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Menu Description: "Two cheeses, bacon, tomatoes, onion, jalapenos grilled between tortillas with guacamole, sour cream and salsa."
When Bill and T.J. Palmer opened their first restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1980, they realized their dream of building a full-service, reasonably-priced restaurant in a neighborhood setting. They called their first place T.J. Applebee's Edibles and Elixirs, and soon began franchising the concept. In 1988 some franchisees bought the rights to the name and changed it to Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar. By that time, there were over 650 outlets, making Applebee's one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the world.
According to waiters at the restaurant, the easy-to-make and slightly spicy quesadillas are one of the most popular appetizers on the Applebee's menu. My Applebee's quesadillas recipe calls for 10-inch or "burrito-size" flour tortillas, which can be found in most supermarkets, but any size can be used in a pinch. Look for the jalapeño "nacho slices" in the ethnic or Mexican food section of the supermarket. You'll find these in jars or cans.
Find more of your favorite Applebee's copycat recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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- 2 10-inch ("burrito size") flour tortillas
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 medium tomato, chopped
- 2 teaspoons diced onion
- 1 teaspoon diced canned jalapeno ("nacho slices")
- 1 slice bacon
- 1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
- Pinch salt
On the side
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Salsa
1. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.
2. Spread half of the butter on one side of each tortilla. Put one tortilla, butter side down, in the hot pan.
3. Spread the cheeses evenly onto the center of the tortilla in the pan. You don't have to spread the cheese all the way to the edge. Leave a margin of an inch or so all the way around.
4. Sprinkle the tomato, onion, and jalapeño over the cheese.
5. Crumble the slice of cooked bacon and sprinkle it over the other ingredients.
6. Sprinkle the cilantro and a dash of salt over the other ingredients.
7. Top off the quesadilla with the remaining tortilla, being sure that the buttered side is facing up.
8. When the bottom tortilla has browned, after 45 to 90 seconds, flip the quesadilla over and grill the other side for the same length of time.
9. Remove the quesadilla from the pan, and, using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the quesadilla three times through the middle like a pizza, creating 6 equal slices. Serve hot with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa on the side.
Serves 2 as an appetizer.
I made this recipe last night and it was absolutely wonderful! Light golden brown and crisp as a quesadilla should be.
I normally never make a change to a recipe the first time I try it but I did with this one only because I do not eat jalapenos anymore but I substituted chopped chilies from a can.
I followed the recipe to a T especially the cooking time and it came out perfect. I used to make quesadilla all the time and thought mine were the best but this is absolutely the best I have ever had and a fantastic recipe!
Thank you, Todd, for sharing your wonderful version of this recipe!
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Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Read moreOrder an entree from America's largest seafood restaurant chain and you'll get a basket of some of the planet's tastiest garlic-cheese biscuits served up on the side. For many years, the Cheddar Bay Biscuits recipe has been the most-searched-for clone recipe on the Internet, according to Red Lobster. As a result, several versions are floating around, including one that was at one time printed right on the box of Bisquick baking mix.
The problem with making biscuits using Bisquick is that if you follow the directions from the box you don't end up with a very fluffy or flakey finished product, since most of the fat in the recipe comes from the shortening that's included in the mix. On its own, room temperature shortening does a poor job creating the light, airy texture you want from good biscuits, and it contributes little in the way of flavor. So, we'll invite some cold butter along on the trip -- with grated Cheddar cheese and a little garlic powder. Now you'll be well on your way to delicious Cheddar Bay. Wherever that is.Complete the Red Lobster experience and make favorite entrées and side dishes here.
Source: "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2" by Todd Wilbur.
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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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KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) Honey BBQ Wings
Read moreOnce a regular menu item, these sweet, saucy wings are now added to the KFC menu on a "limited-time-only" basis in many markets. So how are we to get that sticky sauce all over our faces and hands during those many months when we are cruelly denied our Honey BBQ Wings? Now it's as easy as whipping up my KFC honey BBQ wings copycat recipe that re-creates the crispy breading on the chicken wings, and the sweet-and-smoky honey BBQ sauce. "Limited-time-only" signs—we laugh at you.
How about some famous coleslaw or wedge potatoes? Check out my collection of KFC clone recipes here.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur. -
Taco Bell Chalupa Supreme
Read moreI’m not sure when it happened, but it appears Taco Bell recently changed its seasoned beef recipe. I hacked the recipe several years ago for the book TSR Step-by-Step, and I recall the recipe had much more oat filler, so that’s how I cloned it. Taco Bell came under fire in 2011 for the significant amount of oats in the recipe that the chain was listing as “spices,” and after that, Taco Bell was more transparent about ingredients. But somewhere along the way it appears the company tweaked the recipe to include less filler and more flavor, so I decided I had to create a new Taco Bell seasoned beef copycat recipe.
You can use my recipe below to make the famous Chalupa—which the restaurant makes by deep-frying the flatbread used for Gorditas. You can also use this new, improved Taco Bell seasoned beef recipe for anything you’re copying, whether it's tacos, burritos, Enchiritos, Mexican Pizzas, or a big pile of nachos.
The secret ingredient in our hack is Knorr tomato bouillon. This flavor powder adds many ingredients found in the original recipe and provides the umami savoriness that’s required for a spot-on clone of the famous seasoned ground beef. To get the right flavor, you need to find "Knorr Tomato Bouillon with Chicken Flavor" powder, in a jar. Not the bouillon cubes.
Try my Taco Bell Chalupa Supreme copycat recipe below, and find copycat recipes for Taco Bell mild, hot or diablo sauce here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Unleashed by Todd Wilbur.
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Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
Read moreFor two years after the first Olive Garden restaurant opened in 1982, operators were still tweaking the restaurant's physical appearance and the food that was served. Even the tomato sauce was changed as many as 25 times. It's that sort of dedication that creates fabulous dishes like this popular soup. It blends the flavors of potatoes, kale, and Italian sausage in a slightly spicy chicken and cream broth.
Try my Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana copycat recipe below, and find more of my Olive Garden clone recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur. -
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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Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla with Creamy jalapeno Ranchero Sauce
Read moreTaco Bell takes the fast food quesadilla into new territory with three different cheeses and a creamy jalapeño Ranchero sauce, all of which you can now cheerfully re-create in the comfort of your warm kitchen. Gather up the crew, since my easy Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla recipe will make four of the tasty tortilla treats.
