2023 Winners: Jamie's return to the winner's circle amongst a very strong field of contenders

What a fun Boga Bake-Off!!  We heard from friends and family near and far that they loved this batch of cookies...from the bottom of all of our hearts, thank you!

This was an important year for the Boga sisters....after Robin beating Jamie last year, snapping her 6 year winning streak, the stakes were high.  But the people have spoken, and Jamie has retaken her rightful spot on the throne with "Friends Forever".  It seemed to have struck the right chord of timeliness, aesthetic beauty, and realism.  The font with the drop shadow, the couch & lamp, and the fountain details certainly played to her favor.

Jamie won 1st place with Friends Forever

But if we're talking details, we have to acknowledge the painstakingly placed sprinkles for Robin's "In her Lover Era" which took 2nd place.  The heels, that dress!  If you look closely, it's very impressive.  But it didn't have that "pop" needed to win 1st place.

Robin's "In her Lover Era" beat Jamie's "Wildfire Haze in NYC" by ONE VOTE!!

The race between 2nd and 3rd had the Bogas on the edge of their seats the ENTIRE time, as Robin's "In her Lover Era" and Jamie's "Wildfire Haze in NYC" were jockeying for the second best spot throughout the competition (and were literally tied for many hours!).  But in the end, the Taylor Swift name was too big to overcome, and the beauty of NYC gained Jamie a 3rd place finish.

Admire the beauty of the NYC building windows and hazy sky

And then there was Nancy...after a lackluster performance in 2022, this year she rose to the occasion and brought many compelling concepts to the table, including the return of "Bogas in a..." franchise.  Although the climate change cookie "Save Me" didn't come close to winning (perhaps her third time doing this cookie!!), it's important to note the accuracy of the map including the placement of the Caribbean islands and Cape Cod.  Nancy was also very proud of Oppenheimer's cigarette details.

And thank you to the rest of the competitors, including Mia's Bode cookie, Coco's Piña cookie, and Tim's classic Pollock cookie which produced some striking ghosts despite the haphazard application.  We had a GREAT time and cannot wait until next year...see you in 2024!

Here are the full results:

1.  Friends Forever by Jamie, 176 votes
The grand champion for 7 of the last 8 years

2.  In her Lover Era by Robin, 151 votes

3. Wildfire Haze in NYC by Jamie, 150 votes!!

4. Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches by Robin, 131 votes

5.  Hey Barbie! by Jamie, 99 votes

6. In Too Deep #Oceangate by Jamie, 88 votes

7. Oppenheimer by Nancy, 84 votes

8. Scandoval by Robin, 64 votes

9. ChatGPT, Name this Cookie by Nancy, 50 votes

10. Bode's Second Christmas by Mia, 45 votes

11. Save Me by Nancy, 43 votes

12. Bogas in a Tesla Truck by Nancy, 43 votes

13. Pollock Ghost No. 1 by Tim, 38 votes

14. They're Out There by Robin, 32 votes

15. Ode to Piña by Coco, 19 votes

See you next year!! 

Vote in the 2023 Boga Bake-Off!

We're baaaack.  Live from Northern Virginia for the twenty-somethingeth Boga Bake-Off!!  We're very excited about this year's crop of cookies, and are waiting with baited breath to see how the public reacts.  And each of the Bogas are playing for different honors...after winning 6 straight years, Jamie fell last year to Robin...can she regain her dominance?  Can Robin win her second year in a row?  And Nancy is back better than ever...can Mima eek out her first victory in over 10 years?!  And of course, you'll see guest appearances by Mia, Coco, and Tim.  From top news stories to top at the box office, we had plenty of inspiration this year.  

So gather round with your loved ones; polls are open until Tuesday, 12/26 at Noon.  SHARE with your friends and family, and if you're voting together - simply refresh the page to let each family member vote!

