47th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest Names Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters its Latest $1 Million Grand Prize Winner

NEW YORK and MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, live from New York City, the 47^th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest awarded Beth Royals of Richmond, Virginia its grand prize for her original recipe Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters. Beth will take home $1 million along with $10,000 in GE kitchen appliances. The announcement was revealed by celebrity chef and host of the 47^th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest Carla Hall on ABC's "The Chew," which she co-hosts.

"Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters have something for everyone—they are sweet, salty and have a great crunchy texture. We thought Beth's idea, to use Pillsbury's refrigerated pie crust in a candy-like recipe, was both unique and creative," said Jann Atkins, Bake-Off® Kitchens Manager. "This dish is easy to make and it stores very well making it a great contribution to holiday parties and potlucks."

Beth's million-dollar winning recipe requires only six ingredients including Pillsbury™ Pie Crust, Crisco^® Baking Sticks and Jif^® Creamy Peanut Butter. Her dish takes 30 minutes to prepare and uses Reynold® Cut-Rite® Wax Paper. For full Contest Rules, go to www.BakeOff.com.

In early 2014, Pillsbury invited home cooks to submit original recipes in one of four Contest categories: Amazing Doable Dinners, Savory Snacks and Sides, Simply Sweet Treats and Weekend Breakfast Wows. Beth's recipe was selected by the Bake-Off® Kitchens as one of the top 100 recipes among all eligible submissions.

The 100 finalists, picked by the Bake-Off® Kitchens, met in Nashville, Tennessee on November 3, 2014 to each prepare their dishes for a judging panel made up of 12 leading food experts. There, the judges evaluated and selected the best recipe in each of the four Contest categories. In addition to Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters, which won the Simply Sweet Treats category, the other recipes chosen by the judges to advance to the online vote included:

• Amazing Doable Dinners: Cuban-Style Sandwich Pockets by Courtney Sawyer of Bellingham, Washington
• Savory Snacks and Sides: Creamy Corn-Filled Sweet Peppers by Jody Walker of Madison, Mississippi
• Weekend Breakfast Wows: Chocolate Doughnut Poppers by Megan Beimer of Alexandria, Virginia

Following the event in Nashville, the public was invited to vote online for their favorite of the four recipes. The results of the online vote were combined with the judges' scores to determine the grand prize winner. The three runners-up will each receive $10,000 and $3,000 in GE kitchen appliances.

Sponsors of the 47^th Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest include The J.M. Smucker Company, GE Appliances, Green Giant, The J.R. Watkins Company, Reynolds Consumer Products and Pyrex.

Visit www.BakeOff.com to find all of the recipes that competed in the Contest Finals as well as hundreds of other delicious recipes to try at home. 

About Carla Hall
Carla Hall is a co-host of ABC's popular lifestyle series "The Chew," seated alongside restaurateurs and "Iron Chef America" stars Mario Batali and Michael Symon, entertaining expert Clinton Kelly and health and wellness enthusiast Daphne Oz. Hall is best known as a competitor on Bravo's "Top Chef," where she won over audiences with her fun catch phrase, "Hootie Hoo" and her philosophy to always cook with love. Hall is the owner of Carla Hall Petite Cookies, an artisan cookie company that specializes in creating sweet and savory "petite bites of love." Her approach to cooking blends her classic French training and Southern upbringing for a twist on traditional favorites. She is committed to health and balance in everyday living. Her newest cookbook, Carla's Comfort Food: Favorite Dishes from Around the World was published in March 2014, and her first cookbook, Cooking with Love: Comfort Food That Hugs You, was published in November 2012 and recently re-released in paperback.

A native of Nashville, TN, Hall received a degree in Accounting from Howard University, but traveling through Europe awakened her passion for food and inspired a new career path. She attended L'Academie de Cuisine in Maryland where she completed her culinary training, going on to work as a Sous Chef at the Henley Park Hotel in Washington, DC. She also served as Executive Chef at both The State Plaza Hotel and The Washington Club, and has taught classes at CulinAerie, Sur la Table and her alma mater, L'Academie de Cuisine. Hall is a true believer that, "If you're not in a good mood, the only thing you should make is a reservation." She lives in Washington, DC with her husband, Matthew Lyons, and stepson Noah.

