A skilled Louisville baker has won the Food Network’s annual ” Christmas Cookie Challenge ,” and now, she’s sharing some of her secrets to help make your holiday baking a winner.
For Courtney Yopp Norris , owner of The Pocket Bakery , a cozy home bakery in Louisville, the fourth time is the charm. A long-time fan of the Food Network’s holiday baking competition, Norris applied to the show four times before her big break.
“I am not a good liar so keeping the fact that I was on the show and that I won has been really difficult,” Norris told the Courier Journal. “We recorded the show over six days in April, so it’s been seven months that I couldn’t tell anyone.”
Hosted by Eddie Jackson and Ree Drummond , this season of “Christmas Cookie Challenge” celebrates the magic of the North Pole with top cookie artisans from across the country.
And the Kentucky baker got a lot of face time with the celebrity judges.
“I’d say the question I am asked most often about my time on the show is whether the hosts remain in the studio while the constants are baking or do they wander off?” Norris said. “They are right there in the studio observing us and asking questions the entire time. They’re totally in.”