The Great Canadian Baking Show (2017–…): Season 4, Episode 3 - Cookie Week - full transcript

Well, it's just that we've
had two eliminations so far

And the thought of
sending home another baker,

Honestly, is crushing.
I don't know that I can do it.

I know, but you
did sign up for this.

You're a smart cookie.

I know, I just didn't
think I would get so attached.

I guess that's
just the way the...

Cookie crumbles.

Wait, what's with
all this cookie talk?

Oh, you didn't know?

Ooh!
I feel better already.



- Nah!
- Okay.

- Nah!
- Okay.

One more time.
Nah!

- Alan... Please.
- Yeah?

- Okay, I won't do it.
- Thank you.

- Nah!
- Come on!

It's too easy.

Last week...

- bread week!
- Whoo!

The bakers
battled for the upper crust...

you bang that dough, sheldon.

Let's bake this bread.

Nothing's going wrong!

And larry's special
twist in the showstopper...



- homemade brie?
- Homemade brie?

Homemade brie.

Clinched the
star baker title.

Others faltered...

salt!

But it was anjali's
turn to leave the tent.

So your bread is dry.

Now...

there we go.

The bakers face off
in cookie week...

- next stop, cookie town!
- That's right.

I like that stop.

With an austrian signature
that will put them in a jam.

No!
That was so close.

A time pressing technical...

cut it,
fill it, squish it, eat it.

And an astonishing
showstopper...

oh no!

That will bring
down the house.

Oh! It's fine, it's fine.

♪

♪

Sfx:

♪

When I talked to my wife
and son and told them that

I was star baker last week,
they said,

"I knew you could do it.
So proud of you.

But, it's a new week.
Trust your instincts and

Just make beautiful cookies."

I am very, very, very
happy to still be here.

So, I'm going to go in the tent
today and bake my heart out.

♪

Good morning, bakers,
and welcome to your

3rd week in the tent.

Just to catch everyone up,
I'm having a wonderful time.

Aw!

Well, let's keep the
good times rolling, shall we?

Bakers, this week we
will be exploring

Everyone's favourite
midnight snack...

cookies!

For this signature challenge,

The judges would like to see
your own unique spin

On 18 linzer cookies.

Ah, the linzer,
the sandwich cookie

With a window into
its jammy soul.

They could be in
any shape or flavour,

But they must look they're
part of the same happy family.

The judges will
be looking for neat, elegant,

And uniform cookies that
strike the perfect balance

Between soft and crumbly.

Bakers, you have 90 minutes
for your 18 cookies.

- On your marks...
- get set...

bake!

♪

I've never had
a linzer cookie before.

The linzer cookie,
it's a specific recipe that

Uses almonds, usually,
with some kind of jam filling.

Linzer cookies,
straight out of vienna.

The peak-a-boo cookie.

Classic filling is either an
apricot or raspberry jam,

But today we're asking
our bakers to be

As creative as they want.

We want them to show us
something that catch our eyes.

I'm feeling
great about cookie week.

I'm harnessing my
great grandma right now and

Taking it old school.
No machines today.

Cookie week is
where the sky is the limit.

Ah!

One of the things
about cookies, is that there's

Usually some sort of personal
connection attached to it.

Whether it's you being a child
and baking with your grandmother

Or being an adult and
perfecting your skills,

There's just something
so comforting about cookies.

- Morning, larry.
- How're you guys doing?

- Good morning.
- Good, and you?

Good, real good.

You are our reigning star baker.

It's a new week.

Is that a good thing
or a bad thing, larry?

I'm not gonna let it
get to my head.

What's the plan this week?

I'm making a hazelnut-based
linzer cookie so,

A little bit of a
twist on almond flour.

With hazelnuts,
if it's not controlled,

You're gonna get bitterness.
How are you balancing that?

- With cranberry-orange jam.
- Okay.

Larry's hazelnut
linzers will be spiced with

Nutmeg and cinnamon
to complement

His citrus and berry filling.

Feels good.

Got some good
flavours happening.

Getting the dough ready
and then I'll chill it a bit.

There we go.

I'm making what
I call a "day and night"

Linzer cookie that has a
coffee cream in the middle.

Chocolate and
vanilla flavoured doughs

Will come together with a
peppy coffee infused ganache

For raufikat's
celestial inspired linzers.

We like a theme,
we like a theme.

I'm glad.

And they match your earrings.
They look like stars.

- Yes! Yes, exactly.
- I noticed.

♪

Doughs formed,
the bakers can turn

Their attention to
getting their jam on.