About "The Chew"
Celebrating and exploring life through food, "The Chew," is an innovative and groundbreaking daytime series co-hosted by a dynamic group of engaging, fun, relatable experts in food, lifestyle, and entertaining. Produced by Gordon Elliott's Chew Productions for the ABC Television Network, "The Chew" serves up everything food -- from cooking and home entertaining to food trends, restaurants, holidays and more -- all aimed at making life better, fuller and more fun. Featuring celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Michael Symon, and Carla Hall, entertaining expert Clinton Kelly and health and wellness enthusiast Daphne Oz, "The Chew" is a leap forward into a delicious new kind of lifestyle series.  Follow "The Chew" (@thechew) and hosts Mario Batali (@mariobatali); Michael Symon (@chefsymon); Clinton Kelly (@clinton_kelly); Carla Hall (@carlahall) and Daphne Oz (@DaphneOz) on Twitter ™

About the 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest Sponsors

General Mills is one of the world's leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries around the world. Its brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., USA, General Mills had fiscal 2014 worldwide sales of US $17.9 billion. Pillsbury products have been trusted by families to make meal times special times for more than 130 years. Favorite Pillsbury products include refrigerated cookies, crescent dinner rolls, breads, biscuits, pie crusts and sweet rolls as well as frozen biscuits, pie crusts and breakfast items. For product information and great-tasting recipes, visit www.pillsbury.com. Log on to www.generalmills.com for company information.

Few companies enjoy a heritage as rich as that of Green Giant. It all started more than 110 years ago in 1903, when the Crosby family created the first cannery in the rich valley of Le Sueur, Minnesota, where glaciers carved out some of the richest soil in the world. For generations, Green Giant farmers have been growing the best quality vegetables and freezing them quickly to lock in the freshness. That's how we've made our vegetables deliciously unforgettable for years, and made Green Giant a trusted household brand. For more information and delicious recipes, please visit www.greengiant.com.

For more than 115 years, The J.M. Smucker Company has been committed to offering consumers quality products that bring families together to share memorable meals and moments. Today, Smucker is a leading marketer and manufacturer of fruit spreads, retail packaged coffee, peanut butter, shortening and oils, ice cream toppings, sweetened condensed milk, and health and natural foods beverages in North America. The Company's wide variety of iconic brands and products include such trusted favorites as Smucker's® jams, jellies, preserves, fruit spreads and ice cream toppings; Jif® peanut butter; Crisco® oils, shortening and no-stick cooking sprays; Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk; and Pillsbury® baking mixes, ready-to-spread frosting and flour. For more information and delicious recipes, please visit www.smuckers.com, www.jif.com, www.crisco.com, www.eaglebrand.com and www.pillsburybaking.com.

GE Appliances is at the forefront of building innovative, energy-efficient appliances that improve people's lives. GE Appliances' products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, water filtration systems and water heaters. General Electric (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter to build a world that works better. For more information on GE Appliances, visit www.ge.com/appliances.

Reynolds Consumer Products is a leading provider of quality household essentials that have been trusted for generations. Our Reynolds® and Hefty® brand products help with preparation, cooking, cleanup, and storage, making mealtime easier. Our namesake Reynolds® products include the iconic Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil; Reynolds® Parchment Paper, Oven Bags, Slow Cooker Liners, and Baking Cups; and Cut-Rite® Wax Paper.  The Hefty® brand is best known for strong, dependable waste bags, but it's also a leader in slider bags, foam plates, and plastic cups. Our products are available in the U.S. at mass merchants, grocers, and other retail stores, and in approximately 90 countries throughout the world. For more information, visit www.ReynoldsKitchens.com and www.Hefty.com.

For more than 145 years, The J.R. Watkins Company has been creating superior products, utilizing only the finest ingredients. Generations of families have grown up on Watkins products, like our pure vanilla, which has been a baking mainstay for over 100 years. Watkins products include gourmet spices and extracts, personal care, and home care. The company is headquartered in Winona, Minnesota and manufactures all of its products in the U.S.A. To learn more about Watkins products visit www.jrwatkins.com.

Loved for generations, experienced cooks and beginners alike have reached for Pyrex® glassware products because they're durable, reliable, easy to use and affordable. We value our made in the USA heritage and are working hard to ensure we remain a mainstay in American kitchens for generations to come by dedicating ourselves to designing new favorites that help cooks feel successful and confident.  For more information, please visit our website at www.worldkitchen.com/en/pyrex.

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