Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Cookie Dough Football Dip


This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I think we can all agree, one of the best things about fall is the start of football season. Even if you don’t like the sport, everyone can appreciate the camaraderie among fans and delicious food at tailgates.

I’ve certainly made a lot of dips for game days, but surprisingly, I’ve never made one that was actually football-themed! I needed to change that. 

I've seen a lot of cheeseballs in the shape of footballs, but I wanted to do more of a dessert dip. As I was thinking about it, for some reason my mind went straight to cookie dough. I NEEDED to make a cookie dough dip.

I came up with a concoction that I thought would taste like cookie dough, and indeed it did! I only used Challenge butter and cream cheese of course. I prefer Challenge over every other brand because I know there are no hormones, additives, or fillers in their products.The taste is also superior to other brands because they use real cream.

The next stage of my plan was to mold the dip into a football. However, the dip was not firm enough to make any type of semi-spherical shape. So I refrigerated it for an hour and tried again. Nope. So I refrigerated it for 3 hours. Still nope.

I was pretty frustrated. It tasted delicious, and I definitely didn’t want to scrap the recipe. So I improvised. I spread it on a piece of plastic wrap and shaped it into something that resembled a football. But it needed a little something more, so I improvised once again and dyed shredded coconut green with food coloring by shaking it up in a plastic bag. I spread spread the coconut along the sides of the dip, and after adding a little melted white chocolate for the laces, it definitely looked like a football!

I wanted to tell you that long story about my dip struggles because it just goes to show that the internet can be deceiving. We only ever see everyone’s best pictures, and never the struggles and the mistakes that occurred before the picture was posted.  So even though this dip didn’t turn out the way I originally imagined, it was still delicious and cute.



Cookie Dough Football Dip
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup Challenge butter 
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate, melted
  • 1 cup shredded Coconut, green food coloring (if desired)
Directions
  1. Use mixer to combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. 
  2. Stir in 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips.
  3. Lay piece of plastic wrap on plate or platter. Dump dip onto plastic wrap and shape it so it looks like a football.
  4. Completely cover dip with remaining chocolate chips.
  5. Use melted white chocolate to draw on football laces
  6. Combine shredded coconut and a few drops of green food coloring in plastic bag and shake until coconut turns green
  7. Spread the coconut along the edges of the football so it looks like grass and chill until ready to serve
  8. I recommend serving it with pretzels or Vanilla Wafers.


Monday, August 21, 2017

Solar Eclipse Moon Pies


This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

For over the past year, we’ve been reporting on the Great American Solar Eclipse. Yes, you read that correctly—YEAR! So it’s hard to believe the moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here.

You all know I love themes, so naturally the eclipse is the perfect chance for me to break out my favorite celestial treats. The number one item on that list is moon pies! A moon pie consists of two graham cracker cookies with marshmallow filling dunked in chocolate. They’re most common in the south seeing as they’re made in Chattanooga, Tennessee.


There are quite a few recipes for homemade versions online, but I didn’t like any of them because they seemed much too complex. I’m very particular about what I put on my blog. I only like to share recipes that I know I would want to make again and again. If I’m already bored while reading the ingredient, that’s a problem.

So I tested a recipe out, and then changed it, and then changed it again and again, and finally it was exactly what I wanted. The cookie is very similar to the shortbread cookie recipe I shared in 2016, but I replaced some of the flour with graham cracker crumbs.



Since there aren't many ingredients in the cookie, it's important that each ingredient is good quality. That's why I only use Challenge butter. Challenge butter is made with fresh milk and cream and is in the dairy case just 24 hours after leaving the farm.

Also, just recently, Challenge made the switch so all of their butter is wrapped in foil. This best preserves the taste of the butter, and it's less likely to pick up unwanted refrigerator odors.


As you can see in this picture, I added a few other items to my eclipse segment to make it more complete. I used a cookie cutter on Cosmic Brownies to make brownie stars. I also bought Sunkist, Sun Chips, Milky Way candy, and Eclipse gum.



Solar Eclipse Moon Pies
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Challenge salted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 and 3/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 12 ounces marshmallow creme
  • 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 Tablespoons all-vegetable shortening
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Cream the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy
  3. Slowly add in the flour and graham cracker crumbs and mix until just combined
  4. Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes; allow to cool
  5. Spread 1 Tablespoon of marshmallow creme on cookie and sandwich with a second cookie
  6. Freeze cookie sandwiches for 10 minutes
  7. Melt chocolate chips and all-vegetable shortening in microwave in 30-second intervals until smooth
  8. Dip each cookie sandwich into chocolate until coated; place on wax paper and allow chocolate to set










Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Lemon Meringue Skillet Dip


Lemon meringue pie was always my grandfather’s favorite pie, but the only version I ever remember having was from Marie Calendar. Very few people make homemade lemon meringue pie anymore, and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that it seems like such a daunting task.

