Clay County 4-H Holiday Bake-Off

Holiday Bake-Off 2026- Cookie Edition

Participant & Parent Rules

The Holiday Bake-Off Cookie Edition gives youth an opportunity to demonstrate their baking skills, creativity, independence, and ability to follow a recipe.

Our goal is for every participant to have fun, learn, and be proud of what they created.

Please read the general rules and the requirements for your participant's age division carefully. Division-specific rules apply in addition to the general rules.

General Rules

1. Each participant must submit a minimum of 6 cookies for judging.

Cookies should be identical or substantially the same as the entry being judged.

2. Recipe Requirement- A copy of the recipe must be submitted with the cookie entry. The recipe should include the ingredients and basic preparation instructions. Any ingredient substitutions or modifications should be identified on the recipe.

3. Creative or Decorative Element- Each entry should include a creative or decorative element appropriate to the participant's age and skill level.

This may include decorating, shaping, presentation, color, theme, or another creative feature.

4. Division-specific rules- Please follow attached rules for your age division.

5. Healthy Swap Bonus (Optional)- Participants in the Junior, Intermediate, and Senior divisions may earn an additional 5 points by making a qualifying healthy ingredient substitution. See the Healthy Swap Bonus Guidelines for details, examples, and scoring information.

Judging

Juniors, Intermediates, and Seniors will be judged using the Cookie Bake-Off judging criteria and score sheet. Cloverbuds will participate without competitive scoring.

Judging will take place privately. Participants and parents/guardians will not be present during judging. Judges will apply the rules consistently within each age division.

Participants and their families encouraged to attend the 4-H Holiday Social while judging is taking place.

Completed score sheets can be requested the Monday after the bake-off at the extension office. No sheets will be provided the night of.

Age Specific Division Rules-

CLOVERBUDS

Cloverbuds participate as a learning and participation experience and are not competitively scored or ranked against the other participants.

Cloverbuds May:

· Use a boxed mix.

· Receive adult assistance.

· Work with an adult on preparation and decorating.

· Demonstrate creativity in their cookie entry.

The emphasis for Cloverbuds is on participation, learning, creativity, and having fun.

JUNIORS

Juniors are expected to participate actively in preparing and decorating their cookies.

Box Mixes: Juniors may use a boxed mix, but they must make at least 2 meaningful changes or additions to the recipe. The changes should be identified on the submitted recipe.

Examples of meaningful changes may include adding or substituting ingredients, changing the flavor profile, or making another substantial modification to the basic mix.

Adult Assistance: Adults may assist with safety-related tasks in the kitchen and during set-up but should not complete the participant's competitive work. Adults are encouraged to allow the Junior to work as independently as possible.

Healthy Swap*: Juniors may earn +5 bonus points for an approved healthy ingredient substitution.

INTERMEDIATES & SENIORS

Intermediates are expected to demonstrate greater independence in preparing and decorating their cookies.

Box Mixes: Boxed mixes are NOT permitted. Cookies must be prepared from a recipe.

Adult Assistance: The participant should complete the competitive preparation, decorating and set-up independently.

A 5-point deduction may be applied if a judge determines that an adult completed set-up work that the participant was expected to complete independently.

Healthy Swap*: Intermediates may earn +5 bonus points for an approved healthy ingredient substitution.

*Healthy Swap Bonus Guidelines

The Healthy Swap Bonus is available to Juniors, Intermediates, and Seniors.

A healthy swap is a meaningful ingredient substitution that provides a reasonable nutritional benefit while keeping the recipe recognizable as a cookie. Participants should clearly identify the swap.

The Healthy Swap is optional. Participants do not lose points for choosing not to make one.

The substitution must be clearly identified on the submitted recipe.

Examples That May Qualify:

· Replacing some or all of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat or another whole-grain flour.

· Replacing some added sugar with unsweetened applesauce, or mashed banana when the substitution works in the recipe.

· Replacing some highly processed mix-ins with dried fruit, nuts, or seeds.

Examples That Do Not Qualify:

· Using an organic, natural, specialty, or more expensive ingredient without a meaningful nutritional change.

· Making a substitution solely because of a food allergy or dietary restriction.

· Adding a very small amount of fruit, nuts, seeds, or another ingredient without meaningfully changing the recipe.

· Simply reducing the amount of an ingredient without replacing it with a nutritionally beneficial alternative.

· A substitution that does not provide a meaningful nutritional improvement. (i.e. replacing sugar with honey)

How the Bonus Is Awarded

The +5 points are awarded at the FCS staff’s discretion based on the substitution listed on the cookie recipe submitted.

Score Sheet Rule Quick Reference

CLOVERBUDS — 4 THINGS TO REMEMBER

1. 🍪 Bring at least 6 cookies.

2. 📝 Bring your recipe.

3. 🎨 Include a creative or decorative element.

4. ❤️ Have fun and be ready to share what you learned!

Cloverbud Reminder: Box mixes and adult assistance are allowed. Healthy swaps are encouraged but are not scored.

JUNIORS — 4 THINGS TO REMEMBER

1. 🍪 Bring at least 6 identical cookies.

2. 📝 Bring your recipe.

3. 🎨 Include a creative or decorative element.

4. 📦 If using a box mix, make 2 meaningful changes or additions.

Healthy Swap: An approved healthy swap can earn +5 bonus points.

INTERMEDIATES — 4 THINGS TO REMEMBER

1. 🍪 Bring at least 6 identical cookies.

2. 📝 Bring your recipe.

3. 🎨 Include a creative or decorative element.

4. 🚫 No boxed mixes or adult assistance

Healthy Swap: An approved healthy swap can earn +5 bonus points.

SENIORS — 4 THINGS TO REMEMBER

1. 🍪 Bring at least 6 identical cookies.

2. 📝 Bring your recipe.

3. 🎨 Include a creative or decorative element.

4. 🚫 No boxed mixes or adult assistance

Healthy Swap: An approved healthy swap can earn +5 bonus points.