How about some homemade Diablo, hot, or mild sauce to go with your quesadilla? Check out all of my Taco Bell copycat recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur. -
KFC Macaroni & Cheese
Read moreHere's a clone for another of KFC's famous side dishes. We'll use easy-to-melt Velveeta, with its very smooth texture, as the main ingredient for the cheese sauce. Then a bit of Cheddar cheese is added to give the sauce a perfect Cheddary sharpness like the original. This KFC mac and cheese recipe is an easy one that will take you only around 15 minutes to prepare.
Check out my newest recipe for KFC Original Chicken and more here.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Read moreThe easy-melting, individually-wrapped Kraft Cheddar Singles are the perfect secret ingredient to copy this cheesy broccoli cheddar soup served at this top soup stop. In my Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup copycat recipe, fresh broccoli is first steamed, then diced into little bits before you combine it with chicken broth, half-and-half, shredded carrot, and onion. Now you're just 30 minutes away from soup spoon go-time.
Click here for more of my copycat Panera Bread recipes.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur. -
K.C. Masterpiece Original Barbecue Sauce
Read moreEven though it's now owned and produced by the Clorox Company, Original K.C. Masterpiece barbecue sauce is the same as when it was first created in good ole Kansas City, USA. This is the sauce that steals awards from all the other popular sauces on the market. Now it's sold in a variety of flavors.
My K.C. Masterpiece barbecue sauce recipe below clones the original, and you'll find it very easy to make. Just throw all of the ingredients in a saucepan, crank it up to a boil, then simmer for about an hour. Done deal. And just like the original Masterpiece, this stuff will make a work of art out of any of your grilled meats, or burgers and sandwiches, and as a dipping sauce or marinade.
Complete your meal with my KFC Cole Slaw recipe.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur. -
Kraft Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese
Read moreIt's time to clone America's best-selling brand of instant macaroni & cheese. This recipe is for the "Deluxe" variety of this popular product—that is, the one that comes with an envelope of thick cheese sauce, rather than the dry, powdered cheese. I think the "Deluxe" version is the better tasting of the two. Use my Kraft Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese recipe to make creamy macaroni and cheese that tastes like the original at a fraction of the price of the real thing.
Try more of my copycat recipes from Kraft here.
Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur. -
Applebee's Tijuana Philly Steak Sandwich
Read moreMenu Description: "Lean shaved Philly steak folded into a grilled tortilla roll with Monterey Jack and Cheddar, sauteed mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, bacon and jalapenos."
With the acquisition of 13 Rio Bravo cantinas in 1994, Applebee's made its move into the competitive "Mexican casual dining sector." Perhaps it's the company's interest in Mexican food that inspired this Philadelphia-Tijuana hybrid sandwich. The steak, cheese, mushrooms, and onions give the sandwich a Philly taste, while the tomatoes, bacon, jalapenos, and the tortilla take you across the border.
I really like this newer addition to the menu, probably because I'm a big cheesesteak fan who also loves Mexican food. As you can see from this dish, Applebee's has a knack for breathing new life into old sandwich concepts. I hope you'll find this one worth a try.
If you want to make a "lite" version, refer to the Tidbits at the bottom of the recipe.Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Applebee's Club House Grill
Read moreMenu Description: "Applebee's signature hot club sandwich with warm sliced ham and turkey, cheddar, tomatoes, mayonnaise and Bar-B-Que sauce on thick-sliced grilled French bread. Served with a side of coleslaw."
Here's a sandwich that Applebee's claims is a signature item for the chain. It's a cross between a club sandwich and a grilled cheese. So, if you like both of those, you'll love this.
My Applebee's Club House Grill copycat recipe below calls for sliced turkey and ham. Go to your deli service counter in the supermarket and get the stuff they machine-slice real thin for sandwiches. This usually tastes the best. If you don't have a service counter, thin-sliced prepackaged meats will also work great.Find more of your favorite Applebee's copycat recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Applebee's Pizza Sticks
Read moreMenu Description: "Parmesan: Thin crusty strips of pizza dough topped with herbs and melted Italian cheese, served with marinara sauce. Loaded: Add Italian sausage and pepperoni."
Each Applebee's makes an effort to decorate the inside of the restaurant with pictures and memorabilia from the neighborhood in which it is located. You'll see photographs of local heroes and students, license plates, banners, old souvenirs, trinkets, and antiques-all representing area history. Take a look around the walls of the next Applebee's you visit. Maybe you can find something you lost several years ago.
Meanwhile, here's a find: pizza sticks that are made from dough that is proofed, fried, and then broiled. The frying adds a unique flavor and texture to the dough that you won't get with traditional pizza. I've designed my Applebee's pizza sticks copycat recipe to use the premade dough that comes in tubes. You know, like the stuff from that dough boy. But you can make this with any dough recipe you like. Just roll the dough into a 10x15-inch rectangle before slicing.
These appetizers can be made either in the Parmesan version without meat, or "loaded" with sausage and pepperoni. This recipe yields a lot, so it makes good party food.Speaking of party food, you can check out more of my copycat appetizers here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
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Panda Express Dynamite Chicken
Read moreHave a drink nearby when you enjoy this new white-meat chicken entrée from Panda Express. Chunks of chicken breast are breaded with crispy puffed rice for extra crunch, then wok-cooked with onion, red bell pepper, and the hottest sauce ever offered by the popular Chinese takeout chain.
It was clear that perfecting the sauce was essential for my Panda Express Dynamite Chicken copycat recipe, so I started there. After isolating and analyzing the sauce, I noticed it contained more chili bits than other Panda sauces, so I added a generous amount of sambal to boost flavor and color. My sauce was hot but not as fiery as the original until I added Buldak. This Korean chicken-flavored hot sauce gave the sauce a richer red hue and just the right amount of delicious heat.
Once the sauce was hacked, I moved on to the crispy chicken. For the breading, I used smashed Rice Krispies out of curiosity, thinking it probably wouldn't be the right approach since the cereal is slightly sweetened. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the lightly sugared cereal worked so well, delivering great flavor and excellent crunch. Rice Krispies cereal is very easy to find, so it’s a great solution.
The real challenge with the breading was deciding whether to use a wet batter or a dry coating for the best results. As it turned out, I achieved the best results with both. After dredging the chicken in a wet batter, I coated it with the dry, puffed-rice mixture. After frying, the chicken's breading was perfectly thick and craggy, with a great crunch even when tossed in the flavorful sauce.
Try more of my Panda Express copycat recipes here.
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California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) Braised Short Rib Ragu
Read moreThis new pasta dish introduced as a limited-time entrée at the 200-unit chain is so popular that it's still at the top of the "pasta" section on the menu as I post this. Just one taste makes it clear why this pasta is in such high demand: it’s fantastic, with big chunks of fork-tender short rib tossed with umpteen slices of toasted garlic in a creamy tomato sauce. And if this tasty dish eventually disappears from the menu, now you have a blueprint to re-create a perfect version at home.
