Chex® Blooming Onions with Bacon Chipotle Dip

Ingredients

• 0.5 teaspoon ancho chili powder 
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper black
• 2 tablespoons chipotles in adobo canned chopped (from 7-oz can)
• 2 tablespoons bacon crumbled cooked
• 1 cup cornflakes 
• 2  eggs 
• 1 cup flour all-purpose
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper red (cayenne)
• 0.5 cup mayonnaise 
• 1 cup milk 
• 1.5 teaspoons salt 
• 2 large onion sweet
• 0.5 teaspoon thyme leaves dried
• 8 servings vegetable oil for deep frying
• 1 cup wheat chex 

Equipment

• bowl
• paper towels
• sauce pan
• knife
• whisk
• slotted spoon

Directions

1. Mix Dip ingredients in small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Crush cereals. In large bowl, mix crushed cereals, flour, salt and spices. In another large bowl, beat milk and eggs with whisk.
3. Cut 1/2 inch off pointed end of onion; peel onion, leaving bottom stem.
4. Cut 1-inch diameter core out of middle of onion. Using very sharp, large knife, cut through center of onion to about three-fourths of the way down. Turn the onion 90 degrees and cut it again in an X across the first cut. Keep cutting the sections in half, very carefully until the onion has been cut 16 times. Do not cut down to the bottom of the onion.
5. Spread the "petals" of the onion apart. Coat onion with cereal mixture, separating petals and sprinkling dry coating between them. Dip onion into egg mixture, then into cereal mixture again. This double-dipping ensures a well-coated onion; some of the coating will wash off when frying the onion.
6. Repeat step 3 with remaining onion, cereal mixture and egg mixture.
7. In deep fat fryer or heavy saucepan, place enough oil to just cover onion.
8. Heat oil to 350F. Using slotted spoon, slowly place 1 coated onion at a time into hot oil. Adjust heat to keep oil at 350F. Fry 3 minutes; turn onion with slotted spoon. Fry 3 to 4 minutes longer or until onion is golden brown.
9. Remove with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.
10. Serve hot with dip.