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- Nabisco Reduced-Fat Cheese Nips
Nabisco took great effort to produce reduced-fat versions of the most popular products created by the food giant. This product loyalty-retaining move is just good business. According to one Nabisco spokesperson, "We want to bring back the people who have enjoyed our products, but went away for health and diet reasons." And that's exactly what we see happening, as customers are now grabbing the boxes with "Less Fat" printed on them. This box says, "Reduced fat: 40% less fat than original Cheese Nips."
The secret ingredient for this clone of the popular little square crackers is the fat-free cheese sprinkles by Molly McButter. One 2-ounce shaker of the stuff will do it, and you won't use it all. Just keep in mind that cheese powder is pretty salty, so you may want to go very easy on salting the tops of the crackers
Nutrition Facts
Serving size–31 crackers
Total servings–about 10
Fat per serving–3.5g
Calories per serving–105
Source: Top Secret Recipes Lite by Todd Wilbur.
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- 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour (plus 1/2 cup reserved for kneading and rolling)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup Molly McButter fat-free cheese sprinkles
- 2 1/2 tablespoons shortening
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon low-fat buttermilk (1% fat)
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional for tops)
1. Sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking soda, baking powder, and cheese sprinkles in a larger bowl.
2. Cut in the shortening with a fork and knife with a crosswise motion until the dough is broken down into rice-size pieces. The mixture will still be very dry.
3. Stir in the buttermilk with a fork until the dough becomes very moist and sticky.
4. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the reserved flour over the dough and work it in until the dough can be handled without sticking, then turn it out onto a floured board, being sure to reserve 1/4 cup of the flour for later. Knead the dough well for 60 to 90 seconds, and be sure the flour is incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a light coating of cooking spray on a baking sheet.
6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and use the remaining reserved flour to dust a rolling surface. Roll about one-third of the dough to about 1/16-inch thick. Trim the edges square (a pizza slicer works great for this), then transfer the dough to the baking sheet. Use the rolling pin to transfer the dough. Pick up one end of the dough onto the rolling pin, and roll the dough around it. Reverse the process onto the baking sheet to transfer the dough.
7. Use a pizza slicer to cut across and down the dough, creating 1-inch square pieces. use the blunt end of a skewer or a cut toothpick to poke a hole in the center of each piece.
8. Sprinkle a very light coating of salt over the top of the crackers (this is optional—the crackers will already be quite salty) and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Mix the crackers around like Scrabble tiles (so the ones near the edge don't burn) and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until some are just barely turning a light brown. Repeat the rolling and baking process with the remaining dough.
Makes approximately 300 crackers.
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Girl Scout Cookies Thin Mints
Read moreIf those cute little cookie peddlers aren't posted outside the market, it may be tough to get your hands on these thin mint cookies—the most popular cookies sold by the Girl Scouts every spring. One out of every four boxes of cookies sold by the girls is Thin Mints.
My Girl Scout cookie thin mint copycat recipe uses an improved version of the chocolate wafers created for my Oreo cookie clone in the second TSR book, More Top Secret Recipes. That recipe creates 108 cookie wafers, so when you're done dipping, you'll have the equivalent of three boxes of the Girl Scout Cookies favorite. That's why you bought those extra cookie sheets, right? You could, of course, reduce this recipe by baking only one-third of the cookie dough for the wafers and then reducing the coating ingredients by one-third, giving you a total of 36 cookies. But that may not be enough to last you until next spring.
Click here for more of your favorite Girl Scout Cookies.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
Update 11/16/17: You can make an even better clone using a chocolate product that wasn't available when I created this recipe. Rather than using the semi-sweet chocolate chips combined with shortening and peppermint for coating the cookies, use Ghirardelli Dark Melting Wafers. You will need 2 10-ounce bags of the chips, mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract (and no shortening). Melt the chocolate the same way, and dip the cookies as instructed.
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Save $19.16 vs. monthlyIncludes eight (8) 79¢ recipes of your choice each month!
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Hershey's PayDay Candy Bar
Read moreIn December of 1996, Hershey Foods snagged the U.S. operations of Leaf Brands for a pretty penny. This added several well known candies to Hershey's already impressive roster, including Good & Plenty, Jolly Rancher, Milk Duds, Whoppers, Heath, and this delicious peanut roll, which we can finally clone at home. The center is sort of a white fudge that we can make by combining a few ingredients on the stove, then getting the mixture up to just the right temperature using a candy thermometer (you've got one, right?). Once cool, this candy center is coated with a thin layer of caramel, then quickly rolled over roasted peanuts. Looks just like the real thing! This recipe will make eight candy bars. But it's up to you to make the dental appointment.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Mars 3 Musketeers
Read moreNougat is an important ingredient in the 3 Musketeers Bar, as well as in many other candy bars created by Mars. Nougat is made by mixing a hot sugar syrup with whipped egg whites until the solution cools and stiffens, creating a frappe. Other ingredients may be added to the nougat during this process to give it different flavors. In this recipe, you'll add chocolate chips to create a dark, chocolaty nougat.
But the 3 Musketeers Bar wasn't always filled with just a chocolate nougat. In fact, when the candy bar was created back in 1932, it was actually three pieces with three flavors: vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate. After World War II, the product was changed to a single chocolate bar because that was the favorite flavor, and customers wanted more of it. Thankfully they didn't change the name to 1 Musketeer.You'll need a heavy-duty electric mixer for this recipe.
Check out more of my candy bar clone recipes here.
Source: More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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T.G.I. Friday's Black Bean Soup
Read moreIf you start making black bean soup in the morning using other recipes out there, you're lucky to be slurping soup by lunchtime. That's because most recipes require dry beans that have to re-hydrate for at least a couple hours, and many recipes say "overnight." But, you know, tomorrow is just too far away when you're craving soup right now.
So, for this often requested T.G.I. Friday's Black Bean Soup recipe, I sped up the process by incorporating canned black beans, rather than the dry ones. That way, once you get all the veggies chopped, you'll be souped up in just about an hour. Friday's version of this soup has a slightly smoky flavor that's easily duplicated here with just a little bit of concentrated liquid smoke flavoring found in most supermarkets. Just be sure to get the kind that says "hickory flavor."
Try more of my T.G.I. Friday's copycat recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur. -
York Peppermint Pattie
Read moreAt his candy factory In York, Pennsylvania, in the late 1930s, Henry C. Kessler first concocted this minty confection. The York Cone Company was originally established to make ice cream cones, but by the end of World War II the peppermint patty had become so popular that the company discontinued all other products. In 1972 the company was sold to Peter Paul, manufacturers of Almond Joy and Mounds. Cadbury USA purchased the firm in 1978, and in 1988 the York Peppermint Pattie became the property of Hershey USA.
