Melissa Elsmo
Twisted Cookie owner, Joana Fischer (center) is ready to judge your creative cookie creations with staff members Bonitha Cunningham (left) and Susan Sawyer (right).
In an effort to turn a “not so sweet” year into a memory, Joana Fischer, head baker and owner of Twisted Cookie, 7401 Madison St. in Forest Park, is welcoming 2021 with a cookie contest.
“After all the holiday fun is over people can feel deflated,” said Fischer. “This contest is a way to keep people interested in Twisted Cookie and excited about baking. It is a matter of getting creative.”
Interested bakers should take inspiration from Twisted Cookie creations like cookie pies, cookie cakes and stuffed brownies when coming up with their entry. When asked what makes a winning cookie Fischer did not hesitate to answer. She notes taste is subjective but appreciates intriguing texture and does not want a cookie to be dry.
“My palate will determine the winner and I want flavors to pop,” said Fischer. “If you tell me something is key lime or apple, that flavor needs to come forward in the finished product.”
Fischer is looking for something unexpected to complement the evolved cookies she offers in her Madison Street “cookie café.” Creations in the shop sit in the case like jewels waiting for an owner. Éclairs, banana pudding, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have inspired variations on Twisted Cookie’s offerings. Churro, salted caramel and birthday cake influences also appear. At the heart of the menu, however, is Fischer’s signature sugar cookie.
“I love our butter cookies,” said Fischer. “People ask all the time if they are modeled after CPS butter cookies.”
The butter cookies served in Chicago Public School cafeterias from the 1960s to the 1980s have a near cult following. Those who remember them recall them fondly and Twisted Cookie is serving up a bit of nostalgia with every bite. But Fischer takes cookies well beyond basic offerings; she dips her butter cookies in chocolate, studs them with chocolate chips, and stuffs them with Snickers, Oreos and M&M’s.
Melissa Elsmo
A creative cookie cake display at Twisted Cookie in Forest Park.
Entries have already started rolling in and anyone else with a crave-worthy cookie concept should submit their recipe by emailing it to [email protected] Fischer and her staff will bake, taste, and judge all entries before selecting a winner. The winning recipe will be featured on Twisted Cookie’s menu for the month of March and the recipe creator will receive a gift basket containing $75 worth of Twisted Cookie products. Additional contest rules can be found on https://www.twistedcookie.com/.
Submissions are due by Feb. 1 and the winner will be announced on March 1.
A steady stream of masked customers select carryout cookies, brownies, shakes and coffee from the Forest Park cookie café.