**PLEASE NOTE - the poll is tricky to scroll through. Scroll over the thin yellow border to see all images. Make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom of the page within the yellow area and click SUBMIT**

And if you somehow got here, and you're like, WTF is this?  Here is a quick history for any newbies:

The Chiribogas used to decorate Christmas cookies like any other family, but as they continued to bake, their creative juices flowed.  Santa turned sexy, snowflakes become infinitely more elaborate, and cookie shapes were seen as mere suggestions instead of strict guides for designs.  Toothpicks became the go-to tool for applying individual sprinkles and a new type of cookie decorating contest emerged...the Boga Bake-off was born - over 20 years ago!

2022 Winners: The end of Jamie's Dynasty, but not quite a sweep for Robin

 All good things must come to an end.  And in this case, that good thing is 6 straight years of Jamie taking 1st place in the Boga Bake-Off.  Everyone loves a dynasty right?!  But it was time for a new winner to be crowned, and Robin rightfully took her spot on the Boga Bake-Off throne late on Christmas Day.  During decorating, we had a feeling that her "Viva Argentina!" cookie would take first place...the depth of the goal, the details of the soccer ball, the colorful crowd, the placement of the players...they all added up to a beautiful cookie, and the people recognized her for it!  In total we had 277 votes from the US & Puerto Rico, Ecuador, UAE, UK, Kuwait and Mexico! 

Robin won 1st place with "Viva Argentina!"

And what about the others?

"God Save the Queen" won in the beauty category and was enough clinch 2nd place for Robin as well.  The best Jamie could eek out was a 3rd place cookie with "Be Iran's Voice".  It was a beautiful and intricate cookie (did you check the accuracy of the country shape?!), but 3rd place is a far cry from six straight years of winning.  She had high hopes for the simplicity of "It's Corn!"...but knew that "Today's Wordle: BAKED" failed in execution.  It suffered from too small and illegible letters, but the people still voted it into 5th place.  And did she make the right decision submitting her Stranger Things' "Max" cookie over "Top Gun: Maverick's Flight Path"?  I guess we'll never know.

NOT Submitted: Jamie's "Top Gun: Maverick's Flight Path"

Robin's "Keep my Wife's Name out of your Mouth" won 4th place, taking top marks for humor.  And Pete Davidson's Rolodex, her last entry in the Bake-Off, took 7th place and explored a new cookie format...multiple cookies to make a single design.  Will we see that trend come back in 2023?  

And poor Nancy.  Try as she may, her best performing cookie was 9th place "Tourist Visit to the US Capitol", a pithy take on the Insurrection.  And her Boga Family Tree cookie failed to place this year.  Jamie & Robin tried to give counsel that the Boga cookie could have been improved with more of a "Tree" green design, and the Capitol cookie name may have been too "inside" and appeal only to age 65+ newsheads...but the advice fell on deaf ears, and votes told a consistent tale.

Finally, thank you to Ellen and Mia for their submissions as well.  Bode wasn't bad for a 9 year old right?!  

See below for a complete list of cookies and vote counts.  Thanks to everyone for voting, and we'll see you next year!!

1. Viva Argentina! by Robin, 147 votes

2. God Save the Queen by Robin, 117 votes

3. Be Iran's Voice by Jamie, 109 votes

4. Keep my Wife's Name out of your Mouth! by Robin, 97 votes

5. Today's Wordle: BAKED by Jamie, 61 votes

6. It's Corn! (A big lump with knobs) by Jamie, 58 votes

7. Pete Davidson's Rolodex by Robin, 40 votes

8. Max is Runnin' up that Hill by Jamie, 29 votes

9. "Tourist Visit" to the US Capitol by Nancy, 16 votes

10. Practicing my Technique by Ellen, 16 votes

11.  Bode's First Christmas, 15 votes

12. It's a Major Award by Patrick, 13 votes

13. Bogas: How do you like us now?! by Nancy, 11 votes

14. Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow by Ellen, 5 votes

15. Follow the Lies - Lies Social by Ellen, 3 votes

Honorable Mentions:

Top Gun: Maverick's Flight Path by Jamie

Harry's Styles in a Flash Coat by Jamie

Holiday Stocking by Coco

Vote in 2022 Boga-Bake Off!