My home clone of California Pizza Kitchen Braised Short Rib Ragu begins by braising short ribs until they fall off the bone. Then, you’ll combine the tender chunks of beef with thinly sliced garlic and an easy-to-make tomato sauce that includes some of the flavorful short rib braising liquid.
To finish your servings, you'll add pappardelle pasta to the pan and toss until coated. Sprinkle each of the four plates with freshly minced Italian parsley, and prepared to receive your well-deserved “wows.”
I've cloned a ton of dishes from California Pizza Kitchen. See if I hacked your favorites here.
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IHOP Coffee Cake Pancakes
Read moreStreusel is added to IHOP’s signature buttermilk pancake batter, then the flapjacks are coated with cinnamon spread, topped with cream cheese icing, more streusel, and a pile of whipped cream. The stack tastes like a mixture of coffee cake and a cinnamon roll, and with all those sweet toppings, maple syrup won't be needed.
To make my IHOP Coffee Cake Pancakes copycat recipe, start by preparing the streusel, and you’ll notice a surprising ingredient. After closely inspecting the real IHOP streusel, I found that crumbled Nilla wafers are added to the mix. For your recipe, 16 Nilla wafers will do the trick, and they can be easily crushed in a resealable plastic bag with a heavy object.
My recipe makes 14 pancakes, which is enough for 3 1/2 large stacks or many smaller stacks, with plenty of streusel, cinnamon spread, and cream cheese icing for any size serving you prefer.
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Chipotle Red Chimichurri Sauce
Read moreChipotle’s new sauce, inspired by a traditional Argentinian recipe, is made to enhance several of the chain’s dishes, especially the carne asada. The Mexican restaurant modifies the classic sauce, which typically includes parsley, garlic, oil, vinegar, oregano, peppers, and salt. Instead of parsley, Chipotle uses cilantro and adds lemon juice, lime juice, and smoked paprika to the mix.
My Chipotle’s Red Chimichurri Sauce copycat recipe is simple. After roasting the minced garlic, mix it with all the other ingredients in a small bowl... and wait. Yes, patience is a virtue when it comes to this sauce. Let your chimichurri sit for at least an hour, and you'll be rewarded with a flavorful sauce that elevates dishes like burrito bowls, grilled salmon, chicken, steak, and many other dishes that need a boost of great flavor.
Find more of my Chipotle copycat recipes here.
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Sonic Drive-In Double Sonic Smasher
Read moreSonic’s new premium cheeseburger features two Angus beef patties, hand-smashed on a hot grill until a crispy crust forms, then stacked on a soft potato bun with American cheese, onions, pickles, and Smasher Sauce. Sonic calls it “America’s Smashional Cheeseburger,” and I call it “mission accomplished” after I figured out how to perfectly hack it at home.
Smashing the burgers properly is essential for a great clone, but for my Sonic Double Sonic Smasher copycat recipe to work out, I first needed an easy version of the chain’s Smasher Sauce. After several attempts, I finally replicated the secret formula using the simple mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and seasonings included here.
After the sauce was hacked, I turned my attention to the smashed Angus beef patties. To smash the ground beef properly, I needed a burger press, which can be found online. But rather than spending $20 online and waiting for it to be delivered, I located a paving stone supplier and convinced them to give me a free sample of a square brick. I wrapped it in aluminum foil and created an effective—and super cheap—burger press, which, thanks to its weight, worked even better than tools specifically designed for the job.
To cook the burger patties, use a flattop griddle if you have one, or two heavy pans like cast iron. When the pans are hot, smash the beef patty in the center of each pan with a press until flat, then slide a thin metal spatula underneath to flip it. Add cheese, stack the patties, build the burger with sauce, onions, and pickles, and you’ve just made a pro-style smashburger at home.
Find more of my Sonic Drive-In copycat recipes here.
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Olive Garden Meatballs Parmigiana
Read moreChicken Parmigiana is one of the most popular choices at any Italian restaurant, just like meatballs, so it makes sense to combine the two dishes for this appetizer that filled me up as much as any entrée. The dish at the restaurant comes with five meatballs, and this recipe makes ten meatballs, giving you enough for two appetizer-sized servings.
The first step in making my Olive Garden Meatballs Parmigiana copycat recipe was to figure out the best way to replicate the chain’s meatballs. According to the chain’s nutrition info, only ground beef, and no pork, is used in the meatballs. After trying several batches, I found a great match using ground beef with 20% fat. Any less fat, and the meatballs turned out too tough.
I already hacked the chain’s marinara sauce for the chain’s Chicken Parmesan, which I spooned into a serving dish, then added the meatballs, cheese, and breadcrumbs. After baking until the cheese was melted, I had a delicious match to the restaurant's original that just needed a little sprinkle of parsley before serving.
Find more of my Olive Garden Copycat Recipes here.
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Shake Shack Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Shake
Read moreThe Dubai chocolate bar was created by Sarah Hamouda, a British-Egyptian engineer living in Dubai, who conceived of the bars while pregnant in 2021. However, Sarah didn’t discover the right mix of sweetened pistachio paste, tahini, and shredded phyllo dough to fill the milk chocolate bar until 2023. Soon after the bars were perfected in 2024, a social media campaign on Instagram and TikTok went viral, transforming the Dubai chocolate bars into a worldwide sensation.
Noticing the trend, Shake Shack locations in the Middle East introduced this milkshake version of the candy bar in February 2025. The shake was so popular there that Shake Shack brought it to U.S. outlets for a limited run in the summer, where it received rave reviews. Before it disappeared, I snagged several of the shakes and stashed all but one in my freezer. That one went into my belly, and it was worth every calorie.
To make this shake, Shake Shack uses their famous custard as a base. For my Shake Shack Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Shake copycat recipe, you can either use my hack of the chain’s custard (here) or choose a good store-bought vanilla ice cream (such as Häagen-Dazs). You’ll add pistachio paste, which is easily found online, along with toasted, shredded phyllo dough called kataifi.
The most ingenious part of this recipe is the Magic Shell chocolate sauce that coats the inside of the plastic cup before you add the shake. When you squeeze the cup, the chocolate cracks into the frozen shake, recreating the experience of eating the famous chocolate bar. Use a clear 18-ounce plastic cup (like Solo) for the best re-creation of the original shake.
Try my recipe for the Shake Shack Burger here.