Other chocolate-covered peppermints were manufactured before the York Peppermint Pattie came on the market, but Kessler's version was firm and crisp, while the competition was soft and gummy. One former employee and York resident remembered the final test the patty went through before it left the factory. "It was a snap test. If the candy didn't break clean in the middle, it was a second." For years, seconds were sold to visitors at the plant for fifty cents a pound.Try my York Peppermint Pattie recipe below, and find more of my famous candy recipes here.
Source: More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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McDonald's French Fries
Read moreThey're the world's most famous French fries, responsible for one-third of all U.S. French fry sales, and many say they're the best. These fried spud strips are so popular that Burger King even changed its own recipe to better compete with the secret formula from Mickey D's. One-quarter of all meals served today in American restaurants come with fries; a fact that thrills restaurateurs since fries are the most profitable menu item in the food industry.
Proper preparation steps were developed by McDonald's to minimize in-store preparation time, while producing a fry that is soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. My McDonald's French Fries recipe requires a two-step frying process to replicate the same qualities: the fries are par-fried, frozen, then fried once more to crispy just before serving. Be sure to use a slicer to cut the fries for a consistent thickness (1/4-inch is perfect) and for a cooking result that will make them just like the real thing. As for the rumor that you must soak the fries in sugar water to help them turn golden brown, I also found that not to be necessary. If the potatoes have properly developed, they contain enough sugar on their own to make a good clone with great color.
Now, how about a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder to go with those fries? Click here for a list of all my McDonald's copycat recipes.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur. -
Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake
Read moreMenu Description: "Delicate white cake and lemon cream filling with a vanilla crumb topping."
To make this clone easy, I've designed the recipe with white cake mix. I picked Betty Crocker brand, but any white cake mix you find will do. Just know that each brand (Duncan Hines, Pillsbury, etc.) requires slightly different measurements of additional ingredients (oil, eggs). Follow the directions on the box for mixing the batter, then pour it into 2 greased 9-inch cake pans and bake until done.The filling recipe is a no-brainer and the crumb topping is quick. When your Olive Garden lemon cream cake recipe is assembled, stick it in the fridge for a few hours, and soon you'll be ready to serve 12 slices of homemade Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake.
Try my Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake copycat recipe below, and find more Olive Garden copycat recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur. -
Coca-Cola Classic Coke
Read moreAlthough the drink is 99 percent sugar water, that other 1 percent is the key to the drink's unique taste. The tangy citrus flavors, from lime juice, citrus oils, and citric acid (today the citric acid has been replaced with phosphoric acid), was used by pharmacist John Pemberton to overcome the inherent unpleasant bitterness of cocaine and caffeine. Even after removing the cocaine from the drink, it was still necessary to conceal the ghastly flavor of kola nut and coca leaf extract from the taste buds with the sweet, tangy syrup.
To make an accurate clone of Coca-Cola at home, I started with the medicinal ingredient, probably just as John did. But rather than harvesting kola nuts, we have the luxury of access to caffeine pills found in any grocery store or pharmacy. One such brand is Vivarin, but it is yellow in color with a thick coating and it tastes much too bitter. NoDoz, however, is white and less bitter, with a thinner coating. Each NoDoz tablet contains 200 milligrams of caffeine, and a 12-ounce serving Coke has 46 milligrams in it. So, if we use 8 NoDoz tablets that have been crushed into powder with a mortar and pestle (or in a bowl using the back of a spoon) we get 44 milligrams of caffeine in a 12-ounce serving, or 36 milligrams in each of the 10-ounce servings we make with my Coke recipe.
Finding and adding the caffeine is the easy part. You'll probably have more trouble obtaining Coke's crucial flavoring ingredient: cassia oil. I was hoping to leave such a hard-to-get ingredient out of my Coca-Cola recipe, but I found it impossible. The unique flavor of the Coke absolutely requires the inclusion of this Vietnamese cinnamon oil (usually sold for aromatherapy), but only a very small amount. You'll find the cassia oil in a health food store (I used the brand Oshadhi), along with the lemon oil and orange oil. The yield of this recipe had to be cranked up to 44 10-ounce servings since these oils are so strong—just one drop is all you'll need. Find them in bottles that allow you to measure exactly one drop if you can. If the oils don't come in such a bottle, buy eyedroppers at a drug store. Before you leave the health food store, don't forget the citric acid.
My recipe, because of the old-fashioned technique of adding the syrup to soda water, creates a clone of Coke as it would taste coming out of a fountain machine. That Coke is usually not as fizzy as the bottled stuff. But if you add some ice to a glass of bottled Coke, and them some of this cloned version, the bubbles will settle down, and you'll discover how close the two are. You can keep the syrup in a sealed container in the fridge until you are ready to mix each drink with soda water.
Because subtle differences in flavor can affect the finished product, be sure to measure your ingredients very carefully. Use the flat top edge of a butter knife to scrape away the excess sugar and citric acid from the top of the measuring cup and teaspoon, and don't estimate on any of the liquid ingredients.Create more of your favorite drinks at home with more recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes: Sodas, Smoothies, Spirits & Shakes by Todd Wilbur.
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Outback Steakhouse Caesar Salad Dressing
Read moreYou can only get this delicious stuff in the restaurant, and they won't give you much extra to take home. The good news is you can make it from scratch in minutes using my Outback Steakhouse Caesar salad dressing recipe below, You'll need to find anchovy paste—an important ingredient for a good clone. The dressing recipe keeps for a couple of weeks in the fridge in a covered container.
Now, how about a Toowoomba Steak or Alice Springs Chicken as your entrée? Find all of my Outback Steakhouse copycat recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.
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Schilling Salad Supreme Seasoning
Read moreThis orange-colored spice blend has been perking up salads, pasta, potatoes, hamburgers, and vegetables for years now, but there has never been a Shilling Salad Supreme recipe. Time to change that. While it's obvious that sesame seeds are a major part of this blend, you may not know that the main ingredient is Romano cheese—in the bottle it's tinted orange by the paprika. Be sure to store this one in the refrigerator. You might even want to keep the seasoning in an empty shaker-top spice bottle. And if you're in the mood for some tasty pasta salad, just check out the Tidbit below that comes right off the bottle of the original product.
Click here for more famous seasoning recipes.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Tootsie Roll Midgees
Read moreEven though this clone recipe duplicates the tiny bite-size versions of the candy, you're free to make yours any size you like. The technique here is a tweaking of the previous secret formula that was featured in Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes, and it includes several upgrades. I found that more cocoa, plus the addition of salt and butter to the mix improved the flavor. I also found that bringing your sweet bubbling mixture to the firm ball stage 250 degrees F (you do have a candy thermometer, right?), and then stretching and pulling the candy like taffy (fun!) as it cools, will give you a finished product more like the real deal.
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Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies
Read moreThese soft, creme-filled sandwich cookies were the first snacks produced by McKee Foods back in 1960. It was his 4-year-old granddaughter Debbie after whom founder O.D. McKee named his line of snack cakes. O.D. was inspired by a picture of the little girl in play clothes and a straw hat, and that's the image we still find today on every package. The secret to cloning these mouth-watering snacks is re-creating the soft, chewy consistency of the oatmeal cookies. To duplicate the texture, the cookies are slightly underbaked. Then you whip up some of the easy-to-make creme filling with marshmallow creme, and spread it between two of the oatmeal cookies to complete your homemade Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies.
