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www.TopSecretRecipes.com

CONTENTS
Introduction

Kelloggs Eggo Waffles

Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Chocolate Cake Mix

Starbucks Rocky Road Cake Pops
Milos Famous Sweet Tea

Kobe Ichiban Steakhouse Shrimp Sauce

Cracker Barrel Fried Apples

10

11

Cracker Barrel Baked Apple Dumplin

12

Orange Gatorade (from Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step)

14

Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step)
McDonalds Big Mac (from Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step)

22

18

16

INTRODUCTION
Congratulations agent! You have achieved Security Level Beta and are granted
access to this highly classified intel from Top Secret Recipes HQ. Please note that this
information is CONFIDENTIAL and cannot be shared with individuals who have a TSR
security clearance level lower than yours. We ask that you please be mindful of who
is in close proximity when you are experimenting with these formulas to help protect
your mission from the possibility of exposure to sleeper cell anti-clone recipe groups or
individuals. If, for any reason, any of these ten formulas make it into counteragent hands,
please be aware that we will be forced to disavow all involvement in your activities, and
you will have no choice but to go rogue (at least thats what we will make the other guys
think you are doing!).

The truth is, since you are such a valuable asset to us, we will remain in constant
contact with you via email with weekly notices disguised as newsletters. We will
continue to send you the secret links to newly hacked recipes and will keep you informed
about new developments and intelligence here at Top Secret Recipes Headquarters.
Still, take careful measures to ensure that you are never seen in possession of this Secret
Stash. You may, of course, serve your friends and family an unlimited amount of the
fantastic food that you produce with The Secret Stash. But, if asked where you got any of
the recipes, we recommend that you say, It came from Gwyneth Paltrows website, and
quickly change the subject.

What follows are the ten formulas from The Secret Stash. The first seven recipes are
never-before-published and much-requested formulas that came out of development
in the underground lab, like the Fried Apples from Cracker Barrel, Starbucks Cake Pops,
or the famous Shrimp Sauce from Kobe Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse. The last three are
a sneak peak from the new book Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step, that includes Orange
Gatorade, Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies and McDonalds Big Mac.

We fully expect you to thoroughly analyze, inspect, and dissect this new intel, then
cook with it and eat all that really great looking stuff you just cooked. We here at TSR
hope that you find this intelligence satisfying and delicious.

We are happy to have you on the team at TSR Security Level Beta and look forward
to many tasty kitchen missions together in our future. Until then, happy cloning agent!

33

KELLOGGS
EGGO WAFFLES

First-Time Hack
Active Prep: 10 min.
Inactive Prep: 20 min.

Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 8-10 waffles

On November 18, 2009 Kellogg Co. reporteda nationwide shortage of its popular Eggo frozen waffles

until the middle of 2010 because of interruptions at two of the four plants that make them. Historic amounts
of rain closed a plant in Atlanta, and production lines at the bakery in Rossville, Tennessee were closed
indefinitely for repairs. Once I heard the news I bounced to my local supermarket and snagged some of the
last few boxes of Eggos on the freezer shelves to pound out a recipe
for the homestyle version of these waffles (plus three other popular
varietiessee Tidbits). Now the Eggo-deprived could fill the hole in
their freezer with a worthy substitute until the real Eggos returned. But I
never did print the recipe in a book.
Eggo Waffles are round, so I looked everywhere for a waffle iron
that will produce round waffles small enough to fit into your toaster.
No such luck. I finally called off the search when I decided that waffle
shape is an unimportant detail. What really matters is that your waffles
taste the same as Eqqo Waffles, and heat up the same way in a toaster
as Eggo Waffles when you are ready to serve them. So thats how I
designed this clone.
With this recipe you make waffles that are slightly undercooked so
that they can be frozen and reheated later in a standard toaster without
overcooking. Most waffle irons produce rectangular waffles that fit
nicely into a toaster, but even the waffles that come out of round waffle
irons are easy to break in half or in quarters so that they completely fit
all the way into the toaster slot when youre ready to eat them. Just be
sure to set your toaster on its lowest or second lowest setting when you
heat them up.
Today Eggo Waffles are plentiful on store shelves. But if there is
ever another shortage in this waffles future, you are now prepared.
BASIC RECIPE (HOMESTYLE)

4 eggs
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cups whole milk
cup water
cup buttermilk
cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
16 ounces (3 cups) all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
11 8 teaspoons salt

OPTIONAL
8 drops yellow food coloring

44

1 Heat up awaffle iron.

2 Beat eggs with sugar in a large bowl with an

electric mixer for 1 minute on high speed. Add

milk, water, buttermilk, melted butter, and oil and
mix until combined.
3 Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl

and mix for about 30 seconds or until the batter is

smooth with no lumps. Mix in the food coloring if
you want your waffles to be the same color as real
Eggo Waffles.

