Peanut Butter Dip

Hey look, my first blog post!

Hello Blogger land!
I will start by talking a little about myself, and then we will get into the yumminess. 

Firstly, my name is Sydney, and I am a Pastry Chef from Orange Country California. I recently graduated with my Associates of Science in Baking and Pastry, and I tend to do a lot of R&D in my kitchen. I love testing recipes, trying new things, and wasting my time away both in the kitchen and on Pinterest. 

So, obviously, this is mostly going to be about the joy and life of baking. New possibilities, creative thinking, and innovation will be my main ingredients. Results may vary. 


So on to the first recipe! 

Awhile ago I saw this recipe on Pinterest: Peanut Butter Football Dip, and pinned it for future use. It's over 80 degrees in our house today... turning on the oven was not an option, so I decided to go through my dessert dips and pick one. 
The football won. 

So here is my take on Peanut Butter dip!

It was surprisingly easy to make, but before we get to how it came together, first thing is first. No home kitchen activity is complete without a drink:

 Gingerale, half a lime, and some Gin. Yum yum yum. 

There we are. A delicious Fog Horn for a small dessert session. On to the Peanut Butter dip. 

You will need:

¼ cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup peanut butter (I used smooth)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups powdered sugar (up to 2 cups if needed)
½ cup mini chocolate chips
Chocolate sprinkles or chocolate chips, or anything else for the outside

Yeah yeah.. I'm cheap. I shop at Wal*Mart.

So first, cream the butter, peanut butter, and cream cheese together. I did it in my stand mixer, but you could use a hand mixer, or possibly a wooden spoon. Food processor may work.. but I'm not sure. 
Add the vanilla next. 

Add the powdered sugar about 1/2 a cup at a time, until you've added the 1 and 1/2 cups. If you want it thicker, add the last 1/2 cup. I didn't.  

Annd... that's what it should look like. =) Add the mini chocolate chips and viola! 

There was no way I had the patience to form this into a cute football just for my boyfriend and I to devour it ten seconds later. Pft. I just put it in a bowl and covered it with heath bits. YUMMY and low maintenance. Just how I like it.

I let it chill out in the fridge while I did the dishes and washed my mixer, then put it on a plate with pretzels. 

Boyfriend really liked it. He ate far more than I did. =)

Ingredients

¼ cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup peanut butter (your choice; crunchy or smooth)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups powdered sugar (up to 2 cups if needed)
½ cup mini chocolate chips
Chocolate sprinkles or chocolate chips or heath bits or graham cracker crumbs, or peanut butter chips or...

Instructions

1. Cream the butter, peanut butter, and cream cheese together. (Stand mixer, hand mixer, wooden spoon, your fingers...)
2. Add the vanilla. 
3. Add the powdered sugar about 1/2 a cup at a time, until you've added the 1 and 1/2 cups. If you want it thicker, add the last 1/2 cup. 
4. Add Mini Chips.
5. Put in container, cover with desired topping.
6. Serve with pretzels, cookies, or just eat it with your fingers... who cares? *EDIT* Actually, I care. I have now discovered that eating this dip with strawberries is the only way to live life. If you don't eat this with strawberries... you are dead to me. =)

ENJOY!!!