Oh.

♪

Dominike, how's it going?

- I'm making jam.
- You're making jam?

- I grew up making jam.
- Yeah?

My mother and I,
we would make jam,

And at night, I'd wake up
because of the smell.

The smell of it just
kind of like releases

All those endorphins.

- Oh, yeah...
- Yeah?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Squeezed together
with two types of jam,

Dominike's linzers will
also double up

With two different doughs.

I'm making my vanilla
linzer with this jam,

And a poppy seed and
lemon with this jam, so...

Yeah, I got a lot going on.

What kind of cookies are
you making for us?

Yeah, so today is great grandma
metz's linzer cookies.

So, she lived in former
yugoslavia and came to

Canada in early 20's
and settled in windsor.

So, these are,
the "linzer from windsor".

- The linzer from windsor!
- Yeah.

Following her
great-grandmother's recipe,

Maggie's linzers will
feature both a

Lemon curd filling and
an apricot lekvar.

I love that you're able to
share a family recipe with us.

Your face just lights up
talking about it.

♪

You "batter" hurry up, bakers.

You have one hour left.

Rolling their doughs
consistently will be key

In achieving a perfect bake.

Perfection.
No pressure.

♪

Ah, don't do that.

What've we got over here?

Okay, so, I've got
mango and some brandy.

- Oh!
- Yeah...

That's gonna be my jam,
my filling.

Any inspiration behind it?

The city I am from in
nigeria, benin city,

We've got some of the best
mangos in the world and,

I really mean it.
You should probably go visit.

If you're a mango person,

Then you definitely
would love to go see it.

Oyaks' brandy and
mango jam will be sandwiched

By cinnamon spiced
heart and pinwheel cookies.

At this stage of
the competition,

Everything has to be perfect
and that's exactly

What I'm looking for as well.

I am marbling my black and
white doughs together so that

There will be a streak
of black running through,

And it'll kind of
have a really cool,

Marble-y looking texture.

Sheldon's marbled
dough will have a

Marmalade filling of
apricots, rosewater,

And crème de noyaux,
and will be cut

In an intricate mosaic.

So, it's a very
complex cookie cutter

You're using here, ah?

I actually
designed these models myself

And got them 3d printed.

- Ooh!
- Yeah.

And so the design was
inspired by islamic art so,

Like these complex repeating
geometric patterns.

And the dough, itself, is a
marbled black and white tahini.

Wow, so, it's a twist
on that nutty flavour.

- Yeah.
- With the sesame.

- Exactly.
- Oh, very interesting.

♪

The bakers can put
their unique stamp

On shape and design...

I'm going to punch out
the windows from

The top cookies now.

But each cookie must
feature the linzer signature

Peekaboo hole.

Right now I'm
making a music note and

A treble clef.

When I first thought of linzer,

I learnt that it
was from austria and,

Austria's known to be the
capital of classical music.

So, I decided to make my
cookies all music themed

Because, you know,
I also play piano,

And guitar, and flute,
so I thought it would be

A fun way to incorporate
myself into the cookies.

Mahathi hopes to hit
the right note with tuneful

Chocolate linzers that have
a jammy mulled wine middle.

No!
That was so close.

This cookie cutter's
a bit tricky.

Takes a while to cut them out.

♪

Bakers, 30 minutes
left with your linzers!

I'm just finishing my cutout
and because they're crowns,

They're meant to be the
jewels in the crowns.

Tanner's lime-infused
linzers will be encrusted with

A sugar top and a regal
filling of strawberry jam.

So, then what're you doing?
You're straining this out,

And then that's what
you're gonna put in there?

Yes, I'm straining the seeds out
so it gets a nice shiny finish.

As you see, they're crowns.

I want them to look like jewels.

- Okay...
- That's the goal.

I'm going in.

The judges will be looking for

18 identical cookies,

Consistent in
colour and texture.

I've had some cookie disasters,

Like a whole sheet
just melding into one.

- One giant cookie?
- One giant sheet cookie.

That sounds like a
good problem to have.

- That's what I think.
- Yeah, it's true.

♪

Bakers, in 20 minutes,

Bruno and kyla are gonna
stare deep into your souls.

Or just judge your cookies.
It's just judging.

♪

Oh no!

Little overdone.

- Next stop, cookie town.
- That's right!

I like that stop.

- We want precision?
- Yes, we do.

- We want beauty?
- Yes, we do.

And I know you can deliver that.

I hope so.

♪

A perfect linzer will
have just enough jam to

Peek through the top, but
won't ooze from the sides.