4 Spray a waffle iron with non-stick oil spray.

Pour cup to 1 cup of batter (or whatever your
waffle iron requires) onto the waffle iron, close it
and cook the waffle for 1 to 2 minutes, or until just
light brown and slightly undercooked.
5 When the waffles are cool, seal them up in

freezer bags and freeze.

6 To prepare waffles for serving, cook them as

you would the original product: in a toaster on

the lowest setting until hot all the way through. If
your waffle iron makes giant waffles you may have
to cut or break them in half so that they fit all the
wayinto your toaster.

TIDBITS You can make clones of three other

varieties of Eggo Waffles by making minor
adjustments to the above recipe:
FOR BUTTERMILK WAFFLES
Change to: cup milk and cup buttermilk.

FOR BLUEBERRY WAFFLES

Add cup dried and chopped blueberries to
the basic recipe batter. Stir in blueberries after
combining wet ingredients with dry ingredients.

FOR WHOLE WHEAT WAFFLES

Use 8 ounces ( cups) all-purpose flour and 8
ounces (1 cups) whole wheat flour. Also, dont
use food coloring.

55

DUNCAN HINES
MOIST DELUXE
DARK CHOCOLATE
FUDGE CAKE MIX

First-Time Hack
Active Prep: 5 min.
Inactive Prep: 30 min.

Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 2 9-inch cakes

Lets say you want to make some chocolate cake that tastes like those popular mixes that come in a box

but you dont have much of a craving for propylene glycol mono- and diesters of fats, polyglycerol esters of
fatty acids, cellulose gum, mono- and diglycerides or xanthan gum. If youre making cake from a box mix,
thats what youll be eating. But you dont have to eat those ingredients when you hack your own cake mix.
Simply combine the dry ingredients here with shortening and you will have a mix that is shelf-stable until
you add the wet ingredients the same way you do with the brand-name boxed stuff. And, you can use this
mix to replace the box cake mix called for in the following recipe for Starbucks Rocky Road Cake Pops. Sweet!
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cups bakers sugar (superfine sugar)
cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening

TO MAKE CAKE
113 cups water

cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking

soda, and salt in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add

shortening, then use an electric mixer on medium speed to
blend shortening into dry ingredients. Mix until no chunks
of shortening are visible. This is your cake mix, which you
can keep in a sealed container for up to a couple months
until you are ready to make the cake.
2 To make the cake preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease

the sides and bottom of two 9-inch baking pans or one

13x9-inch pan. Lightly flour the greased pans.

3 Blend dry cake mix (from step #1) with water, oil and eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer at low
speed until moistened. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 more minutes.
4 Pour batter into pans and bake for 30 to 33 minutes for 9-inch pans, and 35 to 38 minutes for 13x9-inch
pan. You can also make cupcakes with the mix. They take 19 to 22 minutes.

66

STARBUCKS
ROCKY ROAD
CAKE POPS

First-Time Hack
Active Prep: 1 hr.
Inactive Prep: 2.5 hrs.

Difficulty: Hard
Yield: 42-48 pops

Starbucks introduced Cake Pops in 2011 to celebrate the companys 40th birthday and they were

an instant hit. Rocky Road was one of the three first flavors to go on sale along with Tiramisu and Birthday
Cake, and you can make dozens of your own clones of this flavor with a few supplies from your local craft
store. Any hobby store with candy making supplies will have the Wilton Candy Melts, lollipop sticks and
Styrofoam blocks youll need to make around 4 dozen of these great cake pops that are perfect for a special
celebration. Also try to find the super small marshmallows called Mallow Bits from Jet-Puffedthey are
perfect for this recipe. If you cant find those, you can still make the recipe work great by chopping up some
mini marshmallows with a sharp knife.
1 18.25-ounce box chocolate cake mix (such as
Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker)
113 cups water
cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 cup chopped mixed nuts (pre-chopped/mixed
topping)

1 3-ounce jar Jet-Puffed Mallow Bits (or 2 cups mini

marshmallows, chopped)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons chocolate fudge frosting
(from a 16-ounce tub)
2 14-ounce packages dark cocoa Wilton Candy Melts
42 to 48 4-inch paper lollipop sticks
4 12x4-inch Styrofoam blocks

1 Make the cake in a 9x13-inch baking pan following the directions on the box using water, oil and eggs.
Cool completely.
2 If you cant find super-mini marshmallows (Mallow Bits), chop the mini marshmallows in small batches

with a clean, sharp knife until each piece is about the size of a pea.

