Blue Ribbon Winner(s)

With recipes for sweets like chocolate crackles (balls of chocolate cookie dough heavily coated with powdered sugar, then baked), sugar cream pie and cola cake with cola icing, this book is a throwback to a bygone culinary era when Americans weren't concerned about cutting calories or cholesterol. The down-home recipes, all recent blue-ribbon winners at state fairs, fall into eight categories: pies and pastries; cakes; yeast breads, with interesting (e.g., Danish oat bread) as well as pedestrian (e.g., white bread) varieties; quick breads; cookies; candy; sweet spreads; and, pickles and condiments. Several sections offer advice for fair exhibitors and general helpful hints. But the recipes themselves are a bit hard to followafter the list of ingredients, the directions are presented in one long paragraph. Hanley formerly was the public relations manager for Pillsbury and judge of the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Illustrations. (July 4)