Caramelized Onion Bacon and Cheddar Dip

I have to admit that I have a new favorite dip. This tastes amazing and is the perfect blend. You have the sweet onions, salty bacon, sharpness of the cheese and creaminess of the sour cream. It is perfection! I took this to a party and all my friends loved this dish!

The part that requires the most patience is the onions. When I made the onions, I watched a movie and checked on them periodically as they cooked on the stove. By the time the movie was done, so were the onions.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Enjoy! :)

Ingredients for Caramelized Onions:

-2 pounds caramelized onions (thinly sliced)

-2 tablespoons butter

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/4 teaspoon pepper

There are two ways of cooking this—stove top or slow cooker

                                                    

Slow Cooker:

-Place everything into the slow cooker

-Turn on high and cook for 8-10 hours until the onions are dark and brown and caramelized.

Stove Top:

-Turn the heat on low high heat.

-Stir together all the ingredients. Stir occasionally.

-Takes about 2-3 hours.

Ingredients for the dip:

-1 ½ cups caramelized onions

-12 slices of bacon chopped

-6 oz of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/4 teaspoon pepper

-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

-24 oz of sour cream

-2 green onions thinly sliced (for the garnish)

(Aren't the onions beautiful?)

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients.

Taste for seasoning.

Refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve with chips!

Bailey's Irish Cream Cake Batter Truffles

Do you like Bailey's Irish Cream? I do. With St. Patrick's day coming up, I wanted to write a dessert that incorporated liquor. Since I'm having a lot of fun writing cake batter recipes, I decided to try making a Bailey's version.

These taste amazing! The Bailey's flavor isn't too strong. There is a delicate balance.

I took the truffles to a St. Patrick's Day party and my friends LOVED them. Enjoy!

And, have a great St. Patrick's Day!

Ingredients:

-4 tablespoons of softened butter

-1/4 cup granulated sugar

-1/4 cup flour

-1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

-1/2 cup of dry yellow cake mix

-1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon of Bailey's Irish Cream Liquor

Coating:

-1 ½ cups of white chocolate

-1 tablespoon of oil

Instructions

1. Beat the butter and sugar for 1 minute until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in the vanilla extract.
3. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix until smooth.
4. Place in the fridge to harden. I let mine sit overnight but if you are short on time, try the mixture after an hour. You want the batter to be hard enough to roll into balls.
5. Roll into balls. Place back into the fridge for 5-10 minutes.
6. Melt the white chocolate and oil together. You can melt this over a double boiler or place in the microwave on 20 second intervals. Stir after every 20 seconds. When the mixture is almost melted, keep stirring and using the residual heat to melt the rest of the chocolate.
7. Dip the truffles into the chocolate.
8. Place on a sheet of wax paper or foil (sprayed with cooking spray). Let harden. Place into the fridge until ready to eat. Enjoy! :)

Brownies Topped with Peanut Butter Cream

Do you ever walk by the bakery department of the grocery store and have the mental debate in your head of whether to buy the fancy pastry or not? Come on, the cakes and brownies look amazing but normally cost too much. I normally pass but recently, I was craving something a little fancy and decided that I could do it on my own.

This is how I came up with this recipe. I wanted easy and slightly gourmet.

It all starts off with baking brownies. I used a mix because I had no time to make real homemade brownies. Once baked and cooled, make the frosting.

Peanut Butter Buttercream frosting is amazing!!!!!!!!! You are going to love it and it only takes a few minutes to wipe up.

Frost. Drizzle with some chocolate and you are officially a hero. Enjoy the fancy dessert that probably took you about an hour to wipe up.

Step 1: Bake brownies

-I used a mix. Follow the instructions on the box.

-Before placing into the pan, cover with foil and grease the foil very well.

Step 2: Make the Peanut Butter Cream

Ingredients:

-4 oz of softened butter

-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

-1/4 teaspoon of salt

-1/2 cup of peanut butter

-1 ¾ cup-2 cups of powdered sugar

-3-4 tablespoons of half & half or heavy cream

Steps:

-Whip the butter for 1-2 minutes. The butter should be light and fluffy.

-Mix in the vanilla extract and salt.

-Blend in the peanut butter. Whip the mixture very well.

-Start adding the powdered sugar intermittently with the half & half. Add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time. Whip until you get the consistently that you like.

-Place the buttercream into a pastry bag. Or, you can use a plastic bag. Cut the end off.

Step 3: Make the drizzle

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup of chocolate chips

-1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Instructions:

-Melt the chocolate chips and oil in the microwave with 20 second intervals.

Step 4: Assemble

-Take the brownies out of the pan and remove the foil.

-Cut the edges off.

-Cut the brownies into pieces.

-Frost the brownies.

-Drizzle with chocolate. (I used a whisk and just went back and forth over the brownies.)

-Eat and enjoy! :-)

Nutella Cake Batter Truffles

Nutella Cake Batter Truffles...yeah, you read this title right!!!

Do you ever have an idea that just lingers, and you can't get it out of your head? This is how this recipe came to be. I love truffles and cake batter and nutella, so why not put them together?

I have been swamped with work recently, but I had some time yesterday, so I gave them a shot. These are some of the best truffles that I have ever had!!!! The nutella gives the truffles such a nice background flavor. The cake batter is there, but it is not overpowering. There is balance.

I used sprinkles, dark and white chocolate. Personally, I liked the dark chocolate better but each choice was delicious!!! These taste amazing and are super simple to whip up. 

Ingredients:

1 stick of softened butter

½ cup of nutella

½ cup of sugar

¼ cup of flour

¾ cup of yellow cake mix

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Coating:

-Sprinkles

-White or Milk or Dark Chocolate (12 oz)

-1 tablespoon of oil (optional)

1. Mix the softened butter together with the sugar.
2. Add in the nutella.
3. Blend in the the remaining ingredients.
4. Place in the fridge for a couple of hours. Overnight is even fine.
5. Roll into balls. Cover with plastic wrap. Place back into the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
6. While the balls are hardening, melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave.
7. Dip the balls into chocolate or roll into sprinkles. Top with sprinkles.
8. Let harden and eat!