Red Velvet Dip

Otherwise known as "Honey, who shrunk my pants? Dip"

So, you need something quick and easy to throw together for a holiday party?  Don't worry, I've got you covered.

Here's what you need:

• Red Velvet Boxed Cake Mix
• 1 Brick Cream Cheese (I use the low fat version with no ill side effects.)
• 1 Stick of Room-Temp Butter
• 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar (I've forgotten this ingredient before... didn't kill me).
• Mini Chocolate Chips - usually 1/2 to a whole cup.
• Nilla Wafers of Deliciousness

First, get that KitchenAid mixer going.  Cream cheese and butter, WHIP IT GOOD.

The thing about the butter and cream cheese is that, when refrigerated, they can get a little hard.  So a little extra air in the mix never hurt anybody!  Crank that mixer.

So when I read this receipe - I always get tripped up because it calls for 1.5 cups of red velvet cake mix.  Who knows what 1.5 cups of cake mix is?  Well, it's half a box.  If you're me, you'll just double the recipe and use the whole box.  Saves time!

After it's niiice and mixed up, don't be alarmed if your "red" velvet is slightly pasty looking.  Because there aren't any liquid ingredients, it actually takes several hours for the deeper red color to develop.  (The more you know!)

 I always add some mini chips to the mix so the chocolate chips aren't always on the outside.  If you're going for lazy, just throw them all in.  Some people bother to actually make the red velvet into a beautiful ball, but I usually just throw mine in a glass bowl and call it a day.

 Whatever you do, DO NOT buy the store brand chocolate chips.  They suck, melt weird, and are not good.  Name brand all the way.

If you're lazy, throw it in a bowl, chill (or not), and go to town.  Eat it with a spoon while sitting on the couch writing this post.  (Saves the calories of the Nilla Wafers!)

If you want to be fancy.... wrap the dough in saran wrap and chill in the fridge for 2+ hours until it's niiice and chilled, then roll in mini chips.

Apparently I don't have a pic of my pretty finished ball.  Needless to say, it didn't last long.

Bon appetit.  And watch your pants, they magically shrink when you make this stuff. WEIRD.

Add your sugars but not the red velvet yet.  It could turn into a murder scene in your kitchen, so delay as long as possible.