The Official Story

The search for an official Red Deer cookie was initiated in 1994 by Mr. Alain Favre, a local potter/former chef. Mr. Favre was a member of a network of Red Deer Artists called the P'Artisan Society, which hosted an annual "Fire & Earth" celebration for the spring equinox.

To create a more visible presence in the community about this family celebration to welcome the first days of spring, and to encourage the building of customs and traditions for Red Deer, Mr. Favre looked for an activity which would draw the community's interest. Noting the success of many European communities who have official food delicacies attributed to them, Mr. Favre recognized an opportunity that could be applied to Red Deer.

The contest was open to Red Deer and area residents. Contestants were asked to submit their cookie entries with a description of how their entry best represented or related to Red Deer. In total 30 entries were judged by a panel of five judges on March 23, 1996 at the Fire and Earth '96 Spring Celebration.

The judges tasted and rated the cookies on their taste, presentation, title, originality and representation for Red Deer. Each judge was able to give five points for each cookie. The ten cookies with the highest scores were then selected for a mini final.

The five judges agreed unanimously that the winner was Darlene Blair of Trochu, Alberta with her family recipe for Caramel Surprises. Darlene Blair says her tasty, chewy Caramel Surprises are representative of Red Deer as "Biting into this cookie is like visiting Red Deer - You'll get a pleasant surprise." One judge was noted to comment, "It fits Red Deer's motto: A Delight to Discover."

Discover the Official Cookie of Red Deer: The Caramel Surprise

Download a printable recipe here (pdf)

Ingredients
625 ml (2 1/2 cups) flour
175 ml (3/4 cup) cocoa
5 ml (1 tsp.) baking soda
250 ml (1 cup) white sugar
250 ml (1 cup) brown sugar
250 ml (1 cup) margarine
10 ml (2 tsp.) vanilla
2 eggs
125 ml (1/2 cup) chopped pecans
40 Rolo Caramels

Topping
125 ml (1/2 cup) chopped pecans
15 ml (1 tbsp.) sugar

Directions
In a large bowl, cream margarine. Beat in both the white and brown sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, beat well. Add flour, cocoa and baking soda and blend well. Stir in pecans. Shape 15 ml (1 tbsp.) of dough around 1 Rolo Caramel, making sure it is completely covered.

In a bowl combine the two topping ingredients together. Press one side of each ball in the topping mixture and place nut-side up on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes. Makes 40 cookies.

Note: If the cookie spreads too much while baking, try adding a little flour to the dough.

Enjoy!