Beth Royals, 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest Winner

The 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest awarded Beth Royals of Richmond, VA (far left), its grand prize for her original recipe Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters. Royals will take home $1 million, along with $10,000 in GE kitchen appliances. The announcement was made on Dec. 3 by celebrity chef and host of the 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest Carla Hall (third from left) on ABC’s “The Chew, which she co-hosts.

“Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters have something for everyone—they are sweet, salty and have a great crunchy texture,” said Jann Atkins, Bake-Off Kitchens manager. “We thought Beth's idea, to use Pillsbury's refrigerated pie crust in a candy-like recipe, was both unique and creative. This dish is easy to make, and it stores very well, making it a great contribution to holiday parties and potlucks.”

In early 2014, Pillsbury invited home cooks to submit original recipes in one of four Contest categories: Amazing Doable Dinners, Savory Snacks and Sides, Simply Sweet Treats and Weekend Breakfast Wows. Royals’ recipe was selected by the Bake-Off Kitchens as one of the top 100 recipes among all eligible submissions.

The 100 finalists, picked by the Bake-Off Kitchens, met in Nashville, TN on Nov. 3, to each prepare their dishes for a judging panel made up of 12 leading food experts. There, the judges evaluated and selected the best recipe in each of the four contest categories. In addition to Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters, which won the Simply Sweet Treats category, the other recipes chosen by the judges to advance to the online vote included:

  • Amazing Doable Dinners: Cuban-Style Sandwich Pockets by Courtney Sawyer, Bellingham, WA
  • Savory Snacks and Sides: Creamy Corn-Filled Sweet Peppers by Jody Walker, Madison, MS
  • Weekend Breakfast Wows: Chocolate Doughnut Poppers by Megan Beimer, Alexandria, VA

Following the event in Nashville, the public was invited to vote online for their favorite of the four recipes. The results of the online vote were combined with the judges' scores to determine the grand prize winner. The three runners-up will each receive $10,000 and $3,000 in GE kitchen appliances.

Visit www.BakeOff.com for more information.