Find my lighter version of Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies here.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur. -
Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
Read moreIn early 1985, restaurateur Rich Komen felt there was a specialty niche in convenience-food service just waiting to be filled. His idea was to create an efficient outlet that could serve freshly made cinnamon rolls in shopping malls throughout the country. It took nine months for Komen and his staff to develop a cinnamon roll recipe he knew customers would consider the "freshest, gooiest, and most mouthwatering cinnamon roll ever tasted." The concept was tested for the first time in Seattle's Sea-Tac mall later that year, with workers mixing, proofing, rolling, and baking the rolls in full view of customers. Now, more than 626 outlets later, Cinnabon has become the fastest-growing cinnamon roll bakery in the world.
Use my Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls copycat recipe below to make delicious homemade Cinnabon, or try my improved recipe here, which I perfected with the help of Cinnabon HQ.
Source: More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake
Read moreMenu Description: "Our famous Original cheesecake recipe! Creamy and light, baked in a graham cracker crust. Our most popular cheesecake!"
Oscar and Evelyn Overton's wholesale cheesecake company was successful quickly after it first started selling creamy cheesecakes like this clone to restaurant chains in the early 1970's. When some restaurants balked at the prices the company was charging for high-end desserts, Oscar and Evelyn's son David decided it was time to open his own restaurant, offering a wide variety of quality meal choices in huge portions, and, of course, the famous cheesecakes for dessert. Today, the chain has over 87 stores across the country, and consistently ranks number one on the list of highest grossing single stores for a U.S. restaurant chain.Baking your cheesecakes in a water bath is part of the secret for producing beautiful cheesecakes at home with a texture similar to those sold in the restaurant. The water surrounds your cheesecake to keep it moist as it cooks, and the moisture helps prevent ugly cracking. You'll start the oven very hot for just a short time, then crank it down to finish. I also suggest lining your cheesecake pan with parchment paper to help get the thing out of the pan when it's done without a hassle.
My Cheesecake Factory original cheesecake copycat recipe is so easy, even a 2-year-old can make it as shown in this video.
Find more of my Cheesecake Factory copycat recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.
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Bisquick Original All-Purpose Baking Mix
Read moreYou've got a hankerin' for pancakes or biscuits, but the recipe calls for Bisquick, and you're plum out. Not to worry. Now you can make a clone of the popular baking mix at home with just four simple ingredients. Store-bought Bisquick includes shortening, salt, flour, and leavening, so that's exactly what we need to duplicate Bisquick perfectly at home.
My Bisquick recipe makes about 6 cups of the stuff, which, just like the real thing, you can keep sealed up in a container in your pantry until it's flapjack time. When that time comes, just add milk and eggs for pancakes or waffles, or only milk if it's biscuits you want. You'll find all those recipes below in the "Tidbits."
Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.
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Girl Scout Cookies Lemon Pastry Cremes Reduced Fat
Read moreHow can you resist the cute little girls in those adorable green outfits—and a change machine around their waists? If you can't, then a least it's good to know that less than one-third of the sales price of each box of Girl Scout Cookies goes to the manufacturer. That's much less than the wholesale price food retailers pay for similar products. Most of the money raised from each sale goes to support the Girl Scouts.
But how do we get our Girl Scout Cookie fix during the off-season when the cookies aren't being sold? That's when you can turn to my Girl Scout Lemon Pastry Crèmes recipe below. You'll make a reduced-fat cookie with the lemony tang and learn the technique for making a delicious filling that's entirely fat-free.
Nutrition Facts
Serving size–3 cookies
Total servings–14
Calories per serving–150
Fat per serving–4.5gFind more of your favorite Girl Scout cookie recipes here.
Source: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese
Read moreWhat is it about Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese that makes it the number one choice for true mac & cheese maniacs? It's probably the simple recipe that includes wholesome ingredients like skim milk and real Cheddar cheese, without any preservatives or unpronounceable chemicals. The basic Stouffer's Mac and Cheese ingredients are great for kitchen cloners who want an easy fix that doesn't require much shopping.
I created my Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese copycat recipe to work as an exact duplicate of the actual product: a frozen dish that you heat up later in the oven. This way, you'll get slightly browned macaroni & cheese that looks like it posed for the nicely lit photo on the Stouffer's box.
Since you'll only need about 3/4 cup of uncooked elbow macaroni for each recipe, you can make several 4-person servings with just one 16-ounce box of macaroni, and then keep them all in the freezer until the days when your troops have their mac & cheese attacks. Be sure to use freshly shredded Cheddar cheese here, since it melts much better than pre-shredded cheese (and it's cheaper). Use a whisk to stir the sauce often as it thickens, so that you get a smooth—not lumpy or grainy—finished product.
If you're still hungry, check out my copycat recipes for famous entrées here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur. -
Nestle Baby Ruth Candy Bar
Read moreBeneath the chocolate of Nestle's popular candy bar is a chewy, peanut-covered center that resembles Hershey's PayDay. To clone this one we'll only have to make a couple adjustments to the PayDay clone recipe, then add the milk chocolate coating. Even though the wrapper of this candy bar calls the center "nougat," it's more of a white or blonde fudge that you can make in a saucepan on your stovetop with a candy thermometer.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur. -
Nabisco Cheese Nips
Read moreHere's a clone recipe that gets one very important ingredient from another packaged product. The powdered cheese included in the Kraft instant macaroni & cheese kits flavors this homegrown version of the popular bright orange crackers. You'll need a can of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese cheese topping or two boxes of the most inexpensive instant variety of macaroni & cheese—you know, the kind with the cheese powder. Two boxes will give you enough cheese to make 300 crackers. As for the macaroni left over in the box, just use that for another recipe requiring elbow macaroni.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) Chicken Pot Pie
Read moreA good chicken pot pie has perfectly flakey crust and the right ratio of light and dark meat chicken and vegetables swimming in a deliciously creamy white sauce. KFC serves up a pie that totally fits the bill, and now I'm going to show you how to make the same thing at home from scratch. You'll want to start my KFC Chicken Pot pie recipe a couple hours before you plan to bake the pies, since the dough for the crust should chill awhile and the chicken needs to soak in the brine.
When it comes time for baking, use small pie tins, ramekins, or Pyrex baking dishes (custard dishes) that hold 1 1/2 cups. The recipe will then yield exactly 4 pot pies. If your baking dishes are smaller, there should still be enough dough here to make crust for up to 6 pot pies. And don't forget to brush egg whites over the top of the pies before you pop them into the oven to get the same shiny crust as KFC's original pot pie.
