Milk Chocolate Candy Cookies

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 have a bit of a confession to make – sometimes I get very self-conscience about my baking. I always taste-test my baking, but even afterwards I sometimes still have doubts.

This is the issue I had when making chocolate cookies for the first time this week. I had never made chocolate cookies; actually, I don’t think I had ever eaten chocolate cookies either.

So after taking the first bite I wasn’t so sure about them.

The texture was definitely right; they were soft and chewy, but I had doubts on the flavor. They were very… chocolatey (surprise). They weren’t something I would choose for dessert, and I think that’s what threw me off.

Fortunately, I know plenty of people who are willing to test my baked goods! And my parents and my co-workers were happy to report the cookies were delicious. Several co-workers told me they were the best chocolate cookies they’ve ever had.

So I think this is a lesson in self-confidence. I need to perpetually remind myself that being overly critical of anything won’t make the situation better. Instead, it causes more anxiety, and I miss out on enjoying delicious chocolate cookies.

Milk Chocolate Candy Cookies

Yield: Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 (15.25 ounce) box of milk chocolate cake mix
• 8 Tablespoons Challenge butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 4 ounces Challenge cream cheese,
• 1/2 cup M&M's
• 1/2 cup chopped Snickers
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate morsels

 Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine dry cake mix, melted butter, and egg.
2. Add cream cheese and beat until completely incorporated.
3. Stir in M&M’s, Snickers, and morsels.
4. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes so it’s easier to shape into a ball.
5. Once dough has been chilled for a half hour, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Form dough into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet.
7. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

 Recipe adapted from Inside BruCrew Life

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Jalapeño Popper Hot Dogs

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!

Hot dogs are the epitome of a classic, all-American meal! Most people don’t go to a baseball game without eating one, and hot dogs are the stars of backyard barbecues.

But I have to be completely honest with you all – I’m not the biggest hot dog fan. I know, shame on me! It’s not that I don’t like them. If we’re being honest, there probably isn’t a food I dislike (Oops, double negative! I hope my English teacher isn’t reading this!)

It’s just that most of the time I would prefer something else. So when I was asked to do a segment for National Hot Dog Day, it was a little bit of a challenge because I wanted to come up with something that I would actually choose to eat!

As I was thinking about it, for some reason I couldn’t get jalapeño poppers off of my mind. I have no idea why considering I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a jalapeño popper. Maybe it’s because I planted jalapeños in my garden for the first time this year. Who knows! But anyway, it was at that moment that I knew I wanted to use that as the foundation for my hot dog treat.

What I ended up making was a cross between a cross between jalapeño poppers and pigs in a blanket. And just like everything I make, it is super easy!

You start by making a mixture with cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and a little cumin and garlic powder. I use Challenge cream cheese because it’s definitely creamier than all other cream cheeses and I know there are no hormones in the product.

Then you just open up a can of refrigerated crescent rolls (probably the trickiest part of the recipe), spread the cream cheese mixture on top, and layer on sliced jalapeños. I generally use about half a jalapeño per crescent roll, but you can add more or less depending on your taste preferences. Stick half a hot dog on top of that, roll it up, and pop it in the oven! If you’re feeling really bold, you can serve it with jalapeño mustard, recently I even saw jalapeño ketchup!

Jalapeño Popper Hot Dogs

Servings: 12 jalapeño popper hot dogs

Ingredients

• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (8 ounce) package crescent roll dough
• 4 jalapeños, sliced
• 4 hot dogs, cut in half

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, cumin, and garlic powder in bowl
3. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray
4. Remove crescent roll dough from packaging and lay out the 8 dough triangles on the baking sheet
5. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture on each crescent roll.
6. Layer jalapeño slices on cream cheese mixture
7. Stick hot dog on top and roll up crescent roll dough
8. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown
9. Serve hot with ketchup and mustard

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S'mores Dessert Cheese Ball

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!