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Arby's Greek Gyro Sandwich
Read moreAccording to a 2017 QSR Web article, Arby’s Greek Gyro is the best-selling gyro sandwich in America, with over 27 million sold annually. Which means this Top Secret Recipes gyro clone is long overdue.
For my first attempt at making a Greek gyro clone, I started by re-creating the meat traditionally cooked on a vertical rotisserie spit. I formed a dense loaf of ground beef and lamb and baked it like a meatloaf in a small loaf pan. Arby’s combines lamb with beef to keep the gyro authentically Greek, but since beef is cheaper, it's probable that they add a bit less lamb to their blend than I did for this hack.
You can use the gyro meat immediately after it's baked, but to get the thinnest and most authentic slices, I find it best to chill the baked loaf thoroughly before slicing. Freezing it for about an hour also helps make it firmer, so you can slice it extra thin, just like real gyro meat.
The sliced meat is piled on warm pita, slathered with an easy tzatziki sauce made with mayo, like Arby's version (rather than traditional yogurt—and it's good!), along with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a sprinkle of the top-secret Greek seasoning hack that’s also revealed here.
Try my Arby's Greek Gyro Sandwich copycat recipe below and, find more of my Arby's copycat recipes here.
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Cracker Barrel Fresh Berry French Toast Bake
Read moreIn this creative twist on traditional French toast, sliced sourdough bread is dipped in vanilla custard, then layered with cheesecake filling, and baked until lightly browned. It's sliced and served warm, with fresh berries and strawberry syrup on the side. If you’re a fan of French toast and bread pudding, you’ll really love this.
For their French toast, Cracker Barrel uses soft sourdough from Bay’s Southern Bread, a Nashville-based bakery. And that’s the only place you can buy it. So, for my hack of the Cracker Barrel Fresh Berry French Toast Bake, I found a thick-sliced sourdough bread from Nature’s Own. That bread isn’t quite as soft as Bay’s Southern Bread, but it still works great. If you want your French toast even softer, you can use Nature’s Own thick-sliced brioche bread, as long as you don’t mind giving up the tangy sourdough flavor of the original.
If you aren't serving all six slices at once, leftovers can be stored for several days, and reheated in a microwave for 1 to 1½ minutes on high.
Find more of my Cracker Barrel copycat recipes here.
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Maggiano's Zucchini Fritte
Read moreIn Maggiano’s hit starter, large slices of zucchini are breaded and fried until crispy, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, and served with a bright lemon aioli for dipping. This is the top pick from the appetizer menu, according to servers at the upscale Italian chain, and I had to be sure my hack could satisfy even the most fervid fans of the original.
The first order of business for my Maggiano’s Zucchini Fritte copycat recipe was to figure out how to replicate the ultra-crispy coating that is a standout feature of the real thing. It’s clear that the zucchini is breaded with panko, but I needed a batter to make the panko stick to the zucchini. My first batter, made with flour, didn’t produce the standout crunchiness of the real thing. So, I called in the cornstarch. Cornstarch batters are notoriously crispy, so I combined cornstarch with the flour for the batter and finally discovered the crunchy breading I was searching for.
After the breading was cracked, I focused on the formula for a dipping sauce made with variations of mayo, sour cream, cream, and lemon juice until I had the ratios right for a perfect match. I brought it all together on a plate, finished it off with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese and freshly minced Italian parsley, and my mouth thought I was at Maggiano’s.
If you like Maggiano's, you'll also love my copycat recipe for Maggiano's Beef Tenderloin Medallions.
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On the Border Enchiladas
Read moreOf the four enchiladas served at this popular national Mexican chain, the cheese enchilada and chicken tinga enchilada stand out. They are filled with good stuff, and the sauces on top make them special. The cheese enchilada is doused with slow-cooked chili con carne sauce, while the tender chicken tinga enchilada is topped with a flavorful sour cream sauce and Jack cheese. And because I couldn’t decide which enchilada was better, I hacked them both.
For my On the Border Cheese Enchiladas copycat recipe, I’ll show you how to make a great con carne sauce and how to stuff the enchiladas with a blend of perfectly melted cheese. For my On the Border Chicken Tinga Enchiladas copycat recipe, I’ll show you how to make moist and flavorful chicken tinga with a grocery store rotisserie chicken and how to copy the great sour cream sauce with just four ingredients.
Using either of these secret recipes, you’ll make ten enchiladas in one 9x13-inch baking pan, so there should be enough to go around. The hardest step is deciding which to make: chicken or cheese? These enchiladas go great together on one plate and complement each other nicely, so I say, make ‘em both!
This is my #1 most popular recipe of 2025. Check out the other most popular recipes of the year: Taco Bell Cantina Chicken (#2), Carrabba's Pollo Rosa Maria (#3), Taco Bell Meximelt (#4), Crumbl Classic Pink Sugar Cookie (#5).
And here's the list of our most popular recipes of all-time.
Source: Hack That Dish by Todd Wilbur.
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Chick-fil-A Banana Pudding Milkshake
Read moreThe limited-time-only Banana Pudding Milkshake debuted at Chick-fil-A in 2011 to rave reviews, and then it disappeared for 13 years. In 2024, the chicken chain brought back the specialty milkshake, but once again, it was just for a short time, and we don’t know what’ll happen with it next. Since it sucks not to have control of your milkshake destiny, I came up with this easy hack formula that you can use any time to make a fantastic clone that looks and tastes just like the real thing, right down to the cherry on top.
For my Chick-fil-A Banana Pudding Milkshake copycat recipe, I included the most real banana that I could, then added just enough banana pudding mix to perfect the flavor.
I also discovered a preparation trick that produced a thicker finished product: place the banana, the blender, and the serving glass in your refrigerator for about an hour before making the shake. When everything is chilled, the ice cream stays thick while it’s blended.
Once the shake is smooth, stir in Nilla Wafers crumbs, pour it into your chilled glass, then add whipped cream, a cherry, and a straw.
Try more of my Chick-fil-A copycat recipes, like their famous chicken sandwich here.
Source: Hack That Dish by Todd Wilbur.
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Red Robin Ensenada Chicken
Read moreThis chain’s most popular chicken dish owes its appeal to two delicious sauces and the great way they work together. The dark red ancho chili sauce wakes the chicken with big, bold lime and chili flavors, and the salsa ranch drizzled over the top contributes a delicious, cooling layer of creaminess. If you like tequila lime chicken and fiesta chicken entrees from other restaurants, you'll really love this recipe.