While this is a good clone recipe, I'm always seeking perfection. I made a few tweaks to the crust and gravy in my improved KFC Pot Pie recipe here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur. -
Mrs. Dash Salt-Free Seasoning Blend
Read moreSo here's the challenge with this clone recipe: get the right ratios for nearly 20 different spices, and come up with a way to get the same lemony tang that makes the real Mrs. Dash the tasty salt-free seasoning blend we've come to know and love over the years.
Sure, we could use powdered citric acid, or sour salt, but then we still need to figure out the "lemon juice solids" part. Ah, but wait, there's citric acid and lemon juice solids in Kool-Aid unsweetened lemonade drink mix. It's perfect! In my Mrs. Dash's Salt-Free Seasoning Blend recipe below, we'll add a little of that drink powder to the spice blend for a clone that could fool even Mr. Dash in a blind taste test.
Try more of my famous seasoning copycat recipes here.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Old Bay Seasoning
Read moreWith spice grinder in hand, Gustav Brunn traveled to America from Germany, and settled down in Baltimore on the Chesapeake Bay, where steamed crabs are a staple. Gustav began grinding. In 1939, after trying many different combinations, Gustav found just the right mix for a top secret blend of spices that would be the most-used seasoning on steamed crabs, shrimp, lobster, and other tasty seafood dishes for generations to come. But McCormick & Co., which purchased Old Bay in 1990, insists that the celery salt based blend is not just for seafood. You can also use the seasoning on chicken, French fries, popcorn, baked potatoes, deviled eggs, hamburgers, and even pizza.
Try your homemade Old Bay on my recipe for jumbo lump crab cakes from Joe's Stone Crab.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.
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Ruby Tuesday Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
Read moreThe low-carb craze is influencing menus of America's restaurant chains, but no chain has embraced the trend as enthusiastically as Ruby Tuesday. Nation's Restaurant News awarded the chain "Best Healthy Choice Menu Selection for 2004," based on more than 30 new low-carb dishes added to the menu, including low-carb cheesecake, burgers in high-fiber tortilla wraps, and other low-carb stand-ins such as Creamy Mashed Cauliflower. This most talked-about of the new selections is a side dish stunt double for mashed potatoes, with a carb count coming in at a measly 9 net carbs per 3/4-cup serving, according to the menu. Spices and cream are added to steamed and puréed cauliflower to give this dish the taste, texture and appearance of America's favorite side. Learn how with my Ruby Tuesday creamy mashed cauliflower recipe below.
Serve this up with any entrée that goes well with mashed potatoes, and you'll never miss the spuds.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur. -
Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix
Read moreBelow you'll find my Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix that copies the instant dressing mix you buy in the .7-ounce packets. When added to vinegar, water, and oil, you get one of the best-tasting instant salad dressings around. But what if you can't find the stuff, or it is no longer sold in your area, as I've heard is the case in some cities? Or maybe you just want to save a little money by making your own? Use my recipe below to make as much dry mix as you want, and save it for when you need instant salad satisfaction. I used McCormick lemon pepper in the recipe here because it contains lemon juice solids that help duplicate the taste of the sodium citrate and citric acid in the real thing. The dry pectin, which can be found near the canning supplies in your supermarket, is used as a thickener, much like the xanthan gum in the original product.
Find more of my delicious salad dressing copycat recipes here.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Olive Garden Breadsticks
Read moreAnyone who loves Olive Garden is probably also a big fan of the bottomless basket of warm, garlicky breadsticks served before each meal at the huge Italian casual chain. My guess is that the breadsticks are proofed, and then sent to each restaurant where they are baked until golden brown, brushed with butter and sprinkled with garlic salt. Getting the bread just right for a great Olive Garden breadstick hack was tricky—I tried several different amounts of yeast in all-purpose flour, but then settled on bread flour to give these breadsticks the same chewy bite as the originals. The two-stage rising process is also a crucial step in this much requested Olive Garden breadstick copycat recipe.
Complete the bottomless experience with my Olive Garden Italian salad dressing recipe.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur. -
Sabra Classic Hummus
Read moreEvery brand of hummus I've tried over the years has been just so-so in taste and texture, until I discovered Sabra. Now this ultra-smooth hummus—which has been rated number one in a blind taste test—is the only hummus in my fridge, unless I've made this clone. Hummus is an awesome snack as a dip for vegetables or pita chips, since it's rich in protein, soluble fiber, potassium, and Vitamin E. The secret to duplicating Sabra's smooth and creamy quality is to let your food processor work the stuff over for a solid 10 minutes. Also, when getting your Sabra hummus ingredients ready, don't use all of the liquid from the can of garbanzo beans or the hummus will end up too runny. Strain off the liquid first, then measure only 1/2 cup back into the food processor. Sabra uses canola and/or soybean oil, but you may think olive oil tastes better. Look for a jar of sesame tahini in the aisle where all the international foods are parked, and while you're there find the citric acid, which may also go by the name "sour salt." The clone below will not have the proper acidic bite without this secret ingredient, and citric acid also works as a preservative to help the leftover hummus stay fresh and tasty.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur. -
Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Wings and Sauces
Read moreMenu Description: "Here they are in all their lip-smacking, award-winning glory: Buffalo, New York-style chicken wings spun in your favorite signature sauce."
Since Buffalo, New York was too far away, Jim Disbrow and Scott Lowery satisfied their overwhelming craving in 1981 by opening a spicy chicken wing restaurant close to home in Kent, Ohio. With signature sauces and a festive atmosphere, the chain has now evolved from a college campus sports bar with wings to a family restaurant with over 300 units.While frying chicken wings is no real secret—simply drop them in hot shortening for about 10 minutes—the delicious spicy sauces are what make the wings special. There are 12 varieties of sauce available to coat your crispy chicken parts at the chain, and I'm presenting clones for the more traditional flavors. These sauces are very thick, almost like dressing or dip, so we'll use an emulsifying technique that will ensure a creamy final product where the oil won't separate from the other ingredients.
In my Buffalo Wild Wings copycat recipe below you'll find the cooking and coating technique for the wings, followed by copycat recipes for the most popular sauces: Spicy Garlic, Medium and Hot. The sauce recipes might look the same at first, but each has slight variations to make your sauce hotter or milder by adjusting the level of cayenne pepper. You can find Frank's pepper sauce by the other hot sauces in your market. If you can't find that brand, you can also use Crystal Louisiana hot sauce.
Find my copycat recipes for Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing; Parmesan Garlic, and Caribbean Jerk sauces here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur. -
Wienerschnitzel Chili Sauce
Read moreThe real version of this chili sauce comes to each Wienerschnitzel unit as concentrated brown goo in big 6-pound, 12-ounce cans. After adding 64 ounces of water and 15 chopped hamburger patties the stuff is transformed into the familiar thick and spicy chili sauce dolloped over hot dogs and French fries at America's largest hot dog chain. The proper proportion of spices, tomato paste, and meat is crucial; but the real challenge in creating my Wienerschnitzel chili copycat recipe is finding a common grocery store equivalent for modified food starch that's used in the real chili sauce as a thickener.
