Victory is sweet in NAIA Cookie Contest

For the last four years, Mongan has baked all of the cookie recipes competing teams have submitted, varying from classics like the Monster Cookie, to unique entries like the Hillbilly Bar submitted by the University of Rio Grande in 2015. 

Why cookies?

"There are so many variations you can make, plus some people are so diet conscious they feel better having one cookie than a slice of cake," said Mongan. "And I don't know anyone who doesn't like a cookie."

Sioux City Journal editor Bruce Miller said he's a fan of the idea.

"We thought having a cookie contest would be a great way to get all the schools involved," he said. "It's another way fans can show support for their school." 

Online voting is open the week of the tournament and there is no limit to the number of votes a person can cast. Goshen College's Monster Cookie recipe from 2016 is the reigning champion with 65,050 votes. 

The cookie with the most votes is recognized along with the taste test winner, which is selected by Mongan and a taste test panel. 

So what are judges looking for?

"Taste, texture and color -- the holy trinity," Mongan said. "A lot of recipes are similar, but it's the one that has all three components we tend to favor.

"One cookie that sticks out in my mind was a very simple brown sugar cookie," he said. "It was old-fashioned, and it used simple ingredients you would have on hand in your pantry. It kind of hearkened back to old pioneer days." 

But of course, "every college thinks their cookie is the best." 

The Brown Sugar Oatmeal cookie submitted by College of Saint Mary was the taste test winner in 2014.

Mongan's tip for baking a winning cookie is to make sure all ingredients are properly mixed.

"An improperly mixed cookie is obvious to spot," he cautioned.

Though Mongan and the other Convention Center chefs are working around the clock to keep up with tournament, keeping up with the cookie demand is one of the easier tasks. 

"Cookies are the easiest dessert to bake," he said. "You can bake a much bigger volume, plus they're so easy to clean up because everything is in one mixing bowl."

Mongan said he has yet to encounter a cookie recipe he's never baked ... but "there's always next year," he said.