Welcome to the 2022 Boga Bake-Off!

This year, we're on location in SANTA FE for the first time since the before-COVID times...

And what a year it has been to draw inspiration from!  Whether it be war, human rights injustices, and business moguls fallen from grace...or entertaining pop culture moments and celebrity trials...there was simply TOO MUCH to choose from.  Each of the Bogas came armed with at least ten solid ideas that we had to whittle down to a highly curated selection.  So we sat at Nancy & Doug's dining table for 5 hours, with no less than 10 custom frosting colors, 17 bottles of sprinkles, 1 packet of toothpicks, 4 children, 1 beloved Couzie (Ellen), and nothing but the SHEER WILL to win.

Will Jamie win her LUCKY #7 year in a row?  Will Robin finally break her streak?  Or will Nancy or Ellen surprise us with a victory?  We turn to you, the public, to provide a fair and sound judgement.  

So gather round with your loved ones; polls are open until Christmas day Sunday, 12/25 at 10pm EST.  SHARE with your friends and family, and thanks for voting :)  

And if you somehow got here, and you're like, WTF is this?  Here is a quick history for any newbies:

The Chiribogas used to decorate Christmas cookies like any other family, but as they continued to bake, their creative juices flowed.  Santa turned sexy, snowflakes become infinitely more elaborate, and cookie shapes were seen as mere suggestions instead of strict guides for designs.  Toothpicks became the go-to tool for applying individual sprinkles and a new type of cookie decorating contest emerged...the Boga Bake-off was born - over 20 years ago!

**PLEASE NOTE - the poll is tricky to scroll through. Scroll over the thin yellow border to scroll through the images. Scroll the right blue border to get to the bottom of the page and click SUBMIT**

2021 Winners: A Year of Great Inspo & the continuation of Jamie's dynasty

Another year, another variant, another Boga Bake-Off!  Results are in....(drum roll...)...and Jamie took home the #1 spot for the SIXTH year in a row with "Cicada Season"!  But it was a nail biter until the end with Robin's "Free Britney" threatening the top spot within a handful of votes the entire time.  It was also a super tight race between third and fourth place, with Robin's "Ted Lasso says Be a Goldfish" and Jamie's "Tug Life in the Suez Canal" changing places multiple times.  In the end, Robin's Ted Lasso cookie prevailed (despite her never having seen the show!!), and Jamie's Suez Canal took home fourth.

Multiple honorable mentions go to Nancy for her Shaman and Bezos' Boner...while they elicited many laughs and strong reactions from our fan base, they only scrapped together enough votes for a two-way fifth place tie.

We had a great time admiring everyone's good ideas from this year's news stories and pop culture highlights.  And an even better time hearing from friends and family, near and far, about how much they enjoy the annual cookie contest.  Over 300 people voted from the US, Canada, UK, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Kenya, UAE, and Australia!  We felt the love and can't wait to be back next year!!

Here are final standings:

1. Cicada Season by Jamie, 122 votes

2.  Free Britney by Robin, 115 votes

3.  Ted Lasso says "Be a Goldfish" by Robin, 109 votes

4.  Tug Life in the Suez Canal by Jamie, 101 votes

5 - tie.  Q Shaman goes to Washington by Nancy, 84 votes

5 - tie. Bezos' Boner by Nancy, 84 votes

7. Red Light, Green Light by Jamie, 80 votes

8. Bernie's Mittens, Christmas Edition by Robin, 78 votes 

9. Mr. Big is Alive! by Robin, 46 votes

10.  Masked by Nancy, 24 votes

11. Omi-get-Vaxxed by Doug, 13 votes

12. Bond, Drunk and Fat Bond, by Jamie, 12 votes