Dessert Nachos! April Fools' Day Meal

It's that time of year again! My friend Haniela and I collaborated on this April Fools' Day food prank - visit her blog for her tutorial on how to make dessert sushi that looks just like the real thing!

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These dessert nachos are made with cookies, cake, frosting, and pudding. I modeled them after Taco Bells' Nachos BellGrande - complete with take-out container! Scroll down for the tutorial, recipes, and supply list! And remember to take a second look the next time someone offers you a yummy plate of nachos 😉

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Here's what you'll need for this project:

• Cookie dough (recipe below)
• Triangle cookie cutter or knife to cut the cookies
• Cream cheese frosting (recipe below)
• Instant pudding
• Yellow cake (my favorite is I Am Baker's Homemade Yellow Cake Mix Recipe)
• Take-out container (I used an 8" x 5.5" Disposaware®)
• 12" piping bags
• Red gummy candies
• Whipped topping
• Food Coloring - Red, yellow, orange, and brown from the Wilton Color Right Set

Recipes

(the yield from these recipes is enough to make two 8" x 5.5" containers of nachos)

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Cookie Dough

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (I used clear vanilla to ensure that the cookies remained light in color)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Cream the butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour and mix the dough by hand until it comes together. Shape the dough into a rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Lightly dust the cookie dough with flour and roll the dough to ⅛" (I use the DoughEZ mat when rolling my dough).

Cut the dough with a triangle cookie cutter or a knife. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with crumpled aluminum foil and non-stick cooking spray.

Bake the cookies at 350˚F for 10-12 minutes. The cookies should not take on any color.

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Cream Cheese Frosting

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup (8 oz package) cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or clear imitation vanilla (the color is not important this time since we'll be adding food coloring anyway)
• Cocoa powder, as needed
• Red and yellow food coloring

Cream the butter until smooth and add the cream cheese in small pieces. Mix until combined. Add the confectioners' sugar, 2 cups at a time, mixing in between additions. Add the vanilla and continue to mix until light and fluffy.

Separate a few scoops of the frosting into a small bowl. This will be the "refried beans". Add cocoa powder, a teaspoon at a time, until you reach a light shade of brown. Add a small drop of yellow and red food coloring to enhance the color. Set aside.

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Pudding

• 1 package (3.4oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1-¾ cups milk
• Orange and yellow food coloring

Combine instant pudding mix with milk and whisk for two minutes. Separate a few scoops of the pudding into a small bowl and add orange and yellow food coloring until the color resembles nacho cheese sauce.

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Assemble the "nachos"

1. Bake and cool yellow cake in a 9x13" pan. Use the take-out container as a guide to cut the cake (save the scraps!).
2. Slice the cake into two layers and place one layer in the take-out container.
3. Pipe a ring of cream cheese frosting around the cake and fill the middle with pudding. Place the second layer of cake on top and cover it with cream cheese frosting. (use the frosting and pudding that do not have food coloring for this part).
4. Crumble the cake scraps in a bowl. Add a one or two scoops of frosting (again, without food coloring) and mix until it comes together.
5. Add a few drops of brown and red food coloring and mix until the cake crumbles resemble ground beef.
6. Layer the cookies on the cake.
7. Use piping bags with no tip to add the "refried beans" and "nacho cheese sauce".
8. Crumble the "ground beef" on top and add some sliced red gummy candies for the "peppers".
9. Pipe a swirl of whipped topping for the "sour cream".

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Watch the video to see it all come together!

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Yield: Two 8″ x 5.5″ containers of nachos

Dessert Nachos

5.0 Stars (6 Reviews)

Print

Dessert Nachos for April Fools' Day!

Materials

• Baked yellow cake
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (I used clear vanilla to ensure that the cookies remained light in color)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup (8 oz package) cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or clear imitation vanilla (the color is not important this time since we’ll be adding food coloring anyway)
• Cocoa powder, as needed
• Red and yellow food coloring
• 1 package (3.4oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1-¾ cups milk
• Orange and yellow food coloring

Tools

• Triangle cookie cutter or knife to cut the cookies
• Take-out container (I used an 8″ x 5.5″ Disposaware®)
• 12″ piping bags
• Red gummy candies
• Whipped topping
• Food Coloring – Red, yellow, orange, and brown from the Wilton Color Right Set

Instructions

1. To make the cookies, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. Add the flour and mix the dough by hand until it comes together.
4. Shape the dough into a rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Lightly dust the cookie dough with flour and roll the dough to ⅛″ (I use the DoughEZ mat when rolling my dough).
6. Cut the dough with a triangle cookie cutter or a knife. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with crumpled aluminum foil and non-stick cooking spray.
7. Bake the cookies at 350˚F for 10-12 minutes. The cookies should not take on any color.
8. To make the frosting, cream the butter until smooth and add the cream cheese in small pieces. Mix until combined.
9. Add the confectioners’ sugar, 2 cups at a time, mixing in between additions.
10. Add the vanilla and continue to mix until light and fluffy.
11. Separate a few scoops of the frosting into a small bowl. This will be the “refried beans”. Add cocoa powder, a teaspoon at a time, until you reach a light shade of brown.
12. Add a small drop of yellow and red food coloring to enhance the color. Set aside.
13. To make the pudding, combine instant pudding mix with milk and whisk for two minutes.
14. Separate a few scoops of the pudding into a small bowl and add orange and yellow food coloring until the color resembles nacho cheese sauce.
15. To assemble the nachos, slice the cake into two layers and place one layer in the take-out container.
16. Pipe a ring of cream cheese frosting around the cake and fill the middle with pudding. Place the second layer of cake on top and cover it with cream cheese frosting. (use the frosting and pudding that do not have food coloring for this part).
17. Crumble the cake scraps in a bowl. Add a one or two scoops of frosting (again, without food coloring) and mix until it comes together.
18. Add a few drops of brown and red food coloring and mix until the cake crumbles resemble ground beef.
19. Layer the cookies on the cake.
20. Use piping bags with no tip to add the “refried beans” and “nacho cheese sauce”.
21. Crumble the “ground beef” on top and add some sliced red gummy candies for the “peppers”.
22. Pipe a swirl of whipped topping for the “sour cream”.
    

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Don't forget to visit Haniela's to see her tutorial on how to make dessert sushi!

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Click on the images below for more April Fools' Day food pranks!

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Pin these dessert nachos for later!

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