3 When the cake is cool, gently crumble the cake into a large bowl using your hands. Make sure there are

no large chunks of cake. Mix 1 cup of the marshmallows and cup of nut topping into the crumbled cake.
Spoon dollops of the frosting into the cake and mix it up using a large spoon just until mixed in.
4 Roll the cake into 1-inch balls between the palms of your hands and arrange the balls on a baking
sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze for at least two hours.
5 While your cake pops are chilling, use a lollipop stick to make 12 holes, about 2 inches apart, halfway

down into each of the Styrofoam blocks. This is where your pops will set up.

6 When the dough balls have chilled, pour the cocoa candy melts into a microwaveable glass or

ceramic bowl. Heat them for 1 minute on high, and then stir them until smooth. If the candy melts are not
completely melted, pop them back in the microwave for another 15 to 30 seconds, and gently stir.
7 To coat the cake pops, take just a few balls out of the freezer at a time. Press a lollipop stick about

77

halfway into one of the balls. Dip the ball into

the candy and then swirl it up and out of the
chocolate. Gently tap your hand on the side of the
bowl so that the excess drips off. While the coating
is still tacky, move the cake pop over an empty
bowl and quickly press several marshmallows into
the chocolate, then sprinkle chopped nuts over the
chocolate while spinning the pop. The nuts that do
not stick will fall into the empty bowl and you can
use them again.
8 Use your finger to wipe away any excess candy

88

that may have dripped down the stick, then stick

the pop into a hole in the block of Styrofoam.
Repeat the process with the remaining pops. You
may need to reheat the chocolate candy coating
a couple more times during the coating process.
Simply zap the coating in the microwave on
high for 20 to 30 seconds and gently stir before
continuing with the coating. Place the finished
pops into the holes in the Styrofoam and keep
them in your refrigerator until you are ready to eat
them. After they are chilled you can also store the
pops in bags in your freezer for several months.

MILOS
FAMOUS SWEET TEA

First-Time Hack
Active Prep: 15 min.
Inactive Prep: 2 hrs.

Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 1 gallon

Milo Carlton opened the first Milos Hamburger Shop in Brirmingham, Alabama in 1946 serving

hamburgers, pies and freshly brewed iced tea which customers would sweeten from a bowl of sugar on each
table. But because of a sugar ration caused by the war, Milo was forced to do something no one had tried
before: he took all the sugar bowls off of the tables and pre-sweetened the tea. When customers realized the
tea was better than they could make themselves Milos Famous Sweet Tea became as popular as the food.
In the late 80s Milos began selling the Famous Sweet Tea in gallon jugs in grocery stores in the Birmingham
area and it has been a growing successful product ever since, recently becoming a national brand.
To duplicate a Southern sweet tea like this you absolutely must start with Southern tea bags, and that
means Luzianne. This New Orleans tea company crafts its tea blend especially for iced tea and you will get
the best clone of Southern-style sweet tea with this brand. If you cant find Luzianne, you can still make great
tea with Lipton Iced Tea Bags.

4 Luzianne family size iced tea

bags
8 cups boiling water
113 cups granulated sugar
8 cups cold water

1 Bring 8 cups of water

to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart
saucepan over high heat.
2 When water is thoroughly

boiling turn off the heat, add

the tea bags and cover. Allow
the tea to steep for exactly
15 minutes then remove the
bags. Stir in sugar until it is
dissolved.

3 Pour the cold water into a

pitcher that holds 1 gallon.

4 Add the warm tea to

the cold water and stir. Chill
for several hours, until cold,
before serving over ice.

99

KOBE ICHIBAN
JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE
SHRIMP SAUCE

First-Time Hack
Active Prep: 5 min.
Inactive Prep: 1 hr.

Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 1 cups

For years and years Ive been hearing about a delicious shrimp sauce at the Japanese steakhouses,

that is an amazing dipping sauce for seafood. A variety of Japanese steakhouses were named as having
the best sauce, but it was the name Kobe that came up most often. The problem with this is that there
are many unrelated Japanese Steakhouse across the country using the name Kobe so I had trouble
tracking down the right sauce to hack. That is, until I had a speaking engagement in Orlando, Florida where
I discovered an 11-unit chain in the Orlando/Tampa area called Kobe Ichiban. This cook-in-front hibachi
steakhousewhich looked a lot like a Benihanadid indeed have the light orange creamy dipping sauce
that everyone raved about. And they were right, it was fantastic. It was sweet and sour and salty and creamy,
and it tasted amazing on the shrimpas well as on everything else. But it didnt seem like it would be too
hard to reverse-engineer. So I poured some into some small plastic containers I had with me (always come
prepared!), then popped them into a cooler for the long trip back to Las Vegas, where, in the underground
lab, a clone for this much-requested sauce was finally acheived.
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
5 teaspoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
teaspoon garlic powder
18 teaspoon ground black pepper

1010

1 Whisk together all ingredients until smooth in a

medium bowl. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

2 Stir again before using as a dipping sauce for grilled or

sauted shrimp, seafood, and vegetables.

CRACKER BARREL
FRIED APPLES

First-Time Hack
Active Prep: 10 min.
Inactive Prep: 20 min.

Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Cracker Barrels Fried Apples side dish have been a popular dish at the chain for years. So popular, in

fact, that they sell jars of it in the gift shop. But no need to buy it there when a Top Secret Recipe will do the
job. What makes this prep so nice is you dont have to peel the apples. Just cook them with the peels on until
the apples are tender just like the original, and theyre ready to eat. These are great by themselves or as a
topping on ice cream. They are also used as the filling for the Baked Apple Dumplin clone recipe that follows.
3 golden delicious apples, unpeeled
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
cup apple juice
cup water
2 teaspoons cornstarch

cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
18 teaspoon ground cinnamon
18 teaspoon ground allspice
18 teaspoon salt

1 Without peeling the apples core them and slice them into 8 slices each, so that you have a total of 24
slices.
2 Melt butter in a 2 or 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted add the sliced

apples. Cook, while gently stirring the apples occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until you see some light
browning on the apples.
3 Combine the apple juice and water in a small bowl or glass and stir in the cornstarch. Add this to the

apples along with the remaining ingredients.

4 Cook apples for 8 to 10 minutes once they begin to simmer. Apples are done when they are tender but
not mushy, and the sauce has thickened to a syrup.

1111

CRACKER BARREL
BAKED APPLE DUMPLIN

First-Time Hack
Active Prep: 5 min.
Inactive Prep: 2.5 hrs.

Difficulty: Medium
Yield: 4 servings

One of the best choices you will make in life is having this dish for dessert when youre at Cracker

Barrel. They call it a Dumplin but its really just your own little streusel-covered apple pie, served up hot in
its own small baking dish with two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream on top, and drizzled with a warm apple/
caramel sauce. Take a bite and youll notice the apples inside taste just like Cracker Barrels own Fried Apples
side dish. So thats what well use here. Check out the previous recipe (page 11) for that secret formula and
prepare to make two amazing small pies that will serve a total of four people.

CRUST

12 ounces (2 cups) all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
cup cold unsalted butter
cup cold vegetable shortening
cold water
1 egg yolk, beaten

STREUSEL TOPPING
13 cup granulated sugar
13 cup all-purpose flour
cup finely chopped pecans (chips)
teaspoon baking powder

1 Make the crust by combining the flour with

the sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add the

butter and shortening and combine with a pastry
blender or large fork so that the fats are well
distributed into the flour. The texture should be
crumbly. Combine the beaten egg yolk with the
water and pour it into the dough. Mix with a large
spoon until you can bring the dough together into
a ball with your hands. Flatten the dough into a
thick disk, then wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it
for a couple hours or overnight.
2 Make the streusel topping by combining the

sugar, flour, pecans, baking powder, and salt in

a small bowl. Pour the melted butter over the

1212

18 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons melted butter

APPLE FILLING

1 batch from previous recipe for Cracker Barrel

Fried Apples (on page 11)

APPLE TOPPING
cup Smuckers Caramel Sundae Topping
cup apple cider
TO SERVE
4 scoops vanilla bean ice cream

mixture while stirring with a spoon until mixture is

crumbly. Set aside.
3 Prepare the Cracker Barrel Fried Apples clone

in the recipe on page 11. This is your filling.