After a couple of days in the underground lab with Starbucks lattes on intravenous drip, I came out, squinting at the bright sunshine, with a solution to the chili conundrum. This secret combination of cornstarch and Wondra flour and plenty of salt and chili powder makes a chili sauce that says nothing but "Wienerschnitzel" all over it.
Now, what incredible side dish will you make?
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Cheesecake Factory White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake
Read moreMenu Description: "Our creamy cheesecake with chunks of white chocolate and swirls of imported seedless raspberries throughout. Baked in a chocolate crust and finished with white chocolate shavings and whipped cream."
Use my Cheesecake Factory White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake recipe below to make a home version of the cheesecake that many claim is the best they've ever had. Raspberry preserves are the secret ingredient that is swirled into the cream cheese that's poured into a crumbled chocolate cookie crust. Yum. No wonder this cheesecake is the number one pick from the chain's massive list of cheesecake choices.Love Cheesecake Factory? Find more of my recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.
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Boston Market Meatloaf
Read moreIn the early 90's Boston Chicken was rockin' it. The home meal replacement chain's stock was soaring and the lines were filled with hungry customers waiting to sink their teeth into a serving of the chain's delicious rotisserie chicken. The chain was so successful with chicken, the company quickly decided it was time to introduce other entrée selections, the first of which was a delicious barbecue sauce-covered ground sirloin meatloaf.
Offering the other entrées presented the company with a dilemma: what to do about the name. The bigwigs decided it was time to change the name to Boston Market, to reflect a wider menu. That meant replacing signs on hundreds of units and retooling the marketing campaigns. That name change, plus rapid expansion of the chain and growth of other similar home-style meal concepts, sent the company into a tailspin. By 1988, Boston Market's goose was cooked, and the company filed for bankruptcy. Soon McDonald's stepped in to purchase the company, with the idea of closing many of the stores for good, and slapping Golden Arches on the rest. But that plan was scrapped when, after selling many of the under-performing Boston Markets, the chain began to fly once again. Within a year of the acquisition Boston Market was profitable, and those meals with the home-cooked taste are still being served at over 700 Boston Market restaurants across the country.
Use my Boston Market Meatloaf copycat recipe below to copy the flavor of that first non-chicken dish, a delicious barbecue sauce-covered ground sirloin meatloaf. You might also like to try my Boston Market side-dish recipes here.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur. -
Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3
Read moreExclusive signed copy. America's best copycat recipes! Save money and amaze your friends with all-new culinary carbon copies from the Clone Recipe King!
For more than 30 years, Todd Wilbur has been obsessed with reverse-engineering famous foods. Using every day ingredients to replicate signature restaurant dishes at home, Todd shares his delectable discoveries with readers everywhere.
Now, his super-sleuthing taste buds are back to work in the third installment of his mega-bestselling Top Secret Restaurant Recipes series, with 150 sensational new recipes that unlock the delicious formulas for re-creating your favorite dishes from America's most popular restaurant chains. Todd's top secret blueprints and simple step-by-step instructions guarantee great success for even novice cooks. And when preparing these amazing taste-alike dishes at home, you'll be paying up to 75 percent less than eating out!
Find out how to make your own home versions of: Pizza Hut Pan Pizza, T.G.I. Friday's Crispy Green Bean Fries, Buca di Beppo Chicken Limone, Serendipity 3 Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, P.F. Chang's Kung Pao Chicken, Max & Erma's Tortilla Soup, Cracker Barrel Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake, Olive Garden Breadsticks, Cheesecake Factory Fresh Banana Cream Cheesecake, Carrabba's Chicken Bryan, Famous Dave's Corn Muffins, Outback Steakhouse Chocolate Thunder from Down Under, T.G.I. Friday's Jack Daniel's Glazed Ribs, and much, much more...Simple. Foolproof. Easy to Prepare. And so delicious you'll swear it's the real thing!
You may also like Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2, and Top Secret Recipes Step-by-StepContents
Applebee's Apple Walnut Chicken Salad
Applebee's Chocolate Mousse Dessert Shooter
Applebee's Grilled Shrimp 'N Spinach Salad
Applebee's Key Lime Pie Dessert Shooter
Applebee's Red Apple Sangria
Applebee's Strawberry Cheesecake Dessert Shooter
Applebee's Tomato Basil Soup
Applebee's White Peach Sangria
Bahama Breeze Island Onion Rings
Bahama Breese West Indian Patties
BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse Chili
BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse Famous Pizookie
BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast
BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp
Bonefish Grill Citrus Herb Vinaigrette
Bonefish Grill Saucy Shrimp
Buca di Beppo Garlic Bread and Garlic Bread with Mozzarella
Buca di Beppo Chicken Limone
Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing Sauce
Buffalo Wild Wings Parmesan Garlic Sauce
California Pizza Kitchen The Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad
California Pizza Kitchen Original Chopped Salad
Carrabba's Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup
Carrabba's Chicken Bryan
Cheeseburger in Paradise BBQ Jerk Ribs
Cheeseburger in Paradise Sweet Potato Chips
Cheeseburger in Paradise El Cubano Sandwich
Cheesecake Factory Famous Factory Meatloaf
Cheesecake Factory Miso Salmon
Cheesecake Factory Pineapple Pisco Sour
Cheesecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps
Cheesecake Factory Banana Cream Cheesecake
Cheesecake Factory Stefanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake
Chili's Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers
Chili's Cajun Ribeye
Chili's Firecracker Tilapia
Chili's Quesadilla Explosion Salad
Chili's Nacho Burger
Chili's White Chocolate Molten Cake
Cracker Barrel Cole Slaw
Cracker Barrel Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake
Cracker Barrel Macaroni n' Cheese
Denny's Cherry Cherry Limeade
Denny's Pancake Puppies
Denny's Broccoli Cheese Soup
Famous Dave's Corn Muffins
Famous Dave's Smoked Salmon Spread
Famous Dave's Wilbur Beans
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse Wicked Cajun Barbecue Shrimp
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse Chipotle Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse Fleming's Potatoes
Fuddruckers Hamburger Seasoning
Gordon Biersch Cran Blueberi Lemonade Cocktail
Gordon Biersch Garlic Fries
Gordon Biersch Raspberry Iced Tea Cocktail
Gordon Biersch Warm Apple Bread Pudding
Hard Rock Cafe Tupelo Style Chicken
Hard Rock Cafe Twisted Mac & Cheese
Hooter's Fried Pickles
Houston's House Vinaigrette
Houston's Couscous
IHOP Banana Macadamia Nut Pancakes
IHOP Corn Cake Pancakes
IHOP Funnel Cakes
IHOP Shortcake Pancakes
Joe's Crab Shack Crab Nachos
Joe's Crab Shack Great Balls of Fire
Joes Crab Shack Spicy Boil
Joe's Crab Shack BBQ Crab
Joe's Stone Crab Garlic Creamed Spinach
Joe's Stone Crab Grilled Tomatoes
Joe's Stone Crab Jennie's Potatoes
Joe's Stone Crab Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes
Margaritaville Havanas and Bananas Cocktail
Margaritaville Incommunicado Cocktail
Margaritaville Volcano Nachos
Margaritaville Jerk Salmon
Mastro's Steakhouse Gorgonzola Macaroni & Cheese
Mastro's Steakhouse Steak Seasoning
Mastro's Steakhouse Warm Butter Cake
Max & Erma's Tortilla Soup
Mimi's Cafe Buttermilk Spice Muffins
Mimi's Cafe Carrot Raisin Nut Muffins
Mimi's Cafe Five-Way Grilled Cheese
Olive Garden Breadsticks
Olive Garden Dipping Sauces for Breadsticks
Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Olive Garden Black Tie Mouse Cake
Olive Garden Mango Martini
Olive Garden Pomegranate Margarita Martini
Olive Garden Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta
Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo
On the Border Guacamole Live!