13, 14, 15, 16,
17, 18, 19, 20, 21.21!

I love it because that means
there's maybe extra for me.

- For you.
- Yes!

Bakers, you have
one minute left.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Oyaks, you're stressing us out.

It's like at the buzzer.

Do you want me to
help you put them on?

Yes, please, yes.
Thank you, maggie.

Teamwork makes the dream work.

I love this.

5, 4, 3...

do you have another heart?

- No, I'm good.
- Just put this one on.

1!

Put your cookies down, bakers!

Good job!

Woo! ...Woo!

The bakers' linzer
cookies will now face

The critique of bruno and kyla.

Your lemon poppy seed cookies,

You have a beautiful bake.

Nice light, golden
colour around.

However, the strawberry cookie,

Here it looks a bit under-baked.

Your strawberry jam
tastes like my aunt sue's.

That's the highest compliment.

Oh!

The cookie, itself,
is really well baked,

But I would've liked the
filling to go to the edges

A little more so maybe
if you just piped it in.

Yes.

But your cookie is very crumbly,

Very rich with butter.

My biggest concern
when you were making it,

Is that we were gonna
have that sort of

Bitter aftertaste,
and I'm not getting any.

A night at the opera.

Yes.

♪ Dun dun dun dunnnn! ♪

Very good,
skilled cookie cutting.

Looks lovely.

The spices in the mulled wine

Complement the
chocolate beautifully.

You're like a maestro...

With cookies.

That jam is so shiny.
Like a gem stone.

It's gorgeous.

The bake is a bit inconsistent.

You can see there
is some darker part,

Some lighter colour.

The lime in the cookie brings
some brightness to the flavour.

Notice how inconsistent
it is in the baking.

There is a lot of white dough
and a lot of dark dough.

Your cookie has
very good flavour,

But there is not enough jam.

Yeah, I'd like more jam.

♪

- Maggie.
- Yeah?

- These are beautiful.
- Oh, thank you so much.

Wow.

Very consistent,
the way you roll the dough.

- Yeah.
- Equal thickness.

- Mhm.
- A good amount of jam.

The contrast between
the very acidic,

Yet very lush lemon curd

And the buttery cookie,
it's perfect.

The recipe is an
absolute treasure.

The linzer from windsor.

♪

It's a fairly large cookie.

- Yes.
- Not for the faint of heart.

I'd like the jam to
go right to the edges.

It really is pretty colour.

I think it just gets hidden
in all that detail on the top.

Okay.

Tahini works so well in here and

You have all that
richness and texture.

Overall, a very
innovative approach

Of making linzer cookies.

Thank you so much.

It looks like a
beautiful bedtime story.

I love the whimsy.

The baking is a
bit inconsistent.

Yeah, yeah, we've got
some here that are darker.

Some are lighter.

Ganache has great flavour.

That coffee really
brings everything together,

But it does lack a bit
in terms of texture.

- Just in the teeny details.
- Okay.

It's not the
start I was hoping for.

I really wanted this
one to go perfectly.

Overall, the fact that
they were able to find

Some good things to
say about it is...

It makes me feel better.

That went really well.

Put your heart and soul into
it and it's a family recipe,

And to present it to the
judges and for them to love it,

I mean, you can't
get much better than that.

♪

Bakers, welcome back.
It is now time for your

T-t-t-technical
ch-ch-ch-challenge!

Now, because this
is judged blind,

We're gonna have to ask
our judges to take

A little bit of a
walk into the woods.

- Goodbye.
- Mm, toodaloo.

Get outta here.

Now, as we continue
our euro cookie tour,

Let's make a stop
in the netherlands.

Today, you'll have to create
12 perfectly soft and chewy

Caramel filled stroopwafels,
using a specialty iron

Because we're fancy like that.

- Note the pinky's up.
- Mhm.

Bakers, you have one hour
and 45 minutes

To slay your stroopies.

- On your mark...
- Get set...

bake!

Stroopwafel or stroopies.

Stroopwafel.

Or a stroopwafel.

Never made this before.

I know what it looks like
and I've eaten many.

- Okay.
- Yeah.

So, bruno, you have
chosen the stroopwafel

As our technical challenge.

That's already a
mouthful to say.

Well, it might be a difficult
cookie name to pronounce,

But today's
technical challenge is

All about time management.

It looks like a
relatively simple cookie

To make, so what could go
wrong when they bake it?

First, the caramel
can get very grainy.

It has to be smooth and glossy.

