Watertown Resident Hopes to Whip Up a Winner in the Pillsbury Bake Off

Watertown's Julie Pando used the combination of chocolate and a bit of hazelnut to become a semifinalist in the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest.

Voting has started in the contest, which runs through June 27. Pando hopes her Fudgy Chocolate Hazelnut Bars will be good enough to reach the finals. Click here to vote. The winner takes home a $1 million prize!

This is not her first time testing her baking chops.

"I was a finalist in the 43rd Bake Off contest in 2008 with my recipe for Mango, Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Appetizer Pizza," Pando said.

She did not win any prizes, however, but she hopes for better results in 2013.

The contest requires recipes to take 30 minutes or less to prepare - not including baking time - and uses a maximum of seven ingredients. There are only certain ingredients that can be incorporated into the recipe, plus, contestants must use a Pillsbury product.

"A new ingredient on the list was Jif chocolate hazelnut spread so I wanted to create a bar cookie or brownie that used that ingredient," Pando said. "My qualifying Pillsbury ingredient is their Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Chocolate Fudge Flavored Frosting."

See Pando's recipe by clicking here.