On the Border Mexican Mojito
On the Border Smoke Jalapeno Vinaigrette
Outback Steakhouse Bleu Cheese Chopped Salad
Outback Steakhouse Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Outback Steakhouse Outback Rack
Outback Steakhouse Three Cheese Au Gratin Potatoes
Outback Steakhouse Victoria "Crowned" Filet w/Horseradish Crumb Crust
Outback Steakhouse Chocolate Thunder from Down Under
P.F. Chang's Asian Pear Mojito
P.F. Chang's Chang's Key Lime Martini
P.F. Chang's Spicy Green Beans
P.F. Chang's Kung Pao Chicken
P.F. Chang's Chicken in Soothing Lettuce Wraps--Improved
P.F. Chang's Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
Pizza Hut WingStreet Traditional Chicken Wings--Hot, Med, Mild
Pizza Hut Tuscani Creamy Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Pizza Hut Pan Pizza
Red Lobster Peach-Bourbon BBQ Scallops
Red Lobster Maple-Glazed Salmon & Shrimp
Red Robin Campfire Sauce
Red Robin Creamy Artichoke & Spinach Dip
Red Robin Red's Homemade Chili Chili
Red Robin The Royal Red Robin Hamburger
Romano's Lemon Passion
Roy's Hawaiian Martini
Roy's Classic Roasted Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi
Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé
Ruby Tuesday Apple Salad
Ruby Tuesday Queso Dip & Beef Queso Dip
Ruby Tuesday Thai Phoon Shrimp
Serendipity 3 Frrrozen Hot Chocolate
Simon Kitchen & Bar Wok-Seared Edamame
Spago Butternut Squash Soup
Spago Pumpkin Cheesecake
T.G.I. Friday's Candy Apple Martini
T.G.I. Friday's Crispy Green Bean Fries
T.G.I. Friday's Parmesan-Crusted Sicilian Quesadilla
T.G.I. Friday's Jack Daniel's Glaze
T.G.I. Friday's Sesame Jack Strips
T.G.I. Friday's Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
T.G.I. Friday's Dragonfire Chicken
T.G.I. Friday's Fried Mac & Cheese
T.G.I. Friday's Pomegranate Martini w/Candy Apple
T.G.I. Friday's Tuscan Portobello Melt
T.G.I. Friday's Tuscan Spinach Dip
Trader Vic's World-Famous Mai Tai
Traders Vic's Tom Ka Gai Soup-
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Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts
Read moreThe automated process for creating Krispy Kreme doughnuts, developed in the 1950's, took the company many years to perfect. When you drive by your local Krispy Kreme store between 5:00 and 11:00 each day (both a.m. and p.m.) and see the "Hot Doughnuts Now" sign lit up, inside the store custom-made stainless steel machines are rolling. Doughnut batter is extruded into little doughnut shapes that ride up and down through a temperature and humidity controlled booth to activate the yeast. This creates the perfect amount of air in the dough that will yield a tender and fluffy finished product. When the doughnuts are perfectly puffed up, they're gently dumped into a moat of hot vegetable shortening where they float on one side until golden brown, and then the machine flips them over to cook the other side. When the doughnuts finish frying, they ride up a mesh conveyor belt and through a ribbon of white sugar glaze. If you're lucky enough to taste one of these doughnuts just as it comes around the corner from the glazing, you're in for a real treat—the warm circle of sweet doughy goodness practically melts in your mouth. It's this secret process that helped Krispy Kreme become the fastest-growing doughnut chain in the country.
As you can guess, the main ingredient in a Krispy Kreme doughnut is wheat flour, but there is also some added gluten, soy flour, malted barley flour, and modified food starch; plus egg yolk, non-fat milk, flavoring, and yeast. I suspect a low-gluten flour, like cake flour, is probably used in the original mix to make the doughnuts tender, and then the manufacturer adds the additional gluten to give the doughnuts the perfect framework for rising. I tested many combinations of cake flour and wheat gluten, but found that the best texture resulted from cake flour combined with all-purpose flour. I also tried adding a little soy flour to the mix, but the soy gave the dough a strange taste, and it didn't benefit the texture of the dough in any way. I excluded the malted barley flour and modified food starch from my Krispy Kreme Doughnuts recipe, since these are difficult ingredients to find. These exclusions didn't seem to matter because the real secret in making these doughnuts look and taste like the original lies primarily in careful handling of the dough.
The dough will be very sticky when first mixed together, and you should be careful not to over mix it, or you will build up some tough gluten strands, and that will result in chewy doughnuts. You don't even need to touch the dough until it is finished with the first rising stage. After the dough rises for 30 to 45 minutes, it will become easier to handle, but you will still need to flour your hands. Also, be sure to generously flour the surface you are working on when you gently roll out the dough for cutting. When each doughnut shape is cut from the dough, place it onto a small square of wax paper that has been lightly dusted with flour. Using wax paper will allow you to easily transport the doughnuts (after they rise) from the baking sheet to the hot shortening without deflating the dough. As long as you don't fry them too long—1 minute per side should be enough—you will have tender homemade doughnuts that will satisfy even the biggest Krispy Kreme fanatics.
Find more recipes for your favorite iconic treats here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur. -
Olive Garden Tiramisu
Read moreMenu Description: "The classic Italian dessert. A layer of creamy custard set atop espresso-soaked ladyfingers."
In Italian, tiramisu means "pick me up" or "cheer me up." And when you taste the delicious combination of mascarpone cheese (sometimes referred to as Italian cream cheese), ladyfingers, espresso and Kahlua it will be hard not to smile.
For my Olive Garden Tiramisu recipe below, you'll want to get out your double boiler for the egg yolks (a metal bowl over a saucepan of simmering water will also do) and get some ladyfingers (ladyfingers are miniature cakes about the size of two fingers side-by-side). For this tiramisu dessert, you can either make your own espresso, use extra strong coffee as a substitute, or, next time you're at Starbucks, order up a quadruple shot of espresso to go.