And then, the waffle.
It's a yeast dough.

If you overproof,
it will affect the texture.

Each cookie has to be
the same colour,

This beautiful
amber, golden colour.

And, we're looking for
chewy crunch and

A caramel that stretches.

Wow, that's beautiful.

And I love that description:
A chewy crunch.

Mm.

And I love the way the
caramel goes perfectly to

The edge and you see
that glossy sheen.

Really delicious flavour.

I just want to jump
on a plane and

Go all the way to amsterdam.

Count me in.

Originally made
from cookie scraps,

The stroopwafel's trademark
chewy crunch

Is achieved by adding
yeast to flour.

It's instant so,
no need to bloom.

I mix salt, sugar, and cinnamon.

Now, I'm gonna grate a
little bit of butter.

"in a measuring cup,
stir water and egg.

Mix into the flour mixture."

I'm just kneading it
into a nice, smooth dough.

Here you go. I can feel
the dough coming together.

- How's it going over here?
- Yeah, going pretty well.

Just finished kneading my dough.

I'm just gonna let it
rest according to

What the recipe says.

What are your
instincts telling you?

Follow this.

♪

While the stroop dough proofs...

"heat sugar,
butter, syrup and salt

In a medium sauce pan
over medium-low heat."

The bakers can turn to
the sweet caramel center.

It's butter and
sugar so, really,

What can go wrong?
Famous last words.

I'll knock on some wood there.

But achieving perfect
caramel can be fickle work...

Come on, boil, boil, boil!

Oh, there we go.

Overcooked, and the sugar
can become grainy.

Or, even worse...

oh, that's not good.

The butter can separate.

Caramel take two.

Oh, this smells so good.

Yum.

That smells so good.

Oh, this smells so good.

That's really, really good.

It's
happening, it's all happening.

It's starting to happen.

My dough is ready so, I'm just

Weighing them out
and making sure

That they're all even.
Hopefully, my math is right.

I home-schooled for 4 months so,

I should be able to do some
long division, right?

Maybe, maybe not.

"place one ball in
iron and close the machine

To cook until steam
has subsided and cookie

Is light golden brown."
it doesn't tell us how long.

That was a minute.
Okay, so more than that.

Think that is pretty golden.

Okay, great.

Once the waffles
come off the iron,

They're cut into rounds...

there we go.

Sliced in half...

Ah!
Hot, hot, hot, hot.

"spoon warm caramel
onto one half and

Top with remaining cookie."

And bonded
together with caramel.

This is fun to do.

Bakers! Have you ever
been to amster...

Damn, you only got
15 minutes left!

Come on, work on those waffles.

It is terrible, but I love it.

The bakers will now
walk a multitasking tightrope.

It's just a big assembly line.

While one piece of
dough is being ironed...

They'll need to perfectly time
the cutting, spreading...

And squishing of the
remaining stroopwafels.

It's like, one and a half
minutes of frantic work,

And then, one and a half
minutes of waiting

While the other one's
finishing to cook.

Okay, let's go.
Don't have all day. Let's go.

♪

You gotta get into
a rhythm of cut it,

Fill it, squish it, eat it.

Has anyone ever told you,
you have a very calming energy?

- Really?
- Yes, I feel like...

Oh, well you should get up
here because I am losing it.

♪

Final 10 seconds, bakers!

♪

3, 2, 1!

- Whoo!
- Time's up!

Get those sticky hands
off your stroopwafel's.

- Ooh!
- Woo!

I'm supposed to
have 12 right, not 14?

- 12.
- Okay, 'cause I ate one.

- Oh!
- Oh, oops!

Bakers, please bring your
stroopwafel's up to the

Gingham altar and place
them behind your picture.

Bruno and kyla
will be looking for

12 golden brown waffles with
a shiny smooth caramel

That results in a chewy crunch.

Hello, bakers.

Our first baker:
A bit rough on the edge.

Which means they had
some trouble cutting it out.

Colour is a bit inconsistent
on the one or two cookies,

And we're looking for a
caramel that stretch.

Yeah, that's a nice stretch.

I think the baker was
struggling with the,

Was it a minute fifteen?
A minute thirty?

A minute forty?

It should've been a
minute and a half.

Wasn't it on the recipe?

Moving to the 2nd baker,

That work is very clean,
fairly consistent.

Let's see if it has
that crispy chew.

Oh, very nice.

Very good texture and
good flavour overall.

Moving along to the 3rd baker.

We've got some
issues in cutting it out.

Inside's not quite done,
it's paler.

Caramel has a nice shine.