So in honor of my grandpa and Lemon Meringue Pie Day, I came up with a recipe that you can whip together in no time at all. There are just two easy steps to this Lemon Meringue Skillet Dip, and the ingredients are minimal.

The first thing I want to address are the eggs. With this recipe, and with most all meringue pie recipes, you will need to separate the egg yolks and the egg whites. Eggs separate most easily when they are cold, but egg whites whip best for the meringue when they are room temperature. So before you do anything else, I recommend first separating the egg yolks and whites so the whites can sit out at room temperature while you prepare everything else.

As you can see in the ingredient list below, there are very few ingredients in the filling. And it comes together just with a whisk. Which is good because you’ll need to save your muscles for the meringue.

So the way the meringue comes together is basically magic. Well, technically it’s science. You see, egg whites are 90% water and 10% protein. When you beat them together, air bubbles are distributed and the proteins cluster together causing it to foam. But the meringue is very delicate and at risk of deflating. So an acid like cream of tartar steps in to help stabilize the meringue by keeping the air bubbles in place. Even though you add just a small amount of cream of tartar, it’s very important for the structure of the meringue.

I’ve said this before (just a few sentences ago, in fact) and I’ll say this again — the meringue is very delicate! When it’s time to add the sugar, it’s important to only add it one tablespoon at a time so you don't knock the air out of the meringue. The meringue is done when you lift the beaters and the tip stands straight up. This is called a stiff peak.

For my last meringue tip, I want to talk about giving the meringue texture. Rarely do you see meringue spread smoothly on a pie. One of the things that makes it so beautiful is the texture, or curled peaks. You can create the curled peaks by using the bottom of a spoon to create an indent in the pie and then lift up. The meringue should lift up with the back of the spoon and curl up.

My intention for this recipe was that it would be eaten like a dip, but after trying it I realized it’s with something as delicious as this, there’s no shame in grabbing a spoon and digging in.



Lemon Meringue Skillet Dip
Ingredients
For the filling
  • 28 ounces sweetened condensed milk 
  • 2/3 cup lemon juice
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
For the meringue
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 8 Tablespoons of sugar
Directions
For the filling
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Mix together sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, egg yolks, and lemon zest; set aside
For the meringue
  1. Combine egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat at medium speed until soft peaks form
  3. Switch mixer to high speed and add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time
  4. Continue beating until sugar dissolves and stiff peaks form
Assembly
  1. Spread filling into bottom of 10-inch prepared cast iron skillet
  2. Spread meringue on top of filling; use back of spoon to form peaks
  3. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meringue peaks start to turn brown
  4. Serve immediately with graham crackers 




Monday, August 7, 2017

Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies


This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I only just recently discovered the benefits of including zucchini in recipes. I always thought people just added it in because they either couldn't get their kids to eat anything green or they had too much of it. But as it turns out, there are real benefits to adding zucchini to recipes, especially recipes with chocolate.

You see, cocoa powder can significantly dry out a recipe, far more than flour. So it's important to try to add as much moisture as possible. And that's where zucchini comes in. 

Zucchini is basically flavorless moisture. You really can't taste it at all. There are two ways to add it to baked goods: you can either shred it or puree it.


To shred a zucchini, all you do is cut off the ends and rub it against a grater. You'll get small, stringy pieces of zucchini and green flecks will still be visible. In most cases, this method is best for anyone who isn't bothered by the fact that there's a vegetable in their dessert. But that may cause some people to freak out.

So personally, I recommend pureeing your zucchini when adding it to a baked good, as you'll see in the recipe below. In fact, while you're at it, you can just blend all of the wet ingredients in a food processor so you don't have to worry about using a mixer.

Before you make these brownies, let me forewarn you, these babies are rich! You'll need to grab a glass of milk before diving in. And one of the things I love most about them is they get more moist as time goes on.



Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
Yield: Makes about 16 brownies
Ingredients
For the brownies
  • 8 ounces zucchini, cut into chunks
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar (155 grams)
  • 3 Tablespoons Challenge butter, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup cocoa powder (56 grams)
  • 1/2 cup flour (60 grams)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
For the frosting
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 3 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream
Directions
For the brownies
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare 9x9 pan with nonstick cooking spray and / or parchment paper.
  2. Add zucchini, brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract to food processor and puree until no zucchini chunks remain
  3. In medium mixing bowl, combine cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Add wet ingredients to bowl and stir until just combined.
  4. For the frosting
  5. Gently stir in chocolate chips.
  6. Pour batter into baking pan and bake for 22 to 26 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let brownies cool for at least a half hour.
For the frosting
  1. Combine chocolate chips and milk in small bowl; heat for 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
  2. Pour frosting over brownies and let set in refrigerator for 1 hour.
  3. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.
Recipe adapted from King Arthur  Flour Company







Pin It button on image hover