Brain Dip

What do you need to make brain dip?

To make this creepy looking dip, make sure you have the following on hand:

• Pastry bags – Used for piping the frosting across the top of the dip in the shape of a brain. If you can, I’d recommend picking up “real” pastry bags (as opposed to a with a corner cut) for easy decorating. That’s not to say that you couldn’t create the look of the brains with a ZipLoc bag, but it will be significantly easier with a pastry bag and piping tip.
• Decorating Tip A (big round tip) – This will give you the wide, round shape needed for drawing the lines and squiggles of the brain.
• Small paint brush or butter knife – If you’d like the brain frosting to look “bloody” with red streaks, you’ll need to paint or smear lines of red food coloring on the inside of the pastry bag. A brush (I used one from a children’s art set) or dull knife will do the job perfectly.

How long can you leave out a dessert dip?

As with any party food, you should keep track of how long it sits out at room temperature.

For most foods, the general rule of thumb is that a perishable item should not be in the “danger zone” for more than two hours. And by “danger zone,” this is usually at or just above room temperature, which is how this dip will be served.

As the party goes on, you can move your dip back to the refrigerator once you get past the two-hour mark. If your guests still want more dip, let it chill for at least 30 minutes before bringing it back out again.

Want to dig deeper into food safety? Take a look at the USDA’s Food Safety Basics, especially the part about the above-mentioned “danger zone.”

What to serve with brain dip?

This Halloween dip is very sweet thanks to the red velvet base and cream cheese frosting, so you’ll want to pair this dip with mild or savory flavors, such as:

• Ladyfinger cookies – This is what I used, not only because they’re mild in flavor but also because they look a bit like bones. They add more Halloween flair.
• Vanilla Wafers, Sugar Cookies, etc – Any mild, vanilla-based cookie would be great with this dip.
• Pretzels, Saltine crackers, etc – Salty snacks are great for dipping, even in sweet dips like this. And even if this isn’t your main choice for dipping, I’d still recommend serving a few salty items nearby. You may be surprised how many are gone by the end of the night!
• Cubed pounds of cake, crumbled waffle cones, etc – You’re not restricted to just cookies or classic finger foods for dipping! Feel free to get creative with other foods that pair well with cake or frosting.

Do you need to bake the Red Velvet Cake mix?

Although it’s rare to become ill from consuming flour, it is considered a raw ingredient, so for proper food safety, the red velvet cake mix should be cooked before consumption because it includes flour.

To bake the red velvet cake mix: Spread the cake mix out on a baking sheet and bake it for five minutes at 350°F.

notes & tips for this Halloween dip recipe

• For this recipe, I highly recommend using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. It would be difficult to make by hand with a whisk.
• If at all possible, I recommend using gel food coloring. Any type will do, but gel will make decorating the pastry bag easier.

Step 1 – Prepare the cream cheese frosting by whipping together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. If you’d like the dip to be pink in color, add a few drops of red food coloring.

Step 2 – If you’d like the brains to appear “bloody”, use a paintbrush or butter knife to smear red food coloring down the sides of a pastry bag with a large, round piping tip.

Step 3 – Add the cream cheese frosting to your prepared pastry bag, then chill the frosting for 30 minutes (helps firm up the frosting which will make decorating easier).

Step 4 – While the frosting chills, prepare the red velvet cake dip by whipping together the cream cheese, salted butter, red velvet cake mix, powdered sugar, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.

Step 5 – Add the red velvet dip to a serving bowl of your choice, smoothing the top of the dip out into a dome.

Step 6 – Pipe the frosting on top of the red velvet cake dip into a brain-like pattern. Tip: Always pipe frosting front to back. Start by drawing a line right down the middle, then fill the sides with squiggly lines.