It isn't a party until you have a cheese ball, right? I decided to try something new and made a dessert cheese ball. I've tried dessert cheese balls at craft shows and fairs, but I had never attempted to make one myself.

Typically, dessert cheese balls start with cream cheese and powdered sugar, and you cream them together similar in the way in which you would a cheesecake.

I wanted to make a s'mores cheese ball because s'mores always seem to be a fan favorite. Plus, I thought it would compliment the graham cracker dipping sticks well!



S'mores Dessert Cheese Ball
Ingredients
For the cheese ball

• 16 ounces Challenge cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup marshmallow crème
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 cup chocolate chips

For the outer coating

• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup marshmallow bits

Directions

1. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and marshmallow creme. Beat until well combined. Add 1 cup mini marshmallows and chocolate chips.
2. Form ball as best as possible and place cheese ball in freezer for 10 minutes.
3. While cheese ball sets, combine graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips and marshmallow bits on large plate and mix.
4. Remove cheese ball from freezer and roll in graham cracker mixture.
5. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour and server with graham crackers.

Recipe adapted from Chef in Training

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Red, white, and blue tie-dye cupcakes

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!

Working in the news industry, I spend a good portion of my day hearing about friction and animosity amongst citizens and politicians and authorities. And some days it feels like it's impossible for any of us to get along.

But one thing we can certainly all agree on is that we live in the greatest country on Earth and nothing will ever change that. And that's why Independence Day will always be one of my favorite holidays.

Now that I've got that out there, I suppose I should talk about the food considering this is, in fact, a food blog!

Like most every other family in America, my family always "grills out" for the Fourth of July. Some years it's hot dogs and brats, some years hamburgers, sometimes ribs, and some years we make all of the meats! And of course, we always have plenty of sides like baked beans, corn on the cob, and potato salad (or my favorite, grilled sweet potato salad). The dessert, on the other hand, changes from year to year. Usually we eat whatever Kylee is in the mood to bake.

A few years ago, I made these awesome M&M cookies that are super adorable when you bake them with patriotic M&Ms.

Last year, I made no-bake mason jar cheesecakes. Everyone loved the idea of getting to take home the mason jars as a party favor, and it was actually fairly healthy as far as desserts go.

This year, I spent foreverrrr trying to figure out the perfect patriotic dessert. It was so hard deciding on just one because there are so many that I want to bake. Honestly, I just wish I could spend the whole month of June baking red, white, and blue desserts. I know, I'm crazy.

Anyway, I decided to go with red, white, and blue tie-dye cupcakes. I've always wanted to try tie-dye cupcakes and this was the perfect opportunity. And even better, it was much easier that I ever imagined!

Tie-dye cupcakes are less a recipe and more a technique. So if you want to take a shortcut, you can start with a white cake box mix. However, I don't recommend taking a shortcut when it comes to the frosting. Homemade frosting is just way superior to canned frosting, and it's super easy to make.

Red, white, and blue tie-dye cupcakes
Servings: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
For the cupcakes

• 1 and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (208 grams) 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar (201 grams)
• 1/2 cup unsalted Challenge butter, melted (1 stick)
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the frosting

• 1 cup  unsalted Challenge butter softened (2 sticks)
• 5 cups powdered sugar (630 grams) 
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 

Directions
For the cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners and set aside.
2. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 
3. In large bowl. combine sugar with melted butter. Whisk in eggs, milk, yogurt, and vanilla until combined. 
4. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix.
5. Divide batter among 3 bowls. Tint 1 bowl with red food coloring and 1 bowl with blue food coloring.
6. Add one spoonful of red batter to each muffin cup (I use a cookie scoop for this). Layer a spoonful of blue batter and white batter on top. Liners should be about 2/3 full.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.

