Rich, dark chocolate. Decadent strawberry cream cheese. Hints of cinnamon and cloves. Caramel glaze studded with bacon.

Is your mouth watering yet?On Sunday evening, with the sound of cows lowing in the background and the bustle of last-minute preparations for the Carbon County Fair going on around them, a handful of judges took on the difficult task of selecting the best of the best in baked goods.It wasn't easy, but the judges, all veterans, approached the tasty task seriously, determined to single out the perfect entry in each category.Judging the PA Preferred Junior Baking Contest, Cookies, Brownies and Bars were Tim Seltzer and Carol Daniels. Lisa Seltzer served as clerk, assisting them as they made their way through the offerings from area youth, ages 8 to 18.After sampling six different entries, the judges selected Eva Eroh's Caramel Bacon Brownies.Seltzer, a lifelong "4-H'er," has been judging for a couple of years. He was impressed with this year's entries."For youngsters, they all did a good job.Daniels, who worked with the Penn State nutrition program and who has been judging for several years, agreed."I think the kids did a wonderful job. You have to give them a lot of credit," Daniels said."They really look forward to this. I wish they could all win. I really do."Judging the Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest and the Homemade Chocolate Cake Contest were Susan Asmann and Paul Myers. Their clerk was Debbie Myers.Asmann has been a volunteer judge for eight or nine years. Myers has been judging for four years.They would have also been judging the Angel Food Cake Contest, but there were no entries this year in that category.The first category Asmann and Myers tackled was the Homemade Chocolate Cake Contest, which had three entries.Capturing first place was Samantha Bowman with a Chocolate S'mores Cake. The chocolate layer cake had a light filling, similar to a chocolate mousse, and was topped with a graham cracker buttercream and drizzled with a chocolate glaze.It was decorated with miniature Hershey bars, toasted mini-marshmallows, and featured a "campfire" in the center, constructed of graham cracker logs with red licorice flames.Winning the Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest was a Salted Caramel Apple Crumble Pie by Denise VanSickle. The salted caramel sauce was layered into the crust, filling and crumble topping. Mixed with nutty pecans in the crust and the topping, it was a winning combination."I'm excited about being able to taste the entries and getting the chance to taste what I've never tasted before," said Myers."It's amazing how many different flavors an apple pie can have. I think in four years, I haven't tasted one that was the same."Asmann, who's been judging for much longer, remembered a night when she had 63 bites of dessert while she was judging, and loved every minute of it."I look forward to this every year," she said. "I'm always excited when I get that phone call to judge the bake off. My taste buds do a happy dance. I love baked goods."Asmann said she also loves the Carbon County Fair and the 4-H program."It's a great organization, and I love that they still do it. It's such a great way for the community to get together."The first-place winners in each category are now eligible to compete at the Farm Show in Harrisburg in January, where their winning entries will be judged against winners from across the state.