Not a winner

I entered the annual Ultimate Cupcake and Cookie Contest at the local resort again today -- with the hope of winning another spa massage.  (Now that I've experienced one, I realize how much I want to have more!)  Since my mom and I did the cupcake contest last year, I decided to do the cookie one this year. 

Alas, I did not win... but the process of it all has been a lot of fun anyway!  I cracked up when I got home today, though, and Colsen said, "You didn't win?  You lost?  Did they call you 'Loser! Loser! Loser!?"   Thankfully, no, they did not.  :)

My entry was called Spiced Cocoa Velvet Cookies.  It was a chocolate-based cookie based off of a red-velvet recipe, but I added cinnamon to make it more like a Mexican chocolate.  Then there was cream cheese frosting (with another hint of cinnamon) on top, and they were sprinkled with toffee crunch bits.

Strider was my partner and helper today!

The competition was quite good, though...   Here are some of the reasons I did not win!

And these were the people who determined that I did not win:

Regardless, it was a fun day in a nice ballroom! 

And the big lesson for me to learn is to not enter a baking contest without Mom as my partner!  She apparently makes all the difference.  :)