The 2018 Pillsbury Bake-Off Winning Recipe Is A 'Bejewled' Cranberry-Orange Roll

After a month and a half of submissions and a long waiting period, the Pillsbury Bake-Off 2018 finally has a winner. On Saturday (February 24), Pillsbury announced that Amy Nelson of Zionville, North Carolina, has won the Bake-Off with her Bejeweled Cranberry-Orange Rolls.

After a four-year hiatus, the iconic baking competition returned in October with celebrity partner Ree Drummond. Home cooks were encouraged not only to submit their favorite recipe using Pillsbury products but also to share a story, and Nelson offers quite the tale alongside her breakfast dish.

The Bejeweled Cranberry-Orange Rolls are inspired by her mother, who has a fondness for the Pillsbury Orange Rolls. The filling, a mixture of cranberries, pineapple, ginger beer, orange juice concentrate, and ground ginger, is inspired by her mom's cranberry salad. The result is a dish that's tart, sweet, and totally picturesque.

Nelson's rolls were already a winner. This year's Bake-Off was broken down into four categories: Cozy Breakfasts, Appetizers for Any Party, Dinners with Heart, and No-Fuss Desserts. She won the Cozy Breakfasts category. JoAnne Tucker's Toasted Spinach Pesto Ravioli won the appetizer contest; Sandy Reiter won No-Fuss Desserts with her Cookies and Cream Caramel Layer Bars; and Sarah Campbell's Oktoberfest Pizza with kielbasa, smoked gouda, and green apples won Dinners With Heart.

As the grand prize winner, Nelson has won a trip to New York City for an appearance on The Kitchen, a feature in Food Network Magazine, a kitchen makeover from GE Appliances, and $50,000. It's a deal that's almost as sweet as the winning recipe.

Nelson's family-inspired breakfast dish is the 54th recipe to take the grand prize at the long-running baking contest and joins a long list of Pillsbury Bake-Off winners.