In celebration of National Cookie Month during the month of October, the Famous 4th Street Cookie Company is hosting a baking contest in partnership with the Reading Terminal Market.  Enter your best cookie recipe for a chance to have YOUR cookie be our next Famous cookie!

You’ll also have a chance to win a $500 Reading Terminal Market gift card, Reading Terminal and Famous 4th Street swag, and most importantly – bragging rights! The winning cookie will be featured as our new Famous Cookie to be launched in 2023 and sold nationwide.

Enter Your Recipe by: September 8th, 2023 via this form

Semi-Finalist Selected: September 13th, 2023

Final Competition: October 20th, 2023 at the Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia, PA

Official Schedule with Deadlines

September 8th, 2023, 6 p.m.: Submit your entry according to official competition rules. See “Contest Rules”  below for more information.

September 13th, 2023, 5 p.m.: Contestants will be notified of advancement to semi-finalist round by 5 p.m. on September 13th, 2023. Detailed instructions regarding the semi-final competition will be provided.

September 27th, 2023, 6 p.m.: Semi-finalists must submit a 1-minute video online about the inspiration behind their cookie and drop off baked samples of the cookie at the Famous 4th Street Cookie Company booth in the Reading Terminal Market.  

October 2nd 2023: The 3 finalists for the Bake-Off on October 20th will be announced.

October 20 2023, 10:30 a.m.: Famous Finalists will compete in a Bake-Off in the City Kitchen at the Reading Terminal Market. Ingredients and tools will be provided by the Famous 4th Street Cookie Company and the Reading Terminal Market. One finalist will be announced as the winner on site. The winning cookie will be featured as the inspiration for The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company.

November 3rd 2023: The winning cookie will be released online and at the Reading Terminal Market.

Eligibility

  • Contestants must be legal residents of the United States. 
  • Individual contestants must be 18 years of age or older. No teams allowed due to spacing issues.  
  • Video and recipe entries will become property of The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company upon submission.
  • Entries must be completed and submitted by contest deadlines to be considered eligible. Late and incomplete submissions will not be considered for the semi-final or final rounds.
  • Contestants must be able to attend the final in-person event in Philadelphia on October 20th, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. Stand-ins and other representatives will not be permitted. 
  • Contestants are responsible for all travel expenses to and from the Reading Terminal Market.

Contest Rules

  • Round 1: Call for Entries
    • To enter the contest, contestants must submit their cookie recipe, a photo of their cookie, a photo of the contestant, and contact information via this form no later than September 8th, 2023 at 6 p.m.
    • Contestants may also drop off typed/printed contest entries in person at The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company’s booth located in the Reading Terminal Market, 51 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
    • Submissions must be in English and include the recipe and all other registration information listed above.
    • All recipes must be original, developed by the contestant, and have never been published previously.
  • Round 2: Semi-Final Round
    • Baked examples of the chosen recipe and a 1-minute introductory video are required for participation in the Semi-Final Round and are due no later than September 27th, 2023 at 6 p.m.
    • 1-minute video must be recorded with iPhone or other smartphone device and submitted via a form that will be emailed to the chosen contestants.
    • Required video elements: 
      1. Video must tell story of how the recipe was developed. Details of the entire cookie making process are not required. Contestants are advised to share the inspiration behind their recipe and any challenges or obstacles they overcame in the baking process.
      2. Finished product should be featured in the closing shot and contestants should state, “Be the Inspiration! Be FAMOUS!”
    • Contestants should provide 2 dozen (24) baked cookies with a printed physical copy of the recipe. Contestant’s will need to label all of their submitted material with their name and contact information.  
    • Baked Cookies and Video are due on September 27th, 2023 at 6 p.m. 
  • Round 3: Final Round
    • Finalists will participate in the Final Cookie Baking Competition, which will take place in the City Kitchen at The Reading Terminal Market on October 20th, 2023 at 10:30 a.m.
    • The winner will be determined using a points system. Points will be awarded by judges at the final competition. Cookies will be judged based on the following criteria: Taste, Appearance, Creativity, and Overall Impression.

Recipe Requirements

Recipes must be submitted in accordance with The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company’s recipe guidelines. Recipes must use:

  1. All-natural ingredients, flavorings, and/or colors
  2. King Arthur Flour Company flours
  3. Hershey Company chocolate products, drops, and/or cocoas (if using chocolate products)

Icings and elaborate decorations are not allowed. Cookies should measure approximately 2.5 oz in weight or 3 inches in diameter. Cut-out cookies will not be permitted.

Prizes

  • One Grand Prize Winner: $500 Reading Terminal Market Gift Card and Winning Cookie will be released as the new  Famous 4th Street Cookie on November 3rd 
  • Runner Up Prizes (one each):  $100 Reading Terminal Market Gift Card.
  • All Famous Finalists will receive a basket of goodies provided by participating brands at the Reading Terminal Market.
  • All Semi-Finalists will receive a Famous 4th Street Cookie Company T-shirt.

*Must be submitted via this form or submitted in-person at the The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company booth located at the Reading Terminal Market, 51 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.