But the cookie's quite hard.

Moving to baker #4:
Clean work, very consistent.

When you pick it up,
the density is nice.

It feels like it
was evenly baked.

- A nice bend.
- Beautiful pull there.

Very nice.

Mm, the caramel has really
nice flavour in this one.

To our 5th baker:
You can see it's quite dark.

Yeah, it's gonna
break like a crisp.

The caramel itself is
quite dense and dark.

It tastes slightly
bitter because it's quite dark.

To our 6th baker:
The bake is fairly consistent,

But there is a lot
of oozing of caramel.

Nice shine,
just too much coming out.

But the caramel has a nice pull,

Nice chewy crunch.

Alright, moving
to our 7th baker.

I think somebody definitely went

Longer than a minute and a half.

You see it just snaps.

The dough is very
dry and very hard.

Just like, turn into powder.

And the flavour is very flat.

It's like the dough is
missing a component.

And our 8th and final baker:
Some of the caramel is oozing.

Yeah, we really don't
want all the good caramel

To be left on somebody
else's stroopwafel.

Nice pull on the caramel.

Beautiful pull on the caramel.

Overall, great flavour for
the caramel and the wafer.

Bruno and kyla will
now rank the stroopwafels

From bottom to top.

In 8th place...

Sheldon: Too much time in
the waffle iron and

You need to work on
the caramel a bit.

And, in 7th place?

Tanner: Too much
time in the iron.

Maggie is in 6th place,

Oyaks is in 5th,
raufikat is in 4th,

And dominike comes in 3rd.

So, in 2nd place, this was
a real challenge for us.

Who's is this?

Larry? Nearly perfect.

And in first place...

Mahathi.

So consistent and
so delicious. Great job.

There's so many amazing
bakers in that tent and

To be first amongst them,
it's really such an honour.

Today was, you know,
ups and downs. Rocky.

I think I just need to bring
a really cool showstopper.

♪

We are halfway
through cookie week.

How is everyone looking so far?

Well, we've seen some bakers
rising to the occasion,

And particularly, mahathi.

But, on the signature,
maggie nailed it.

Mhm, the fact that she used
her grandmother's recipe,

It was so beautiful.

I would put it in my bake shop.

On the other end
of the spectrum,

Have you noticed any people
who really have to

Bring it for the showstopper?

I don't think
yesterday was oyaks' day.

Sheldon is putting himself
in a very difficult position,

And also tanner.

There is no room
to play it safe.

It's a time to show
what you can do.

♪

Good morning, bakers!

They say a picture is
worth a thousand words...

So, let's get ready to peel
back those layers and reveal

Our true selves with
this week's showstopper.

The judges would like to
see a family portrait...

Made entirely of cookies!
Now, when I say, "family",

I do mean that in the
vaguest sense.

Sort of like how beyoncé
is my best friend and my family.

So, whether it's a sculpture
of your annual camping trip

Or a shrine to the 2019
nba world champions

Toronto raptors, anything goes.

As long as it's made out
of cookie dough and

Looks picture-perfect.

You will need to make at
least two different types of

Cookies in any 2d or 3d
shape of your choosing.

And, it must contain an
element of royal icing.

Bakers, show us who you
love and then watch

As bruno and kyla snap off
their heads and eat them.

- So sweet.
- Yeah.

You have 3 and a half hours.

- On your marks...
- Get set...

bake!

♪

How much dough do I need?

All good.

Cookie people:
Who thought of this?

Today, our bakers are
going to show us

What cookies mean to them.

We're gonna look, first,
for that 'wow' factor.

We want a story behind it.

And then, it's all about
the flavour combination.

A whole bunch of spices.

This is a perfect
challenge where they can

Share with us a little
more about themselves,

But again, demonstrate just how
skilled they are as bakers.

I'm nervous.

I didn't have the
best day yesterday.

You know, I could be in
danger of going home and

I'm not ready to go home.

For this colourful
showstopper...

I'm trying not to panic.

Two exquisitely
flavoured cookies and

Picture-perfect icing
will be used to create

A window into the
bakers' families.

I am making a family portrait of

Me, my mom, and my sister...

For our, like, move to canada.

Sheldon will bring
the judges on his childhood

Journey from china to canada
in a vibrant portrait formed

From sugar cookies
and coconut macaroons.

♪

So much cookie dough...

Let the good times roll.

♪

Oh, shoot, that was stupid.

Cookie people, yeah.

So fun!

I was born and raised in
niagara falls, ontario

So, it's totally niagara-themed.