Find all of Olive Garden's hit dishes I've copied here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur. -
Popeyes Red Beans and Rice
Read moreI first created the clone for this Cajun-style recipe back in 1994 for the second TSR book, More Top Secret Recipes, but I've never been overjoyed with the results. After convincing a Popeyes manager to show me the ingredients written on the box of red bean mixture, I determined the only way to create an accurate Popeyes Red Beans and Rice recipe is to include an important ingredient omitted from the first version: pork fat. Emeril Lagasse—a Cajun food master—says, "pork fat rules," and it does.
We could get the delicious smoky fat from rendering smoked ham hocks, but that takes too long. The easiest way is to cook 4 or 5 pieces of bacon, save the cooked bacon for another recipe (or eat it!), then use 1/4 cup of the fat for my Popeyes Red Beans and rice recipe below. As for the beans, find red beans (they're smaller than kidney beans) in two 15-ounce cans. If you're having trouble tracking down red beans, red kidney beans will be a fine substitute.
Can't get enough Popeyes? Find all of my recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.
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Panda Express Orange Flavored Chicken
Read moreThis delicious crispy chicken in a citrusy sweet-and-sour sauce is the most popular dish at the huge Chinese take-out chain. Panda Express cooks all of its food in woks. For my Panda Express Orange Chicken recipe below, you can use a wok, a heavy skillet, or a large sauté pan.
Find more copycat recipes for your favorite Panda Express dishes here.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Carnegie Deli Classic New York Cheesecake
Read moreCarnegie Deli's huge pastrami sandwiches were selected as the best in New York by New York Magazine in 1975, but it's the cheesecakes, which can be shipped anywhere in the country, that really put this famous deli on the map.
The secret to my Carnegie Deli traditional New York cheesecake recipe is creating the perfect not-too-sweet sugar cookie crust and varying the baking temperature so that you get a nicely browned top before cooking the cheesecake through. Get ready for the best deli-style cheesecake to ever come out of your oven.
Find more famous dessert recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.
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Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken
Read morePopeyes Famous Fried Chicken and Biscuits has become the third-largest quick-service chicken chain in the world in the twenty-two years since its first store opened in New Orleans in 1972. (KFC has the number-one slot, followed by Church's Chicken). Since then, the chain has grown to 813 units, with many of them overseas in Germany, Japan, Jamaica, Honduras, Guam, and Korea.
While making my Popeyes Fried Chicken copycat recipe, I tested several spices and I found that the right blend of cayenne and white pepper bring the same heat as the original. Try my recipe below and see what you think.
You might also like to get your hands on my recipes for Popeyes Chicken Sandwich and Popeyes biscuits. Find all of my Popeyes copycat recipes here.
Source: More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur. -
Mrs. Fields Peanut Butter Dream Bars
Read moreIn 1987 the Mrs. Fields Corporation devised a rather clever treat called the Peanut Butter Dream bar, a delicious combination of peanut butter, chocolate, and a cookie-crumb crust. It was not only a tasty product, but an economical one. Mrs. Fields has always had the policy of removing cookies that are more than two hours old from outlet display cases. Now, instead of being thrown away, the chocolate chip cookies are crumbled up and mixed with melted butter to form the Dream Bar crust.
If you can't talk your local Mrs. Field's outlet into giving you old cookies for my Peanut Butter Dream Bar recipe, make your own Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies using my recipe here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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T.G.I. Friday's Potato Skins
Read moreMenu Description: "Loaded with cheddar cheese and bacon. Served with sour cream and chives."
Perfume salesman Alan Stillman was a single guy in New York City in 1965, looking for a way to meet women who lived in his neighborhood. He figured out a way to get their attention: buy a broken-down beer joint in the area, jazz it up, and call it "The T.G.I.F." to attract the career crowd. Within a week, police had barricaded the area to control crowds flocking to Alan's new restaurant. The restaurant made $1 million in its first year—a lot of dough back then. Soon restaurateurs across the country were imitating the concept.
In 1974 T.G.I. Friday's invented an appetizer that would also be copied by many in the following years. Potato skins are still the most popular item on the T.G.I. Friday's menu, with nearly 4 million orders served every year. The recipe has the added benefit of providing you with leftover baked potato ready for mashing.T.G.I Friday's has several popular dishes. See if I cloned your favorites here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur. -
Grand Marnier Liqueur
Read moreIn 1880s France, oranges were quite rare and exotic. When Louis Alexandre Marnier-Lopostolle traveled to the Caribbean in search of ingredients, he came back with bitter oranges to combine with his family's fine cognac. Other orange-flavored liqueurs such as triple sec and curacao are mixed with a neutral alcohol base. Grand Marnier took it to the next level with a more complex flavor that makes it today's top-selling French liqueur.
Now you too can combine cognac with a real orange to make a home version of the tasty—and pricey—stuff. By using an inexpensive cognac that costs around 18 to 20 dollars a bottle, you can create a clone cousin of the real thing that normally sells for around 30 bucks a bottle.All you need for my Grand Marnier Liqueur copycat recipe is cognac, some sugar, an orange, and a little patience.
Try more of my copycat cocktail and liquor recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes: Sodas, Smoothies, Spirits & Shakes by Todd Wilbur.
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Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup
Read moreChili's Chicken Enchilada soup happens to be one of the chain's most raved-about items, and the subject of many a recipe search here on the site. Part of the secret in crafting your clone is the addition of masa harina—a corn flour that you'll find in your supermarket near the other flours, or where all the Mexican foodstuffs are stocked.
Try my Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup copycat recipe below, and complete your meal with more of my Chili's copycat recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur. -
Auntie Anne's Pretzels
Read moreThe first Auntie Anne's pretzel store opened in 1988 in the heart of pretzel country—a Pennsylvanian Amish farmers' market. Over 500 stores later, Auntie Anne's is one of the most requested secret clone recipes around, especially on the internet.
Many of the copycat Auntie Anne's soft pretzel recipes passed around the Web require bread flour, and some use honey as a sweetener. But by studying the Auntie Anne's home pretzel-making kit in my secret underground laboratory, I've created a better Auntie Anne's copycat recipe with a superior way to re-create the delicious mall treats at home. For the best quality dough, you just need all-purpose flour. And powdered sugar works great to perfectly sweeten the dough. Now you just have to decide if you want to make the more traditional salted pretzels, or the sweet cinnamon sugar-coated kind. Decisions, decisions.
Find more of my copycat recipes for famous muffins, bagels, and rolls here.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Starbucks Lemon Loaf
Read moreIt would take quite a bit of real lemon juice to give this moist loaf clone the perfect lemony zip of the original. With too much liquid, we wind up with thin batter, and ultimately a baked lemon loaf that lacks the dense and flavorful quality of the coffeehouse original. So, to avoid producing a batter that's too runny, we must turn to lemon extract. It's over by the vanilla extract in the baking aisle. This concentrated lemon flavoring works well alongside real lemon juice to give us the perfectly intense lemon flavor we need for a killer Starbucks lemon loaf cake copycat recipe. The lemon extract also works like a charm to flavor the icing that will top off your fauxed food. Try my Starbucks Iced Lemon Loaf recipe below, I know you're gonna love it.