For my Red Robin Ensenada Chicken copycat recipe, you have the option of cooking the brined chicken on an outdoor barbecue grill, on a flat grill, or in a sauté pan. It’s unclear which cooking method Red Robin uses for the chicken since the photo of the dish in the menu clearly shows grill marks as if cooked on a grate, while my take-home sample of the dish showed signs of being cooked on a flat surface. In the end, either way works.
The standout secret ingredient in this recipe is the A-1 sauce used in the ancho chili sauce, which contributes perfect fruity sweet-and-sour notes. That may sound like a strange addition, but it’s not unusual for Worcestershire sauce to be called for in ancho sauce, and A-1 is similar in many ways to Worcestershire.
The recipe makes 1 1/3 cups each of the ancho sauce and salsa ranch, so after you make these servings, you’ll still have plenty of the goodness left over for more chicken later or for other dishes.
Find more of your favorite Red Robin copycat recipes here.
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Cheesecake Factory Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Read moreThe secret to super creamy cheesecake that's not cracked on top—just like those you get at The Cheesecake Factory—is baking the cheesecake in a water bath. You will need a 10-inch springform cake pan for my Cheesecake Factory Vanilla Bean Cheesecake copycat recipe, and another pan that is larger than the springform pan to hold some water for the cheesecake to sit in while it bakes.
This cheesecake has vanilla bean seeds in each of the three layers (cheesecake filling, vanilla bean mousse, and spreaded whipped cream), so you'll need three vanilla bean pods. Those vanilla beans can be pricey at $3 to $4 per pod, but you're cloning a cheesecake that at the restaurant costs around 60 bucks for a whole 10-inch cake. Even when you figure in the other ingredients, your home knockoff will still cost much less than the real thing. And any leftovers will freeze well for a month or two.
Try more of my Cheesecake Factory hacks here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step by Todd Wilbur. -
Capital Grille Lobster Mac 'N Cheese
Read moreA video clip of an appearance that I discovered online from TV station WPRI in Rhode Islands features Capital Grill chef Matthew Gallagher demonstrating the technique his restaurant uses to create its signature Lobster Mac 'N Cheese side dish. Chef Gallagher explains that the chain uses four cheeses in the sauce: a soft cheese, a hard cheese, a flavorful cheese, and a sharp cheese, but he doesn't tell us exactly what those cheeses are.
After a trip to the restaurant to question the server, I discovered that the soft cheese is mascarpone, the flavorful cheese is Havarti, and the sharp cheese is white cheddar. My server said that the hard cheese is Parmesan, but after studying the menu and discovering Grana Padano being used to stuff the olives of the chain's 601 Martini Cocktail, I'm more inclined to use that in the recipe instead. If you can't find Grana Padano, go with the similar Parmigiano-Reggiano, or less expensive Parmesan.
The chain uses claw meat for the dish, which probably comes from the freshly cooked lobster it serves as entrees, but it's tough to find claw meat in store without buying a whole fresh lobster. For my Capital Grille Lobster Max & Cheese copycat recipe, we'll use the meat from two lightly poached medium lobster tails, which are much easier to procure. The restaurant uses campanelle pasta because it hold onto the sauce, but feel free to use bow-tie pasta, tube shaped pasta, even pasta shaped like dinosaurs if that's the mood you're in.
Find more of my Capital Grill copycat recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step by Todd Wilbur.
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Pinkberry Original (Tart) Frozen Yogurt
Read moreEvery recipe I found online claiming to duplicate the tart frozen fat-free yogurt popularized by this 250-unit California-based chain—including one designed by chefs at Food Network Magazine—calls for Greek yogurt as the main ingredient when there is no Greek yogurt in the real thing. Plain fat-free yogurt is mentioned in the ingredients statement, and a worker at the store confirmed this fact.
The tartness in the yogurt comes from citric acid, sometimes called "sour salt," which you can find in many grocery stores or online. For my original Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt copycat recipe, you'll add the hydrocolloid found in the real thing (a gel that simulates fat) by using fat-free half-and-half, which contains natural vegetable gums to create a smooth mouthfeel and a less icy texture.
Mix these six ingredients, pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and in about 20 minutes, you'll have five cups of tart soft-serve frozen yogurt that tastes just like the famous original.
Try more of my famous dessert copycat recipes here.
Source: Top Secret Restaurant Step-By-Step by Todd Wilbur.
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Panera Bread Mac & Cheese
Read moreTender pasta must swim in a thick, creamy white cheddar cheese sauce for a home mac and cheese recipe to perfectly match Panera’s take on the dish. The sauce must be smooth as silk and not at all grainy, as many cheddar cheese sauces, especially white cheddar sauces, can be. And the flavor must be so good that when you get to the bottom of the bowl, you instantly crave some more.
For my Panera Bread Mac & Cheese copycat recipe, you’ll want to use pipette pasta for the most similar clone, but any curvy pasta will do, such as elbows or small shells. The real secret here is the sauce, which can be a challenging hack since sharp cheese tends to melt poorly and create grainy and broken sauces, and all the white cheddar I found was either sharp or extra sharp.
With that melting challenge in mind, I chose to control the consistency of the sauce in three ways: with a flour roux, a cornstarch slurry, and by adding several slices of Kraft white American cheese Singles. That particular type of cheese contains sodium citrate, a magical additive that emulsifies the sauce and prevents the cheese from separating. If you can’t find Kraft Singles, look for another sliced white American cheese that contains sodium citrate. The flour and cornstarch are there to help thicken the sauce to the same consistency as the chain's delicious secret recipe.
Find more of your favorite Panera Bread copycat recipes here.
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Jack in the Box Smashed Jack Burger & Boss Sauce
Read moreIn 2024, Jack-in-the-Box introduced the chain’s best-reviewed burger, the Smashed Jack, with a ¼-pound “smashed-inspired” burger, grilled onions, and a new secret sauce. A press release from Jack-in-the-Box claimed that consumers in a taste test picked the new Smashed Jack as the best burger compared to McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King burgers.
You may have guessed that “smashed-inspired” means that these burgers aren’t prepared like burgers that are smashed with a press or heavy spatula on the grill—a process that triggers the Maillard reaction when amino acids and sugars are browned to give food a flavorful crust. But Jack-in-the-Box created a secret shortcut for speed and consistency that still gives the burgers that crust and the appearance of smashing without relying on cooks to actually smash them.
For my Jack-in-the-Box Smashed Jack copycat recipe, we’ll smash the burger for real, but we’ll start with a knockoff of the new Boss Sauce, which gets its smokey flavor from just a little bit of liquid smoke. Once that sauce is done, it’s time to cook the burger patty, which I found is best copied with ground Angus beef. Use a press or heavy spatula to press down on the burger as it cooks to create a browned crust on both sides of the patty.