Tanner's looking
to make a splash with a

Postcard from the falls made
from sugar cookies and

A foamy meringue.

So, are you gonna bring
out flavours from niagara?

Definitely. I'm not sure if
you can smell it from here,

But there's peaches,
and blueberries, and ice wine.

- Beautiful!
- Yeah.

With their doughs formed,

The bakers dive into cutting
the shapes and pieces that

Will bring their
stories to life.

I just decapitated myself.

I'm working on
my characters right now.

Me and my fiancé, we are
from the radio business.

When we are not working,
we very much like

To be around the
fireplace with the cat.

We are very... Cozy people.

Dj's by day, but it's
nights by the fire with

Her fiancé that will be the
subject of dominike's

Gingerbread and
sablé cookie portrait.

We are very happy people,
joyful people.

So, I decided to represent us

With sparkling
wine sablés, so...

Okay... And that's
a tricky one because

We want to make sure that
we get that essence.

- Exactly, yeah.
- Okay, good.

Okay.

♪

First batch is in.
They have to cool in time so,

We're working on
that part right now.

- Good morning, raufikat.
- Good morning.

What do you have planned for us?

I'm making a portrait
of my daughter's

Favourite knock-knock joke.

What is it? Can you tell us
the knock-knock joke?

Okay, so it goes, "knock-knock".

- Who's there?
- Boo.

- Boo who?
- Why are you crying?

Oh boy, let me tell you,
she's already got

A good sense of humour
for 5 years old.

Yes.

A meringue ghost will
stand ready to say "boo!"

At the door of raufikat's
chocolate pepper house

Topped with coffee
macaron roof tiles.

Who's making macaron?

I am.

Oh my gosh, brave.

Yeah.
I hope brave, not foolish.

♪

Not quite time yet.

Just gonna give
that another minute.

I melted a pastry scraper.

Whoops. Ah...

Well, I'm gonna have
to re-roll one thing.

Good thing I
have so much extra dough.

♪

Bakers, we're
officially halfway through.

Halfway through, bakers.

Perfect... Okay.

I am making my royal icing.

I'm just colouring my icing so,

I have all my colours right now.

My showstopper is going
to be my family and I

Celebrating diwali at a temple.

So, today, I'm doing
three cookies.

I'm doing a cashew shortbread,
I'm also making gingerbread

And an indian cookie
called tutti frutti.

Honouring the
festival of lights,

Mahathi's cookie celebration
will have a firework display,

Colourful ornaments,

And be built on top of a
base of cashew shortbread.

It's kind of a
running joke in my house.

My dad and I, we fight over
cashews and my mom's

Always trying to hide them
from us 'cause...

'cause she never has enough
to actually cook with.

I just wanted to
include that in some way.

We think you have a lot to do
so, we're gonna let you go.

Yes, I do have a lot
to do today.

- Any concerns?
- Time.

So much time concerns.

♪

That's my mom.

Do you see her nice,
little fanny pack?

Let's go.

- Hi, larry.
- Hi! Good morning.

- Morning.
- Morning.

So, what's your plan?

I am making a kitchen table with

Little portraits of the
family sitting around it.

This might be the first
time we're seeing you

Doing piping work,
or painting on a cookie.

Is this a strength?
Have you been hiding a skill?

No, it's not —
It's not a strength.

I just need a steady hand and...

yeah, and you need enough time,

Because that's the last
thing you wanna rush.

Larry's mealtime
memories will be made

With shortbread
portraits of his family,

Perched on chairs
made of gingerbread.

All of us sitting at the table,

Enjoying each other's company
and some good food.

Even gonna have our dog and
our budgie sitting at the table.

Bakers, you have one hour
left to spend with your family.

That's plenty of time.

You know what I mean?

This is for the roof.
These are macarons.

I'm going to use them
as roof tiles.

You want it to flow in a
ribbon off the spatula

Without breaking.
One, two, three.

If we could just have
like an extra two hours,

That would be great.

Right!

The intricate work
of cookie decoration

Is all about well-timed
execution.

Ooh, it's tense.

Can't spend any
more time on this.

Bakers must first pipe the
outlines of their creations...

Giving them enough time to set,

Before they can fill in
with their flooding.

Maggie, you look right
at home in this challenge.

Yeah, I feel like this is
sort of my happy place.

My sister and brother-in-law
have a beautiful farm,

And my big blended family
loves to crash the farm

At every opportunity,
especially at the holidays

So, I'm bringing you to
the farm for christmas.

So, this is like christmas and
love and cookies all together.

