Personal Skills – Baking
Connecticut’s largest confection collection! The Durham Fair Baking Competition yields the best in culinary creativity and craftsmanship with over 400 entries fresh out of Connecticut kitchens. Treat yourself to a tour of prize winning cookies, bars, decorated cakes, pies and quick breads, all competitively created for this coveted blue ribbon bake-off! Be sure to stop by our new Durham Fair Country Kitchen with expert demonstrations, tips, techniques and traditions for making award-winning pie crusts, brownies, breads and more!
New for 2023!
- Decorated Cookies: Holiday Theme of Exhibitor’s Choice
- Muffins: any flavor
- Red Velvet Cake with Frosting
- King Arthur Baking Company is sponsoring Blueberry Hand Pies with additional gift card prizes.
- This year’s Court of Honor recipe is for Golden Bars from the kitchen of Helen Korn Pearce.
- Grandma’s Favorite Brownies
- White Sandwich Bread to be judged live on Thursday at 6:00 pm.
Exhibit Highlights
- State Apple Pie & State Baking Contest
- Largest Baking Competition in Connecticut
- Over 400 entries on display
Court of Honor
The Court of Honor class honors local bakers by sharing one of their recipes for exhibitors to make and submit.
Recipes from Previous Years:
- 2023: Golden Bars
From the kitchen of Helen Korn Pearce - 2022: Old Fashioned Raised Loaf Cake
From the kitchen of Lillian & Gram White - 2019: Heartwarming Gingerbread
From the kitchen of Henry & Gramma Coe - 2018: Apple Crisp
From the kitchen of Gwen Brayshaw - 2017: Old Time Fudge
From the kitchen of Evelyn Rossi - 2016: Banana Muffins
From the kitchen of Rosemarie Naples - 2015: Wacky Cake
From the kitchen of Peg Atwell - 2014: Red Velvet Cake
From the kitchen of Mary Baginski - 2013: Danish Kransekage
From the kitchen of Beverly Pedersen - 2012: Molasses Cookies
From the kitchen of Rosemary Allen Simmons - 2011: Cocoa Marble Cake
From the kitchen of Celia Cekala