLL UP CONTEST

STRAWBERRY CREAM ROLL

Cake:

¾ cups sifted cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

¾ cup sugar

4 eggs, separated

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsps. water

Strawberry Compote:

1 cup chopped strawberries

2 Tbsps. sugar

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Strawberry Cream Filling:

1 cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp. skim milk powder

1 Tbsp. sugar

½ cup cooled strawberry compote

Whipped Cream Frosting:

½ qt. sliced strawberries

½ pint heaving whipping cream

4 Tbsps. 10x sugar

Cake: In a small bowl. Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until thick. Add vanilla and water and beat again.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until thick and fluffy. Add half of the sugar and beat again. Add remaining sugar.

Fold egg yolks into egg whites mixture. Fold half of the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Combine and fold in the remaining dry ingredients.

Line a 10-inch by 14-inch pan with parchment paper. Spread mixture onto pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 11 minutes. When done roll into a towel lined with 10x sugar until cooled, about 45 minutes.

Strawberry Compote: Combine strawberries and sugar in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until soft and juicy. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and lemon juice. Stir into strawberry mixture. Put saucepan back on stove and bring to a boil for 10 seconds, stirring. Pour into bowl and refrigerate until chilled.

Strawberry Cream Filling: In a medium chilled bowl, combine whipping cream and skim milk powder and beat until firm peaks form. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Add compote and fold. Save ⅛ cup of compote for dollops.

Whipped Cream Frosting: In a chilled bowl, combine whipping cream and 10x sugar. Beat until firm peaks form.

Assembly: When cake is cooled, unroll from towel. Spread strawberry cream fillings evenly over cake. Dollop remaining ⅛ compote on whipped cream. Roll up cake and put in refrigerator for 45-60 minutes to firm.

When cake roll come out of the refrigerator, spread whipped cream frosting over it and cover with sliced strawberries.

— Ashley Troxell, Catasauqua

BECHDOLTS ORCHARD FRESH PEACH DESSERT CONTEST

PEACHES AND CREAM PUFFS

Cream Puffs:

1 cup water

¼ tsp. salt

½ cup butter

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 cup flour

4 large eggs, room temperature

Filling:

1 cup whipping cream

1 pack (.35 oz) whipped cream stabilizer

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 Tbsps. butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

½ tsp. vanilla

4 cups finely diced fresh peaches, approximately 8-10 peaches

Garnish:

Edible glitter

Cream puffs: Combine water, salt, sugar and butter in a 2-quart saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stir constantly until the butter has melted. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and add flour. Stir until the flour is completely mixed in. Continue to mix with a wooden spoon until mixture leaves the sides of the pan clean. Mash the dough against the bottom and sides of the pan for 1 minute. Remove from heat and place in a large mixing bowl. Let cool for a few minutes and then mix with mixer on low speed slowly adding eggs one at a time, beating each in thoroughly until dough has a smooth consistency.

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Either lightly grease or line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place dough into a piping bag and pipe 2-inch mounds of dough 3-inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 15-20 minutes more or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool before filling.

Filling and garnish: Beat whipping cream and stabilizer on medium high speed for 2 minutes or until stiff peaks form when beater is slowly raised. Set whipped cream aside. In a large mixing bowl, blend butter, cream cheese, confectioners sugar and vanilla. Mix on medium high speed for 2 minutes or until well blended and smooth. Add whipped cream to mixture and mix on medium speed for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Fold in peaches until well mixed.

When cream puffs are cool, cut tops off of each cream puff and fill each with the creamy peach mixture. Then place tops back on cream puffs and garnish with confectioners sugar and edible glitter.

Makes 20 cream puffs.

—Sharon Kurtz, Emmaus

BEST “NO BAKE” DESSERT CONTEST

NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER BARS

Bars:

1 cup butter, cut into pieces

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 ¾ cups confectioners sugar

Topping:

2 cups milk chocolate chips

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

Chocolate Peanut Butter Icing:

4 Tbsps. butter, softened

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

1 Tbsp. milk

¼ tsp. vanilla extract

¾ cup plus 2 Tbsps. confectioners sugar

2 Tbsps. cocoa

Chopped peanut butter cups

Bars: Place butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds at a time until melted. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter and mix until blended. Add confectioners sugar and mix until smooth. Add graham crackers and stir until blended. Place mixture into a parchment lined 8-inch by 8-inch pan. Place in refrigerator while you make the topping.

Topping: Place chocolate chips and ¼ cup peanut butter in microwave for 30 seconds at a time until melted and mix until well blended. Pour mixture over top of bars and place back in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Icing: Combine butter and peanut butter in a mixing bowl and blend on medium speed. Alternately add confectioners sugar, cocoa and milk. Add vanilla and mix until well blended.

Cut bars into desired shapes. Place a small dollop of icing in the center of each bar and then place a chopped peanut butter cup in the center of the dollop.

— Sharon Kurtz, Emmaus

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CAKE CONTEST

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER DREAM

Cake:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsps. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

¾ cup cocoa

2 eggs

1 cup brewed coffee plus 1 tsp. espresso powder

1 cup milk

½ cup oil

Peanut Butter Frosting:

2 sticks salted butter, softened

2 boxes 10x sugar

1 ½ Tbsps. vanilla

1 ¼-1 3/4 cups peanut butter

1 cup heavy cream

Chocolate Buttercream Filling:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3-4 cups 10x sugar

¾ cup cocoa

3-5 Tbsps. heavy cream

¼  tsp. salt

½  tsp. espresso powder

2 oz melted 70% chocolate

Chocolate Ganache Drip:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup heavy cream

Cake: Sift all dry ingredients together, whisk. Add all the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour batter into 8-inch pans and bake at 350 degrees until toothpick inserted into center of pan comes out clean.

Peanut Butter Frosting: Mix butter and 10x sugar together. Add vanilla and heavy cream. Mix until smooth. Add peanut butter and mix well until fluffy.

Chocolate Buttercream Filling: Beat butter on medium speed in a stand mixer, about 2 minutes. Add 10x sugar, cocoa, heavy cream, salt, vanilla and espresso powder. Beat on low about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high for 1 minute. Fold in melted chocolate.

Chocolate Ganache Drip: Bring cream to a simmer on medium heat. Pour over chocolate chips. Let sit 3-5 minutes. Whisk, let sit for 5 more minutes. Use immediately to drip on cake.

—Ashley Troxell, Catasauqua

BLUE RIBBON APPLE PIE CONTEST

AUBREY’S DELICIOUS DUTCH APPLE PIE

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. salt

¼ cup shortening

3 tsps. water

Filling:

5 lbs. Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced

½ cup sugar

⅓ cup flour

½ tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsps. apple pie spice

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Topping:

¾ cup butter

1 cup flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

⅔ cup brown sugar

Crust: Mix all ingredients, let dough rest in refrigerator. Roll out and place in baking dish.

Filling: In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Add to pie crust dish.

Topping: Mix all ingredients. Top pie with topping. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes.

— Aubrey Blecher, Easton