For the frosting

1. Cream softened butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes.
2. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat with mixer until combined.
3. Add heavy cream, vanilla, and salt, and beat for about 3 minutes.
4. If frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add more heavy cream (1 teaspoon). If frosting is too sweet, add more salt (1/4 teaspoon).
5. Frost cooled cupcakes; I used a Wilton 1M open star decorating tip to achieve the results above. Start you frosting in the center of the cupcake and swirl it out and up.
6. Store cupcakes in airtight container on countertop for 3 days or in refrigerator for 5 days. Do not store cupcakes where there will be decorate sunlight.

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

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Four surprising foods you can make with a waffle iron

Most likely, your waffle iron is significantly underused. Sure, we all know waffle irons get a workout during breakfast, but did you know it’s a great tool for making savory lunch and dinner dishes too?  In fact, I’d go as far to say that you can make just about anything in a waffle iron!

So today I’m going to help jumpstart your creativity by sharing a four of my favorite waffle iron recipes!

Also, in case you're curious, this is the waffle iron I own. It is the best waffle iron ever! Nothing sticks to it, and I LOVE that the plates are removable so I can just stick them in the dishwasher. (This is my own personal opinion not influenced by any outside company.)

1. Pizza

One of the greatest things about waffles irons is they’re quick. For example, a homemade pizza would probably take a half hour to make, but in a waffle iron it only takes a few minutes! So just about anything that starts out as dough or batter works well in a waffle iron.

The most important thing to remember while making pizza waffles is to never leave any part of the center exposed because then pizza sauce will leak out and you’ll have a mess on your hands.

Ingredients

• 1/2 of a 13.8 ounce can of refrigerated pizza crust dough
• 1/4 cup pizza sauce
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 6 pepperoni slices

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Lay pizza dough over waffle iron. Spread pizza sauce on top of pizza dough.
3. Sprinkle half of mozzarella cheese over pizza sauce, and add pepperoni slices on top of cheese.
4. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of pepperoni.
5. Fold pizza dough hanging over edge of waffle iron to center of pizza so the center of the pizza is not exposed (you don't want the sauce to leak out).
6. Close waffle iron and cook on high for about 3 minutes.
7. Serve with marinara dipping sauce.

2. Quesadilla

Your waffle iron essentially acts as a Panini press when making quesadillas. The center gets nice and gooey while the edges get a little crisp.

Ingredients

• 2 tortillas
• 1/2 cup cheese
• Peppers, onions, any other ingredients per your preference

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place tortilla on waffle iron and sprinkle 1/2 of cheese on top.
3. Add any other ingredients you want on top of cheese and cover with remaining cheese.
4. Place second tortilla on top of cheese and cook on high for about 3 minutes.
5. Serve with sour cream, pico de gallo, salsa, or guacamole.

3. Omelet

Now this is awesome!  Waffle irons are a foolproof way to cook omelets. You don’t have to worry about a too-runny center or a messy flip because everything is evenly cooked and timed out in the waffle iron.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs, beaten
• Crumbled bacon, peppers, mushrooms, any other ingredients per your preference
• 1/4 cup cheese

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Pour eggs into waffle iron.
3. Sprinkle bacon, peppers, etc. on top of eggs.
4. Sprinkle cheese on top and cook on high for about 3 minutes.
5. Serve with a sprinkle of cracked pepper.

4. Cinnamon rolls

I have a whole post dedicated to cinnamon roll waffles because they’re a family favorite! And it’s the easiest thing ever to make. All you do is buy a pack of refrigerated cinnamon rolls and stick one in the center. It’s a good idea when you’re cooking cinnamon rolls for a small group because you can just cook a few of them and refrigerate the rest of the dough for another time.

Ingredients

• 1 (12.4 ounce) tube refrigerated cinnamon roll dough

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place one cinnamon roll in the center of the waffle iron.
3. Cook on high for about 1 minuted.
4. Serve with cream cheese icing that comes in tube.

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Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Granola bars have been a staple in lunchboxes for years. They’re convenient and they’re definitely tasty. And most people consider them to be healthy. But it’s important to note that not all granola bars are created equal.

