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.

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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 

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Slow Cooker Big Mac 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!

The Big Mac is an iconic American food consisting of "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun." And we all know the sauce is what makes the Big Mac so special.

For years, the sauce recipe was a big secret, but now if you search "Big Mac sauce recipe" online, it yields nearly two million results. It's the contrasting sweet and tangy flavors that make it taste so good. That's why I decided it would make a perfect dip!



Chips and dip are my favorite part of parties, and they're a great centerpiece for social interactions.

I decided to make this a slow cooker recipe for several reasons. If you use  a slow cooker, you don't need to do worry about prep work or mixing because everything just melts together. Also, you can take the slow cooker with you to the party to keep your dip warm.

This dip is thick and meaty and could double as a meal. Not necessarily a healthy meals. But a good splurge meal nonetheless.

I used tortilla chips as my dipper, but you can definitely use any kind of chip. Actually, I saw these dill pickle-flavored potato chips recently that I really want to try with it next!



Slow Cooker Big Mac Dip
Yield: Comfortably serves 6 to 8 people
Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound Velveeta 
• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• 3 Roma tomatoes, diced and seeded 
• 1/4 cup onion, diced (you can add more if you like a lot of onion)
• 1/2 cup French dressing
• 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Directions

1. Brown ground beef in skillet and drain; add to slow cooker
2. Cut Velveeta into small cubes and add to slow cooker
3. Add cream cheese, tomatoes, French dressing, relish, and vinegar to slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour or on low for about 3 hours
5. Stir and serve with chips

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Spinach Artichoke Pretzel Skillet

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!

Dips are undoubtedly the heart of every Super Bowl party. If you search the definition of Super Bowl in Merriam Webster, the actual definition is “an excuse to have a party with lots of dips.”

But with so many people bringing dips to your Super Bowl party, how do you make your dip stand out?

Your cast iron skillet is currently in the back of your cupboard raising it’s hand and saying “Pick me! Pick me!” That’s right—a cast iron skillet is the secret to transforming an ordinary dip into the coolest appetizer at the party.

Cast iron skillets have obviously been around for centuries. But I’ve noticed that they have become very very popular in the past year. They are extremely versatile, and I love that the skillet is used as both the baking dish and the presentation dish.

I made my first dip with a cast iron skillet last month and it was a huge hit. My favorite part about the Spicy Cheese Pretzel Skillet is that the dip and the pretzels baked together in the same skillet. The soft pretzels were extremely easy to make (store bought biscuit dough for the win), and ultimately that’s what made the dish look deceptively stunning. So I decided to try the same concept with this skillet artichoke spinach dip. The creamy and cheesy dip with baked-in pretzel dippers is what dreams are made of.

In my last skillet post I went into great details about the science behind homemade soft pretzels. So this week, I’m going into great detail about the best practices for taking care of your cast iron skillet.

First of all, the best time to clean your cast iron skillet is immediately after using it. You can’t be a set-aside-to-soak kind of person. Soaking the skillet is one of the worst things you can do to it because it will rust.

Instead, immediately after you’ve removed all the food from it, wash your skillet by hand using a sponge or a stiff, non-wire brush. Don’t use soap! If there is food stuck to the pan that won’t come off with water, scrub it with a mixture of salt and hot water.

Completely, dry our skillet immediately after you’ve finished washing it so it doesn’t rust. I recommend heating the pan over your stovetop burner on high for about 5 minutes to ensure it’s completely dry.

After drying, add a thin layer of oil to the pan to keep it well-seasoned.

Store your cast iron skillet with a paper towel on it to absorb any moisture and protect it from dust.

I realize this entire post is about cast iron skillets, but I do want to point out that you can still make this delicious dip as well as the pretzel bites without a cast iron skillet. Just bake the dip in an oven safe dish and bake the pretzel bites separately on a baking sheet.

Or if pretzels aren’t your thing, you could buy a big loaf of bread, hollow it out to make a bread bowl, and then use the inside scraps to dip—similar to what I did with this Buffalo Chicken Stuffed French Bread. Enjoy and Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Spinach Artichoke Pretzel Skillet

Ingredients

For the dip

• 4 cups baby spinach
• 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained
• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons dill
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce

For the pretzel bites

• 1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• Egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 Tablespoons water for brushing on dough)
• Sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions

For the dip

1. Place spinach in a bowl with 1 Tablespoon water and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
2. Microwave on high for 1 minute; leave covered 15 minutes to cool. Drain spinach well and add to medium bowl.
3. Chop artichoke hearts and add to bowl.
4. Add remaining dip ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

For the pretzel bites

1. Generously oil or butter your cast iron skillet.
2. Open can of biscuit dough, cut each pre-sliced biscuit into quarters, and roll into balls; set aside.
3. Bring water and baking soda to a boil in a small saucepan. Drop biscuit dough into boiling water and let cook for one minute. Remove biscuit dough from water with slotted spoon and transfer to cast iron skillet, forming a ring along the inside edge.
4. Brush biscuits with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt.
5. Transfer spinach artichoke dip to center of skillet.
6. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until pretzels are golden brown and dip is bubbly.
7. Let skillet cool about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

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Broncos Buffalo Chicken Dip

Everyone seems to have his or her own favorite buffalo chicken dip recipe. And I respect that. In a world full of choices and tough decisions, it’s important to have something familiar – an old standby!

Buffalo chicken dip is obviously delicious, but did you know that it’s also incredibly EASY to make? Buy the few required ingredients, combine them in a bowl, and heat it up in the oven, on the stove, or in a slow cooker. Serve with chips and celery sticks and call it a day!

The past two years I’ve made “skinny” buffalo chicken dip, which means I used low-fat versions for each of the ingredients. Some people may think my reason is because I’m trying to lose weight. Puhleasseee. It’s so I can eat more. Because like with most things more is better. And low-fat ingredients cost the exact same so why not.

You may have noticed that the title of this recipe is “Broncos Buffalo Chicken Dip.” That’s because I’m most definitely supporting the Broncos in this year’s Super Bowl. As an Indiana girl, I’m obviously rooting for Peyton. And Yia Yia loves him so much; it would make her so happy if they won! (How adorable does she look?)

I paired the buffalo chicken dip with blue tortilla chips – perfect Broncos colors!

Broncos Buffalo Chicken Dip

Yield: Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 4 ounces fat free cream cheese
• 1 cup shredded, fat free mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup plain fat free sour cream
• 1/2 cup reduced fat crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (or about 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit; prepare baking dish with nonstick baking spray, set aside
2. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a medium-sized bowl; fold in shredded chicken
3. Transfer mixture into baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges turn slightly brown
4. Remove and serve with chips and celery sticks

Also, be sure to check out these other recipes from Kylee’s Kitchen that are perfect for the Super Bowl!

• Dena's Famous Cheese Ball
• Guacamole
• Low-Fat White Chili and Honey Cornbread Muffins
• Sweet and Tangy Red Velvet Cupcakes
• 5-Ingredient Funfetti Blondies
• Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Brown Butter Blondies
• Slow Cooker Spinach Jalapeño Dip
• Classic Garlic Hummus
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeyes

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