After the burger is flipped, grilled onions are stacked on top, followed by American cheese. Then, the burger is finished with thick pickles and lots of your copycat Boss Sauce. This recipe shows you how to make one burger, but you’ll have enough leftover secret sauce to make several more.
If you're a fan of Jack in the Box Jumbo Jack or any of Jack's Shakes, or their famous tacos, click here for my clone recipes.
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Panera Bread Kitchen Sink Cookie
Read morePanera sells other cookies, but the star in the chain’s cookie display is this 6-ounce beauty packed with two kinds of chocolate, salty pretzels, and plenty of chewy caramel bits. This cookie lives up to its name, delivering a unique experience with every bite—almost like enjoying several different cookies simultaneously.
For my Panera Bread Kitchen Sink Cookie copycat recipe, I needed a cookie base that baked to a light brown around the edges while staying chewy in the middle. After accomplishing that mission, I experimented with the ratio of fillings. I sliced my cookies through the middle and compared their cross-section to the original to determine which ingredients needed adjustment. Then, I kept baking batches until my cookies matched Panera's.
To create the best clone, I found it best to measure the eggs. Since all large eggs are not the same size, I discovered that beating the eggs and measuring 1/3 cup for the recipe yielded more reliable results. Also, it's best to line your baking sheet with parchment paper rather than a silicone baking mat. Since these cookies are so big, they'll spread too much on the slippery surface of silicone mats and will come out thinner than you’d like. Parchment paper grips more, creating cookies that best resemble the Panera version.
Panera Bread has amazing soups too! See if I hacked your favorite here.
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Crumbl Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Read moreTo ensure success for their new cookie store, cousins Sawyer Hemsley and Jason McGowan knew they had to start with a great cookie recipe. Batch after batch, the partners baked milk chocolate chip cookies and shared them with taste testers for helpful advice on improving the recipe until, finally, they had created the very best cookie. In 2017, the cousins opened their first Crumbl cookie store in Logan, Utah to sell their new milk chocolate chip cookies. Just 7 years and over 200 cookie recipes later, Crumbl had grown to over 900 stores throughout the U.S. and Canada, and the chain now sells over 1 million cookies a day. Each week, the rotating menu features 6 cookie flavors, but a few special cookies, like this classic Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunk Cookie are almost always on the roster due to their popularity.
To create my Crumbl Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunk Cookie copycat recipe, I started with the cookie chain’s list of ingredients. I designed a recipe using that information and then systematically tweaked the formula through more than 35 batches, making minor adjustments each time. Through that process, I discovered the best ratio of brown sugar to white sugar, and I found that baking the cookies at a higher temperature worked best for crispy edges and chewy middles. I also found that one egg isn’t enough, and two eggs are too much, so beating two eggs and measuring ¼ cup after the foam settled was the best method for consistent results.
Crumbl uses a large scoop to portion these cookies, but you can also use your hands to form the dough into mounds with rough tops. Be sure to bake the cookies on parchment paper. I found silicone baking mats too slippery, causing the cookies to spread from the bottom and split. Also, don’t wander too far from the oven. Your cookies are done when they’re light brown around the edges and still appear uncooked in the center, so keep at least one eye on them.
This was my #3 most popular recipe of 2024. Check out the other most popular recipes of the year: Old Spaghetti Factory Rich Meat Sauce (#1), Cracker Barrel Country Fried Steak (#2), Cheesecake Factory Steak Diane (#4), Portillo's Chocolate Cake (#5).
Check out this list of our most popular recipes of all-time.
Source: Hack That Dish by Todd Wilbur.
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IHOP Classic Eggs Benedict
Read moreIn 2023, IHOP introduced some creative new eggs Benedict dishes, including one with bacon jam and another featuring shredded beef and poblano hollandaise sauce. I can certainly appreciate the chain’s novel approach to the traditional recipe, but your taste buds may not be ready for those bold flavors in the early a.m. That’s why, for this hack, I'm turning to the classic version of the chain’s Benedict, which will be gentle on your palate, no matter the time of day.
For my IHOP Classic Eggs Benedict copycat recipe, I’ll show you how to make hollandaise sauce from scratch in just a few minutes and how to poach perfect eggs just as quickly. Hopefully, this recipe will be one that you return to whenever you want an impressive breakfast that doesn’t take much work.
Once the poached eggs are done, stack them on black forest ham (a much better choice than Canadian bacon) and English muffins, douse them with the great hollandaise, and serve the dish with crispy hash browns or fruit on the side.
Source: Hack That Dish by Todd Wilbur.
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IHOP Cinnamon Bun Crepes
Read moreOne of IHOP’s creative new crêpes is this cinnamon bun/cheesecake mashup that’s probably more dessert than breakfast food, although no one at my house complained. Two delicate crêpes are filled with cheesecake mousse and drizzled with cinnamon bun filling and cream cheese icing, and it looks beautiful on the plate.
For my take on the IHOP Cinnamon Bun Crêpes recipe, I reworked the cinnamon topping which I previously hacked for IHOP’s Cinn-A-Stacks to hold its shape better when applied with a squirt bottle. And I’m including two easy new hacks for the cream cheese icing and cheesecake mousse.
Once your mousse and icings are done, use this original crêpes formula to make eight beautiful, delicate crêpes for four servings, topped with sliced strawberries and a dusting of powdered sugar.
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Cheesecake Factory Stuffed Mushrooms
Read moreDespite years of numerous requests to clone the stuffed mushrooms at The Cheesecake Factory, I never ordered the popular appetizer before embarking on this food hacking mission. But let me tell you, once I had my first bite of these mushrooms, with the perfect stuffing, creamy Madeira wine sauce, and crispy Parmesan topping, I understood all the big raves. Not only is this one of the best appetizers on the chain's menu, but these are far and away the best stuffed mushrooms I've ever had. And my Cheesecake Factory Stuffed Mushrooms copycat recipe would have to be just as good, no matter how long it took.
After many hours in the lab washing mushrooms, chopping mushrooms, and eating them, I finally worked up this hack that I'm convinced would fool even the biggest fans of the dish in a side-by-side taste test.
I've duplicated many popular dishes from Cheesecake Factory. See if I cloned your favorites here.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step by Todd Wilbur.
