No-Bake Margarita Pie

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!

Some of you may know this about me already, but I don't drink alcohol. My parents don't drink, and I've never cared for the taste of it. Not to mention alcohol has a lot of empty calories. I've always said I would rather eat my calories than drink them, which I'm sure is not shocking after reading this blog.

You may be wondering why I would write about this in a post for a recipe titled "Margarita Pie." I thought it was appropriate to bring up because I want to make it clear that this recipe is enjoyable for both drinkers and nondrinkers. It can also be modified to include alcohol if that's something you enjoy.

I'm also including this "disclaimer" because I know my high school-age cousins and her friends read my blog (or at least they tell me they do), so it's important to me that none of my recipes exclude them.

Now, while we're on the topic of margaritas, can I just say how proud I am of the fact that I came up with this slogan for this pie (or maybe it's a saying, not a slogan): "Drink your margarita, and eat it too! I don't know if it's ever been said before. I'm not Googling it to find out. I just know that I came up with it using my own brain cells, so I'm claiming ownership.



No-Bake Margarita Pie
Ingredients

• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• 7-ounces sweetened condensed milk (this is half of normal-sized can, which is why it looks like such an odd number)
• 8 ounces margarita mix*
• Optional: 2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup tequila
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces whipped topping, thawed
• Zest of three limes
• 1 prepared graham cracker crust

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, about 2 or 3 minutes
2. Add condensed milk and cream until smooth; do the same with the margarita mix, optional tequila and salt
3. Spoon in the whipped topping and lime zest and beat to combine
4. Add mixture to graham cracker pie crust and smooth top
5. Place in freezer for 4 to 6 hours or overnight
6. Garnish with additional whipped topping and more lime zest if desired

*Notes: If you choose to add the optional tequila, I recommend reducing the amount of margarita mix to 6 ounces.

Celebrate Mardi Gras with King Cake Monkey Bread

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!

Are you all aware of how extremely difficult it is to find a tiny plastic baby in central Indiana the week before Mardi Gras? I started looking for a tiny baby over a week ago when I decided to make this King Cake Monkey Bread for Fat Tuesday. This obviously isn't a traditional King Cake, but I still wanted to stick a tiny plastic baby in the center just for fun. I even looked on Amazon, but I couldn't get any delivered before the holiday. They were all going to ship on February 15. What good does that do anyone? No one needs a tiny plastic baby after Fat Tuesday. My mom suggested that I make a tiny baby, which was a very... unique idea. But I was not up for the task. So that's the story as to why there is no tiny baby in this cake. All of you are "kings" or "queens" anyway. You don't need to get a tiny plastic baby in your slice of cake to tell you that!

King Cake Monkey Bread
Ingredients
For the Monkey Bread

• 1/2 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 (8-ounce) package Challenge cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)

For the icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon milk, add more if too thick
• Purple, green, and yellow sprinkles

Directions
For the Monkey Bread

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. 
2. Mix melted butter and brown sugar; set aside. 
3. Cream together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla 
4. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and scoop 1 teaspoon cream cheese into center, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. 
5. Place the prepared biscuits in the pan. 
6. Pour the melted butter mixture over the biscuits.
7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. 
8. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

For the icing

1. Mix together powdered sugar and milk to make icing and drizzle on top of monkey bread.
2. Sprinkle with purple, green and yellow and sprinkles.

Valentine's Day desserts for 2 people

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 kills me when people say they aren’t very good at baking. Can you follow instructions? If the answer is yes, then I believe you can be a successful baker. You see, baking ingredients and directions should be followed with the same care as a TV stand from IKEA.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received emails from viewers telling me, “Hey this didn’t work.” When I inquire about their process, most always they tell me about a substitution they made or a step they skipped.

You cannot make substitutions without seeing an impact on the final product.

Unlike cooking where you can add a little more seasoning here, and substitute chicken for beef there, baking is a science, people! And what’s great about that is if you follow the directions and use the right ingredients, the end result should be the same every single time.

I wanted to bring this up on this particular blog post as a form of encouragement to any first-time bakers who may be attempting to treat their Valentine with a special dessert.

Red Velvet Cookie Skillet for 2

Yield: Serves 2 people or one really hungry person

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups all purpose flour (90 grams)
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (16 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (106 grams)
• 1  egg yolk
• 1/2 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Red food coloring, about 1/4 teaspoon
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Mix together butter, brown sugar, egg yolk, milk, vanilla extract, and red food coloring. 
4. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Press dough into small, 6-inch skillet
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes; remove from oven and serve warm with ice cream.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Lava Cakes for 2

Yield: Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1/2 Tablespoon Challenge butter, melted
• 3 ounces dark chocolate
• 1/4 cup Challenge butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (63 grams)
• 1 egg and 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons flour (24 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare 6-ounce ramekins by greasing them well with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine peanut butter, 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar, 1/2 Tablespoon melted butter and set aside.
3. Melt chocolate and butter in microwave bowl for 1 minute. If chocolate is not smooth after 1 minute, continue to melt in microwave at 15-second intervals.
4. Add powdered sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to bowl, and mix until smooth.
5. Add flour and salt mix until just combined.
6. Evenly distribute 2/3 batter between two ramekins. Divide peanut butter mixture in two and drop in center of each lava cake. Top with remaining cake batter.
7. Place ramekins on baking sheet so they’re easier to remove from oven.
8. Bake between 12 to 14 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and let cake sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
10. Run pairing knife along edges of ramekin to loosen cake.
11. Invert cake onto plate by placing plate upside down on top of ramekin and flipping the cake so that the plate is on bottom and the cake is upside down on top.
12. Tap the ramekin a few times and then lift straight up.
13. Garnish with berries, whipped cream, or ice cream and serve immediately.