Re-create more of your favorite Starbucks drinks and treats here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur. -
Waffle House Waffles
Read moreTwo friendly Atlanta, Georgia neighbors built the first Waffle House in 1955. With the dimpled breakfast hotcake as a signature item, the privately held chain grew into 20 Southern U.S. states. Today tasty food at rock-bottom prices, plus 24-hours-a-day service, makes Waffle House a regular stop for devoted customers any time of the day or night. And don't even think about referring to your server as a waitress—they're called "associates."
For the best clone of the 50-year-old secret waffle recipe, you should chill the batter overnight in the fridge, just as they do in each of the restaurants. But sometimes you can't wait. If you need instant gratification, my Waffle House waffle copycat recipe still works if you make the waffles the same day. Wait for at least 15 to 20 minutes before using the batter so that it can thicken a bit. That'll give you time to dust off the waffle iron and heat it up.How about some homemade Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sausage to go with those waffles? Check out my recipes for famous breakfast items here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur. -
Red Lobster Parrot Bay Coconut Shrimp
Read moreMenu Description: "Jumbo butterflied shrimp hand-dipped in batter flavored with Captain Morgan Parrot Bay Rum & coconut flakes. Served with piña colada dipping sauce."
Fans of this dish say the best part is the piña colada dipping sauce. And it's true. That sauce is so good you could eat it with a spoon. But the coconut shrimp is pretty awesome too, just on its own. Red Lobster's secret formula includes Captain Morgan's Parrot Bay rum, which sweetens the batter and adds a great coconut flavor (plus you can whip up a nice cocktail with it while you're cooking). Panko breadcrumbs—which give a nice crunch to the shrimp—can be found in the aisle of your market where all the Asian foods are parked. My Red Lobster Parrot Bay coconut shrimp copycat recipe makes two times the size of a serving you get at the Lobster, so there should be enough for everyone. The real thing comes with salsa on the side in addition to the piña colada sauce, but you may not even want to include it.Find more of your favorite Red Lobster copycat recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur. -
DoubleTree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Read moreWhen you check in at one of more than 250 hotels run by this U.S. chain, you are handed a bag from a warming oven that contains two soft and delicious chocolate chip cookies. This is a tradition that began in the early 80s using a recipe from a small bakery in Atlanta. All the cookies are baked fresh every day on the hotel premises. The chain claims to give out about 29,000 cookies every day.
Raves for the cookies from customers convinced the hotel chain to start selling tins of the cookies online. But if you've got an insatiable chocolate chip cookie urge that can't wait for a package to be delivered, you'll want to try my DoubleTree Hotel Chocolate Chip cookie copycat recipe below. Just be sure to get the cookies out of the oven when they are barely turning brown so that they are soft and chewy in the middle when cool.
Now that you're in the swing of things, try baking more famous cookies from my recipes here.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
Update 4/10/20: In April, Hilton Hotels released the actual recipe for the DoubleTree Hotels Signature Cookie for the first time. You can view that recipe and compare it to this clone recipe I created in 2002. I got pretty close!
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Nabisco Nilla Wafers
Read moreThe wafers were being created from scratch at home long before Nabisco introduced the lightweight, poker chip-like packaged cookies in 1945. Back then, they were called Vanilla Wafers. But in the 60s, Nabisco slapped the trade name Nilla Wafers on the box. Today, the real things come about 100 to a box and really fly when whipped into the air with a little flick of the wrist.
Now you can relive the days of old with homemade wafers fresh out of the oven. My Nilla Wafers recipe makes about half a box's worth, and they fly just as far.
What other famous cookies can you make at home? Check out my recipes here.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Texas Roadhouse Rolls & Cinnamon Butter
Read moreI never thought dinner rolls were something I could get excited about until I got my hand into the breadbasket at Texas Roadhouse. The rolls are fresh out of the oven and they hit the table when you do, so there’s no waiting to tear into a magnificently gooey sweet roll topped with soft cinnamon butter. The first bite you take will make you think of a fresh cinnamon roll, and then you can’t stop eating it. And when the first roll’s gone, you are powerless to resist grabbing for just one more. But it’s never just one more. It’s two or three more, plus a few extra to take home for tomorrow.
Discovering the secret to making rolls at home that taste as good as Texas Roadhouse Rolls involved making numerous batches of dough, each one sweeter than the last (sweetened with sugar, not honey—I checked), until a very sticky batch, proofed for 2 hours, produced exactly what I was looking for. You can make the dough with a stand mixer or a handheld one, the only difference being that you must knead the dough by hand without a stand mixer. When working with the dough add a little bit of flour at a time to keep it from sticking, and just know that the dough will be less sticky and more workable after the first rise.
Roll the dough out and measure it as specified here, and after a final proofing and a quick bake—plus a generous brushing of butter on the tops—you will produce dinner rolls that look and taste just like the best rolls I’ve had at any famous American dinner chain.
This recipe was our #1 most popular in 2019. Check out the other four most unlocked recipes for the year: KFC Extra Crispy Fried Chicken (#2), Olive Garden Braised Beef Bolognese (#3), Pizzeria Uno Chicago Deep Dish Pizza (#4), Bush's Country Style Baked Beans (#5).
Check out this list of our most popular recipes of all-time.
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Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pizza
Read moreMenu Description: "This unique thinner crust has a ring of cheese baked into the edge so you get cheese in the very last bite of every slice."
Brothers Dan and Frank Carney have their dear old mom to thank for helping them to become founders of the world's largest pizza chain. It was in 1958 that a family friend approached the two brothers with the idea of opening a pizza parlor, and it was the brothers' mom who lent them the $600 it took to purchase some second-hand equipment and to rent a small building. There, in the Carneys' hometown of Wichita, Kansas, the first Pizza Hut opened its doors. By 1966, there were 145 Pizza Hut restaurants doing a booming business around the country with the help of the promotional musical jingle. "Putt-Putt to Pizza Hut." Today the chain is made up of more than 10,000 restaurants, delivery-carry out units, and kiosks in all 50 states and 82 foreign countries.
Introduced in 1995, the Stuffed Crust Pizza, which includes sticks of mozzarella string cheese loaded into the dough before baking, increased business at Pizza Hut by 37 percent. Because the outer crust is filled with cheese, the chain designed a special dough formula that does not rise as high as the original. It's best to prepare the dough of this Pizza Hut stuffed pizza crust copycat recipe a day before you plan to cook your pizza so that the dough can rest to develop crust with a chewy bite just like the original.You might also want to try my clone recipe for Pizza Hut Pan Pizza.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
For over 30 years I've been deconstructing America's most iconic brand-name foods to make the best original copycat recipes for you to use at home. Welcome to my lab.
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