2000 Recipe Contest Winners!

Grand Prize Winning Recipe Chocolate Chip Shells

A dessert created to show how the famous American chocolate chip cookie could be combined with the delicate French Madeleine won the Grand Prize in the first NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® "Share the Very Best" Recipe Contest. Ronda Smith of Verona, N.J., was recently awarded top honors by a panel of judges at NESTLÉ USA for her "Chocolate Chip Shells" recipe. Smith, whose recipe was chosen from more than 1,000 entries, will receive a full Kenmore Appliance Collection worth approximately $5,000 and a gift basket of NESTLÉ Toll House baking products.

See the FINALISTS and their recipes!

The inspiration for the recipe came from Smith's husband, Jordy, who loves her Chocolate Chip Shells so much that Ronda felt entering the contest was the best way for others to benefit from her recipe. Smith explains, "Growing up in France is one of my husband's most memorable experiences, and growing up in New Jersey is where my mother taught me how to make chocolate chip cookies. I needed to reinvent my husband's childhood with what I knew, and that's how this new version of madeleines was created."

The result is an elegant shell-shaped tea cake that delivers the flavor of a chocolate chip cookie, but with a much lighter texture and a refreshing hint of orange. As a final touch, Smith sprinkles the dessert with powdered sugar and drizzles each piece with melted semi-sweet chocolate morsels. "The recipe is simple, so you don't have to be a French pastry chef to make it!" said Smith.

Jenny Harper, Senior Culinary Specialist with NESTLÉ USA's Baking Group, agreed with Smith's comments on its ease of preparation and said, "The delicate texture of the batter, mixed with NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels and a twist of orange zest, makes for an exceptionally flavorful and satisfying tea cake."

Finalists Brown-Eyed Susan Sweet Potato Cake - Helen Conwell, Fairhope, AL This Southern-style twist on carrot cake combines mashed sweet potatoes with pecans, brown sugar, spices and semi-sweet chocolate morsels for a moist cake topped off with a creamy white icing. Chocolate Truffle Cake with Strawberry Sauce - Waydella Hart, Parsons, KS Perfect for an extra-special birthday or anniversary dessert, the flavors of milk chocolate, butterscotch and peanut butter come together in this glazed truffle cake garnished with strawberry sauce, whipped cream, strawberries and fresh mint leaves. Cranberry Chocolate Panini - Susan Asanovic, Wilton, CT Panini is reinvented as the ultimate comfort food with the addition of semi-sweet chocolate, dried, sweetened cranberries, and milk chocolate morsels rolled into a butter-brushed bread. Donna's Heavenly Orange Chip Scones - Patricia Polesko, Drums, PA Ideal for Sunday brunch or afternoon tea, these buttermilk scones are infused with the flavor of orange zest, golden raisins and mini chocolate morsels, then glazed in a citrus icing that includes fresh-squeezed orange juice. Layers of Love Chocolate Brownies - Alma Carey, Sarasota, FL Made with a genuine love of chocolate, this decadent brownie features vanilla-flavored white baking pieces and semi-sweet chocolate morsels, chopped pecans and caramel layered within a rich cocoa batter. Mom's Special Occasion Ice-Cream Cookie Dessert - Marge Mitchell, Portland, OR Simply fabulous in appearance, this dessert is built by layering crumbled Nestlé Toll House cookies and toasted walnuts between tiers of vanilla ice cream and a delicious homemade chocolate sauce. Nutty Nougat Caramel Bites - Diane Bartels, Greensburg, PA Perfect for parties and gift giving, these bite-sized candies melt in your mouth. It all begins with a butterscotch-flavored cookie base, followed by a marshmallow and peanut butter nougat filling. Then, a creamy caramel layer is finished off with milk chocolate icing. Peanut Butter-Chocolate Brownie Pie - Joanne Lontz, Burlington, NJ Easy entertaining at its best, this delicious peanut butter and milk chocolate pie - served with vanilla or chocolate ice cream - uses a prepared chocolate-crumb pie crust for ultimate convenience. Petit Pain Au Chocolat - Constance Ipema, Orland Park, IL For simple elegance in the morning or evening, croissant lovers will enjoy this puff pastry filled with milk chocolate morsels and baked until golden brown, then delicately drizzled with a sweet chocolate icing. Entries were initially reviewed for creativity and to determine if the recipe could be successfully made into a finished dessert. Forty top-ranking recipes were then re-judged and evaluated on four criteria: taste, creativity, appearance of completed recipe, and history and tradition of the recipe.