If you look at the ingredients of some granola bars, they contain high fructose corn syrup, and that’s not all that healthy.

But fortunately it’s just as easy to make your own granola bars.

I’ve been making this granola bar recipe about once every other week for the past year because it is so easy and so good! The ingredient list is very simple (only 6 ingredients!) and I love that it keeps you feeling full.

You can also customize it to your own liking. Instead of chocolate chips, you could substitute Craisins. Instead of peanut butter, you could substitute sunflower butter. And if you don’t like coconut, just omit it!

And also, I should add that I used the Baked Goods Recipe Cost Calculator to compare the cost of these granola bars to store-bought granola bars. It costs $3.72 to make this entire recipe, and the cost per granola bar is 15 cents! Compare that to an 8-pack box of Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, which costs $4.19 for a box and 52 cents per granola bar. That’s a huge difference!

Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Servings: Makes about 24 bars

Calories per serving: 84

• 2/3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Disperse shredded coconut on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake coconut for 5 minutes, just until the coconut is lightly toasted, and remove from oven.
4. Mix toasted coconut with quick oats, peanut butter, honey, mini chocolate chips, and vanilla.
5. Line 8 x 8 pan with aluminum foil and press mixture into bottom of pan
6. Refrigerate pan for at least a half hour before cutting.
7. Granola bars will stay fresh for about a week; refrigerate to increase freshness time.

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Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars

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!

When I was little, I loved the ice cream man. The neighbor boys and I would chase after it whenever we heard his siren coming down our street. And my favorite item to purchase was the Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bar. I remember it being the most delicious thing I had ever tasted in my life on a hot summer day.

I hadn’t had one of those delicious treats in years until recently when I saw it at the grocery store. I don’t normally peruse the ice cream aisle, so I was shocked to discover that you can just buy them at the store and you don’t need to chase down an ice cream truck to get one (pretty silly of me to think otherwise – I realize that now). So of course I bought a box. And it was just as delicious as I remember.

I wanted to recreate my own version of the strawberry shortcake bar because sometimes I feel adventurous. But I still wanted to make it as easy as possible.

After some experimentation, I decided to use strawberry cheesecake ice cream as the base because it has elements of both strawberry and vanilla ice cream. I wanted to try to make my bars by layering vanilla ice cream with strawberry sorbet to be more authentic, but the strawberry sorbet was nowhere to be found. And strawberry cheesecake ice cream is delicious. If you can't find strawberry cheesecake ice cream, you can just use strawberry ice cream, but as with any recipe, when you make a substitution it won't taste the exact same.

For the coating I combined vanilla sandwich cookies with freeze-dried strawberries and a little bit of butter to help it all stick together. The crumble coating is my favorite part so this had to be perfect!

At first I tried making these in my new popsicle maker, but the ice cream didn’t seem to work well in the molds. Maybe I’m not doing something right. I don’t know. But anyway, I just decided to layer it in a pan instead. It worked out really well! And since not everyone owns popsicle molds, this was probably the best option anyway.

After you cut the ice cream bars, I recommend rolling them in the crumble mixture again because extra coating is always better!

The best part about these bars is that you don’t even need to chase after an ice cream truck to get one!

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars

Ingredients

• 20 vanilla crème sandwich cookies
• 1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberries
• 3 tablespoons Challenge butter, melted
• 1/2 gallon strawberry cheesecake ice cream (take out of freezer 20 minutes before making recipe so it softens)

Directions

1. Line an 8 x 8 pan with aluminum foil or wax paper; set aside
2. Pulverize sandwich cookies in food processor; add freeze-dried strawberries and butter and pulverize again.
3. Add half of your crumble mixture to the bottom of the pan. Spread the ice cream on top of the crumble mixture. Add the remaining crumble mixture to the top.
4. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
5. Use the overhang from the aluminum foil to lift the ice cream out of the pan.
6. Cut into bars and serve right away before if melts! You can serve them on popsicle sticks so it’s more authentic if you like.

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