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Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa
Read moreWhen building your burritos, tacos, or tostada salads, there are several delicious fire-grilled and pulled meats to choose from at Café Rio, but the signature dish that everyone raves about is the Sweet Pork Barbacoa. The slow-braised pork is fork tender and comes in a sweet sauce that is flavored with a certain popular soft drink. Over the years I have debunked several culinary rumors of Coca-Cola being used in some secret recipes like Maid-Rite Loose Meat Sandwiches, but in this case I have confirmed that the rumors are indeed true. Coca-Cola is the secret ingredient that helps give this pork its sweet flavor.
For my Café Rio Sweet Babacoa copycat recipe, you'll need a total of 72 ounces of Coke, or the same amount that's in a six-pack of cans. It's best if you can find Mexican Coke, which is made with real sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup found in the U.S. version, but any Coke you've got will work here.
After several hours of braising, your pork will be fork-tender and filled with flavor to use in homemade burritos, tacos, and bowls.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Step by Step by Todd Wilbur.
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Dickey's Barbecue Pit Potato Salad
Read moreAmerica’s largest barbecue chain is famous for its great smoked meats. But Dickey’s Barbecue Pit also deserves a major shout-out for tasty potato salad that even potato salad haters will like. It’s sweet, sour, creamy, and speckled with just a bit of bell pepper and celery to make it interesting. And it’s easy to make a perfect copy at home with this handy Top Secret Recipe.
For my Dickey’s Potato Salad copycat recipe, you’ll start by mixing a simple dressing and stir it into diced potatoes that cook in just 10 minutes. Add some minced red and green bell pepper—both cook al dente in under 5 minutes—plus a little minced celery, and your work is done. And you made it for much less than it would cost to buy the real thing.
After it chills, give it a good stir, and your potato salad hack is ready for hungry mouths.
Fans of Dickey's will also love my original BBQ sauce and coleslaw copycat recipes here.
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Chipotle Chicken Al Pastor
Read moreA dish traditionally made with pork is redesigned for chicken in this Mexican chain’s limited-time-only sweet-and-spicy variation. All the key ingredients for good al pastor are here: pineapple, lime, achiote, and morita chipotle peppers, which come together to make a bright orange sauce for basting marinated chicken thighs.
The TV commercial for Chipotle’s new offering claims the morita peppers are seared and shows wild flames dancing around a pan filled with fresh green and red peppers. That is perhaps not an accurate depiction of the preparation process, considering that morita peppers are made by smoking red jalapeños, like chipotles, not green ones. And smoked jalapeños do not look like fresh jalapeños, so I'm not sure what's going on there in that pan.
Regardless of the confusing clues in the TV ad, to make my Chipotle Chicken Al Pastor copycat recipe, you'll want to find dry morita peppers, then remove the seeds and toast the peppers in your oven before making the secret sauce. Baste the sauce on your chicken just before it's done cooking, then chop it up and use it to make delicious tacos, burritos, salads, and bowls.
Source: Hack That Dish by Todd Wilbur.
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McDonald's Apple Pie
Read moreWhen McDonald’s introduced fast food apple pies to America in 1968 they were originally deep-fried, but in 1992 the chain replaced the fried pies on the standard menu with a healthier baked version. However, the original fried pies are not entirely extinct. You can still find the clasic fried version at few U.S. locations (such as in Hawaii) and at McDonald’s restaurants overseas.
The secret to a perfect McDonald's Apple Pie home clone is a great crust which is best made from scratch. The filling can be quickly duplicated with canned apple pie filling that has been chopped and enhanced with a bit of ground cinnamon. The baked version also has a flavorful dusting of cinnamon on top before goes into the oven.
If you're the nostalgic type and would like to re-create the original fried version of the pie, pop on down to the Tidbits for an easy recipe variation that should bring back some tasty memories.
Source: "Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step" by Todd Wilbur.
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Applebee's Brew Pub Pretzels & Beer Cheese Dip
Read moreThe chain’s popular appetizer brings three secret recipes together in one dish: the pretzels, the beer cheese, and the honey Dijon mustard dip. And I’ve got original hacks for all three formulas that will make enough for lots of bellies.
Bavarian pretzels are traditionally bathed in a lye solution before they’re baked to give them a dark shiny brown skin. Food-grade lye, when cooked, is safe to eat, but it’s not an ingredient usually found at the corner food store. So, to make my Applebee’s Beer Pub Pretzels recipe more convenient, I’m opting for a baking soda bath to darken these pretzels. They don’t have the same shine as lye-bathed pretzels, but if you use enough baking soda, your pretzels will come out beautifully caramel brown, just like the real thing.
For my Applebee’s Beer Cheese Dip recipe, I had to come up with a good way to melt white cheddar, which can be tricky since it’s hard to find mild (softer) white cheddar. Most white cheddar I found was either sharp or extra sharp, and when I made a sauce using a roux, the finished product came out much too grainy. On my next attempt, I tried a different approach by melting a chunk of Velveeta Queso Blanco in some milk before adding the shredded white cheddar. Thanks to sodium citrate, a cheese melting aid that’s in Velveeta, the sauce came out smooth as silk, and I was thrilled.
After your pretzels and beer cheese are done, mix up the easy honey Dijon mustard dipping sauce in a small bowl, and you’re ready to serve a gang of pretzel lovers with 12 Bavarian pretzel sticks and plenty of beer cheese and mustard sauce for dipping.
Check out more of my cool copycat appetizers here.
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Steak 'N Shake Classic Milk Shakes
Read moreThe calorie count was the key information that helped me decode this recipe. I first tried to clone the milkshake using regular ice cream and whole milk. That produced a rich, creamy treat, but it was much thicker than the one from the restaurant. I also noticed ice crystals in the original that weren’t in my version—a clue that lighter ingredients might be used.
Next, I calculated the total calories of my version and compared the numbers to the nutritional information on the restaurant's website. My version with regular ice cream and whole milk created a 16-ounce milkshake with a diet-busting total of 1,345 calories. Steak 'n Shake's shakes weigh in with less than half that. When I replaced the regular ice cream with "light" ice cream, my new shake dropped to around 600 calories — the same as the Steak 'n Shake original, and the flavor and consistency were perfect!
For my Steak 'n Shake Milk Shake copycat recipes to work best, find a light ice cream, such as Breyer's Light. Also, you can make a thicker milkshake by chilling the blender container and serving glass before you make the shakes.
And there are many more popular drinks you can make at home! Click here to see if I hacked your favorite.
Source: Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step by Todd Wilbur.
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Chipotle Roasted Chili-Corn Salsa
Read moreCitrus juices, sweet white corn, and roasted jalapeno pepper combine for this slightly spicy sweet-and-sour salsa, which has become a popular topper at the chain for those not looking for something with a lot of heat.