A gingerbread replica
of the farmhouse will be

Ho-ho-home for the holidays
for maggie's

Orange cardamom
sugar cookie family.

This is my daughter.

This is usually one of my
favourite things to do

When it's not timed.

Although bruno
and kyla will expect

Clean flooding and piping...

Ooph!

Some are mixing it up
with other techniques.

Since I'm putting one
structure on another,

The bottom structure are
gonna be out of fondant.

It just gives it some
more solid base to stand on.

Oyaks is thinking outsie
the box for his portrait,

Using orange chai shortbread
and vanilla sugar cookies

To create an ode to his fathers
passion for page turning.

It's gonna be a
3d interpretation

Of my dad's library.

- Oh!
- Yeah.

Portrait of him, you know,
looking over my shoulder and

Ensuring that I become a
better person than he is and,

He's pretty amazing so
I have really big shoes to fill.

I cannot wait to see this
beautiful library portrait.

- Thank you, thank you.
- Thanks, oyaks.

Yeah, thank you, ann.

Bakers, 30 minutes left.

- No...
- Tell me that's not true.

Cookie decorations
nearly complete...

doing some carpentry, I guess.

The final daunting
job of assembly awaits.

If there's gonna be drama,

It's gonna be right now.

♪

Have you ever piped this
fast before in your life?

- Ah... No.
- No?

♪

I don't have time for this.

♪

No drama.
Okay.

♪

I'm just gonna brush this over

To give it a nice shine.

♪

♪

It's fine, it's fine.

♪

♪

5, 4, 3...

2, 1, hands up!

- Good job, bakers!
- Whoo!

We made it! You did it!

You did it!
You did it! You did it!

Oh, my gosh!

- How'd you do?
- I didn't finish.

Didn't finish, aw...
Oh, it's so cute though.

Bruno an

An eye-popping
family portrait...

With perfectly-baked cookies...

And mouth-watering flavours.

♪

Maggie, please bring
your diorama to the front.

Would you possibly
be able to help me?

- Yeah, I can do that.
- Thank you.

- You get that side.
- That side?

Very carefully.
Don't drop it.

♪

- Thank you so much.
- There we go.

Maggie, there's so much
that I want to talk about.

I'm looking at the details
in your flooding and

In particular,
the little hearts,

To have that kind of
attention to detail,

Is really impressive
on a sweater dress.

Thank you.

Yes, it's a showstopper
with a lot of details.

Even down to the ugly sweaters.

Yes, the ugly christmas sweater.

I love that molasses flavour.

The orange cardamom sugar
cookie has a nice colouration.

I like that you've
chosen another spice,

But a very complementary spice,

Because I think it just ties
in the whole seasonality

Of your story board here.

You know, it shows a lot of
attention to detail and

I think really good
use of your time.

♪

Dominike, you have
managed to take all of

Your enthusiasm and
put it in a portrait.

The technical skill in that
piping is really, really good.

It's a bit flat on
flavour for gingerbread.

Okay.

And this has the sparkling wine?

Yes.

Sparkling wine is
very difficult to taste and

Can come off as extra sweetness.

- Okay.
- And so, what it...

Really tastes like is
a very sweet sugar cookie.

But overall,
it's a great whimsical story.

- I think it's very dominike.
- Thank you.

Larry, I think your
piping skills are very good.

It's so shiny,
it's set very well.

I think you've been holding
back on us a little bit.

Thank you.

It has good flavour.
It's very pleasant.

However, it's a bit too
small or restrained

For a showstopper.

♪

The time got away from me.

I wasn't able to get
everything I wanted on.

We didn't get the punch line.

I would have liked
to have seen more detail and

Just some cleaner work.

I struggled with that a bit.

Even if it's not finished
the way you want it,

What attracted my
eyes right away,

It's those beautiful macarons.

Smooth, no cracks and shiny.

That's good. Great job.

- Lovely.
- This is a...?

Chocolate with a
bit of black pepper.

That's a beautiful aroma.

The flavours that
you've brought to us

- Have told us a great story.
- Yeah.

Mahathi,
this is a beautiful tableau.

This is truly a showstopper.

I mean, the amount of detail
in every single thing.

The elephants, the clothing,
the faces on the people.

The lights.

And it looks almost like there's
something inside that box.

- There is.
- It's the cashews!

Fabulous.

The colour, the details,
I mean, you nailed it.

- 3 different doughs, ah?
- Yeah.

The gingerbread,
it's cooked to perfection.

And the flavour comes
through really nicely.

