Starch Madness: Round of 64 Voting

Dessert Region

(1) Apple Pie VS (16) Rice Pudding

myrecipes.com

What’s more American than Apple Pie? Maybe filling out brackets, but that’s about it. There is no surprise as to why Apple Pie was given the nod as the top seed in the Desserts Region. A sumptuous sweet and sticky pie filling packed into a flaky crust is something that any red, white and blue blooded American loves with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

It’s competition is perhaps the Starchiest of Starch Madness Desserts. Rice Pudding is exactly that, rice. But this rice is cooked into a creamy and delicious pudding with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. With a better first round matchup, Rice Pudding could have been dangerous.

(2) Chocolate Chip Cookies VS (15) Churros

Just after Apple Pie on the spectrum of desserts comes Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are a classic cookie and are just as good uncooked as they are

rampantcuisine.com

cooked (See the 4-seed in the Snacks Region!) The matchup seems set in stone for these little chocolatey beauties to take on Apple Pie for a trip to the Final Four.

To get there though they first have to get by Churros. Should Mexico catch wind of this bracket things could get interesting in this matchup. If not, odds are the cinnamon sugar-coated donut sticks won’t make it out of round one.

(3) Birthday Cake VS (14) Tiramisu

What’s a birthday without a Birthday Cake. Odds are, every person who votes in Starch Madness will have eaten Birthday Cake. And it’s likely that most every one likes it. So many varieties of cake, frosting, and even toppings, all topped with a wish (to be the winner of Starch Madness).

The competition for Birthday Cake contains the great equalizer, Alcohol. Oddly enough the original recipe for Tiramisu contains no alcohol. However, pastry chefs quickly realized people like to have a little buzz after dessert, both from the coffee and the alcohol added to this dessert. The ultimate use of lady fingers will get some love in Starch Madness, but will it be enough?

(4) Peanut Butter Anything VS (13) Ice Cream Sandwiches

chocolateandcarrots.com

As long as peanuts won’t give you an allergic reaction, you likely understand why Peanut Butter Anything (PBA) was added to this bracket. We could have gone with Peanut Butter Cookies, Peanut Butter Cakes, or Peanut Butter Pies, but they all portray the same amazing flavor. There is good chance that George Washington Carver’s favorite dessert could make a very deep run.

PBA is facing off against a formidable 13-seed in Ice Cream Sandwiches. These ice cream filled cookie wafers are traditionally made up of vanilla ice cream and chocolate cookie. However, there are dozens of varieties to suit any flavor.