Colbert woman seeks bake-off support

Joan Cossette has done the hard part – now she needs help from voters.

The Colbert woman’s recipe for Orange-Coconut Breakfast Rolls is one of the 20 entries selected by judges to be featured in the Pillsbury Bake-off’s first online competition, called “You Be the Judge!”

Online voters will decide whether Cossette advances to April’s grand-prize competition in Orlando, Fla.

Each recipe has been matched against another and the pairs are posted every two weeks at www.bakeoff.com, where those 18 and older can vote for a favorite. The top vote-getter in each pairing becomes a finalist in the bake-off contest.

Four of the challenges have already been decided. The other 90 finalists will be chosen by judges and announced by mid-October.

Cossette’s Orange-Coconut Breakfast Rolls are facing the Apricot-Nut Pastries from Mary Beth Mandola of Houston. Voting started Thursday and lasts until July 23. The contest is limited to one vote per person, per competition.

Cossette says she drew inspiration for her recipe from last year’s million-dollar winner, the Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies.

“It was a really simple recipe, so I just started developing recipes without a lot of ingredients,” she says.

She loves the taste of citrus and coconut together and experimented with combination in cookie dough before settling on cinnamon rolls.

The recipe relies on Pillsbury refrigerated cinnamon rolls. Cossette tops them with coconut, orange marmalade and sliced almonds.

“My husband and family ate quite a few of them as I was testing the recipe,” she says.

Look inside today’s Food section for Cossette’s and Mandola’s recipes, as well as last year’s grand prize recipe from the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-off.