Your cashew shortbread
has a beautiful, buttery taste.

And then, the 3rd one
is the tutti frutti?

Yeah.

It tastes like the name sounds.
It's so festive.

- It's an amazing showpiece.
- Thank you so much.

Tanner, a postcard
from niagara falls.

I mean, the fact that you
carried the flooding

All the way to the edge
is very impressive.

And the choice of
crispy meringue to

Create the foam, I think is
a very smart choice.

It does have a little of a
bubblegum-blueberry flavour.

A little bit, mhm.

So, you've actually used
the flavours of niagara.

I have no idea how
you put that peach flavour

Inside, but that's
quite good, ah?

- Yeah? ...Ooh!
- Yeah.

Oyaks, as a father,

I think your story
is very touching.

I think the idea is thoughtful.

I think you make it a bit
too hard on yourself

By doing three books.
Maybe one bigger book.

Unfortunately,
fondant like this can be

Very unforgiving on a cookie.

There's some issues with the
lines not being trimmed evenly.

So, you can see,
the dough is not cooked.

It's raw, technically.

It's rubbery
and quite malleable,

Which means that it needs a
lot more time in the oven.

And that's your sugar cookie.

You can see the
bake is beautiful.

Nice colouration.

This cookie actually
has really nice flavour,

Good structure.

You know, if only
you could have baked

Everything else the same way.

That's beautiful.
Save it.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Sheldon, please bring your
showstopper to the front.

♪

Sheldon, it's so
colourful and bright.

There's so much to
talk about here.

- I'm an immigrant too...
- Mhm.

So, I can relate to
your story and all of

The excitement, the journey.

Your overall quality
of the flooding is incredible.

Those are just gorgeous.

I mean, look at the details.

The addition of honey makes
the ginger-bread very soft.

It's a great combination.
Then we have the macaroons.

Yes.

It's chewy.
Exactly what a

Coconut macaroon
should be tasting like.

All of this goes out to my mom.

Well, you've really told
the story well and

Thank you for sharing it.

- Great job, sheldon.
- Thank you.

♪

So, what a
showstopper we had today.

I love cookie week.

So, who impressed you?

The people that
impressed us the most

Took us to some really fantastic
holiday celebrations.

Christmas at maggie's farm.

Her piping work was lovely.

Her flooding is great and
she gave us some really nice

Attention to detail that
showed she used her full time.

And, I mean, just have a
look at mahathi's work here

For her diwali celebration.

And she gave us
3 different flavours.

It was just beautiful.

Sheldon told us a
heartwarming story

Of his journey to canada.

Now remember, sheldon
was last on the technical,

But what a comeback.

So, who struggled today?

For oyaks, I believe he
didn't do well today.

It really was
a wonderful concept,

But his execution
needed a lot more detail.

And also, raufikat
didn't finish her bake today.

It's gonna be really tough today

To say goodbye to another baker.

And, it is so hard this year
because they are so talented.

♪

Bakers, well I get the
good gig this week

Of announcing star baker.

This person
celebrated their family...

And hit all the right notes.

Congratulations, mahathi.

Thank you.

- So happy for you.
- Thank you.

And that means that I
have the tough job today

Of sending someone home.

Sadly, today we have
to say goodbye to...

♪

Oyaks.

I'm happy that I
came in the company of

9 other amazing
bakers in canada.

It's made me a better person,

A better baker and more
confident, of course.

I'm really proud of myself.

Oyaks was our first star baker.

He's a very quiet man,
but his bakes did

A lot of talking for him.

Every bakers have weaknesses.

For oyaks, it's cookies.
Today wasn't his day.

- Congratulations.
- Thanks.

It was just your week.

I was really pleased to see
mahathi come into her own

And really shine this week.

It was a cookie
festival of lights.

Who could ask for more?

This entire journey so far
has been so incredible and,

I can't believe I'm star baker!

- Hello?
- Hi, ma!

- Hi na-na.
- Guess what?

You're the star baker?

Yeah!
I'm star baker this week!

Congratulations,
na-na. I'm so proud of you!

Yeah.

Next time...

Andiamo, bakers.

The top seven
embrace all things italian.

I love italian baking.

In a competitive
showdown with high style...

Looks like something that you
got at an italian bakery.

High stakes...

I want it to
come out of the oven.

How do you even conceive this?

And italian drama.

Do they look done to you?

Oh my, god.
What?

They are definitely
overcooked on the outside.

All to see who will be
crowned star baker.

This is insane.

This is what we were asking for.

♪

♪