For my Chipotle Roasted Chili-Corn Salsa copycat recipe, I started by piercing a jalapeno with a skewer and lightly blackened it over my stovetop gas flame (if you don’t have a gas stove, you can also roast it in your oven). I diced the pepper, then combined it with white corn, red onion, cilantro, salt, and citrus juices and let it rest for a half hour.
After a taste test and several more batches to adjust ratios, I finally had a salsa that was indistinguishable from the real thing and could now be used on all sorts of deserving home creations, just like the corn salsa you get at the famous Mexican chain.
Find more of my Chipotle copycat recipes here.
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IHOP Thick 'N Fluffy French Toast
Read moreIHOP upped its French toast game in 2022 with the introduction of a new recipe that suggests your French toast is only as good as the bread you start with, and IHOP’s new Thick ‘N Fluffy French Toast starts with thick specialty artisan bread, rather than the more commonly used Texas toast white bread.
For my IHOP Thick 'N Fluffy French Toast copycat recipe, you can use any thick-sliced bread from your bakery, but there are two national brands that work well: Nature’s Own Perfectly Crafted Thick-Sliced White Bread and Sara Lee Artisano. Either of those will do, but of the two, Nature’s Own is shaped more like IHOP’s version.
Adding vanilla and a little cinnamon to the easy batter will set these waffles apart from most others, and in no time, you’ll have 6 beautiful slices of French toast for a total of 3 servings. Dust them with a little powdered sugar, add some butter and maple syrup on the side, and it’s like you just opened an IHOP in your house.
This recipe was my #5 most popular of 2023. Check out the other most popular unlocked recipes of the year: Church's Chicken Original and Spicy Fried Chicken (#1), IKEA Swedish Meatballs (#2), Chipotle Guacamole (#3), Subway Cookies (#4).
Check out this list of our most popular recipes of all-time.
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Burger King French Toast Sticks
Read moreMany fast food chains have offered French toast sticks over the years, including McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Sonic, Roy Rogers, and Jack in the Box, but Burger King was first to introduce the morning finger food way back in 1985, and if staying power is any indication of preference, then BK is most deserving of this new top secret recipe.
Burger King French Toast Sticks are a perfect fast food item, since they come pre-battered and par-fried, and workers just need to toss a few frozen sticks into the fryer next to the French fries for 3 or 4 minutes, and they’re ready to go, along with a handy dipper pack of maple-flavored syrup.
But no deep-frying is necessary here for my French toast sticks copycat recipe. Instead, you’ll cook your quartered and battered white bread slices in a combination of butter and oil in a sauté pan for a couple of minutes per side, or until the sticks are nicely browned. Serve them with a side of warm maple syrup, and you can even add a dusting of powdered sugar on top if you want to get fancy about it.
Next time you make breakfast, mix things up with some of these as a sweet, easy-to-eat starter.
Find recipes for more of your favorite items from Burger King here.
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Chili's Secret Sauce Burger
Read moreIn 2021, Chili’s added a new burger to its menu lineup of Big Mouth Burgers, and this one comes with a big saucy secret.
Chili's Secret Sauce Burger is simple in construction with a soft brioche bun, a huge ½-pound patty, sliced lettuce, and American cheese. It’s also got sautéed onion piled on it, which sets this burger recipe apart from typical fast food fare, but it’s the secret sauce that makes this big burger rock.
The sauce used on this burger is the same sauce the chain initially created for Chili’s Big Mouth Chicken Sandwich—a formula that appears to be inspired by the popular chicken sandwich sauce made famous at Chick-fil-A. You can make my Chili's Secret Sauce recipe revealed here in just a couple of minutes with a simple combination of mayonnaise, ketchup, barbecue sauce, honey, and mustard, plus a little turmeric to add a golden tint.
As for the burger patties, get ground chuck that has a fat content of at least 20%, or grind your own. As the burgers cook, press down on them with a spatula to release the melting fat like they do in the restaurant. This will trigger the Maillard reaction that browns the meat and adds a flavorful crust to your burgers, so your homemade Chili's Secret Sauce Burgers will taste just as good as the original.
Find more of your favorite recipes for Chili's famous dishes here.
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Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream
Read moreIf I told you that Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream was formulated generations ago on a dairy farm in the rolling hills of Denmark, you’d probably believe me because it sounds true. And that’s precisely what Rueben Mattus wanted you to think when he created his new ice cream brand in 1960. In the Bronx in New York City.
Rueben used a marketing technique called “foreign branding.” To set his brand apart from others, he created the impression that his new ice cream was an exotic, special recipe made with hard-to-obtain ingredients. To come up with the name, Rueben sat at his kitchen table in the mornings, blurting out non-sensical words until he eventually landed on one that sounded Danish: Häagen-Dazs. The word is meaningless; it’s not Dutch, and it even includes anumlaut, which doesn’texist in the Danish alphabet.
While the name may suggest a fancy and complicated recipe for ice cream, the Häagen-Dazs label is one of the simplest and cleanest you'll find among major ice cream brands. There are just five ordinary ingredients: cream, skim milk, cane sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. And those will be the exact ingredients we’ll use in our hack.
To create my Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream copycat recipe, I experimented with the ratios of the five ingredients through many batches until I finally zeroed in on the perfect combination for a French vanilla ice cream that’s prepared like custard but with fewer eggs and just enough butterfat to re-create the smooth mouthfeel of the original.
Follow these simple steps to prepare your ice cream base, then chill it and pour it into an ice cream maker. After 30 minutes of churning, get a spoon ready because you'll have a generous quart of the best homemade ice cream you’ve ever tasted, and it's best when it’s soft.
Try using your freshly made ice cream in one of my famous shake recipes here.
Source: Hack That Dish by Todd Wilbur.
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Maggiano's Mozzarella Marinara
Read moreMaggiano’s transforms a usually ho-hum finger food appetizer into a beautiful starter of thick breaded mozzarella slices topped with more melted mozzarella and a delicious marinara sauce.
To make a dish at home that looks and tastes like the original, you start by cutting three slices off a 2-pound block of mozzarella. After breading the cheese with the technique here, let the cheese rest while you make the marinara so that the breading sticks better when the cheese chunks are fried.
My original Maggiano's Mozzarella Marinara recipe will produce three crispy cheese slices, just like in the photo. And if you want a bigger serving, you’ll have enough breading and marinara to double up on the recipe for a total of six breaded cheese slices.
If you like Maggiano's, you'll also love my copycat recipe for Maggiano's Beef Tenderloin Medallions.
Source: Hack That Dish by Todd Wilbur.

For over 35 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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