4 When you are ready to assemble your mini

pies, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. F.
5 Split the dough in half and roll out one half on

a floured surface until about 1 8-inch thick. Use a

knife to trim a piece of dough that would fill the
bottom of a 12 ounce baking dish. Lightly grease
the dish then lay the dough into the dish. Use your
fingers to press it flush with the dish then use a

sharp knife to trim off the excess dough so that

the top edge of the dough is about flush with the
top of the dish.

then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for

another 17 to 22 minutes or until the tops are nicely
browned.

6 Spoon half of the apples (or whatever fits

7 Make the apple caramel sauce by combining

in your dish) into the dough add a little of the

streusel on top of the apple filling then cover
with another piece of dough. Trim so that the
edge of the top piece of dough matches up with
the top edge of the other piece and gently press
them together. Repeat with the other dumplin,
then bake them for 15 minutes at 425 degrees
F or until the tops are light brown. Sprinkle a
handful of the streusel topping of each dumplin,

the ingredients in a small bowl and microwaving

for 1 minute or until thick.
8 Serve each Baked Apple Dumplin by adding

two scoops of ice cream on top of each one,

followed by a generous drizzling of the apple
caramel sauce.

1313

GATORADE
ORANGE SPORTS DRINK
(from Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step)

First-Time Hack
Prep Time: 5 min.

Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 64 ounces

Researchers at University of Floridas College of Medicine developed Gatorade in 1965 when

the head coach of the Florida Gators football team requested a specially designed drink that could
replace lost fluids during hot weather games. With players pounding the new sports drink, the Gators
went on to take their first Orange Bowl victory in 1967 against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. When
the head coach of the Yellow Jackets was asked why his team lost, he said, We didnt have Gatorade.
That made the difference. Later that year, Gatorade became the official drink of the NFL.
The secret to making Gatorade at home is not just about getting the flavor right but also about
locating a simple source of the drinks important supplemental ingredients, potassium and dextrose.
Potassium (along with salt) replaces electrolytes that are lost when you sweat to ensure proper
functioning of your brain and organs. I discovered that a good source of potassium is Mortons salt
substitute, which is made with potassium chloride. Most supermarkets should have it stocked near
the salt. Dextrose, on the other hand, is a natural sugar that absorbs quickly into your body to restore
glycogen in muscles lost during physical activity. Bodybuilders and athletes use it during and after
games and workouts to speed up recovery and stimulate muscle growth. Luckily, I was able to find
the perfect product that added just the right amount of dextrose to 64 ounces of water and that also
came in the perfect orange flavor: Willy Wonka Pixy Stix. Find the large 1-ounce size in the giant plastic
straw, and grab two. I found them online for 50 cents each.

Dump everything here into a 64-ounce pitcher of water, stir to dissolve, and in just a few minutes
youll have the same taste and energy benefits of one of the two original flavors of Gatorade, but at
about half the price.

2 quarts (8 cups) water

7 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 1-ounce (13 cup total) orange-flavored Willy Wonka Pixy Stix
teaspoon citric acid (aka sour salt)
teaspoon orange-flavored unsweetened Kool-Aid powder
teaspoon unflavored gelatin
18 teaspoon salt
18 teaspoon Mortons salt substitute (potassium chloride)

1414

Combine everything in a 2-quart pitcher and stir until all the solid ingredients have
dissolved. Serve cold.
TIDBITS The orange-flavored version of Gatorade was one of just two flavors sold
for almost twenty years. The other was lemon-lime. The University of Florida receives
20 percent of Gatorade sales every year which totals around $12 million annually.

1515

MRS. FIELDS
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
(from Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step)

Improved Hack

Active Prep: 15 min.

Inactive Prep:
1 hr. 20 min.
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 20 cookies

It was over 25 years ago that I received a copy

of the infamous chain letter claiming to reveal
the secret recipe for Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip
Cookies. The letter, which has now become the
stuff of legend, told a tall tale of a woman who
had purchased the formula at a Mrs. Fields store,
and included the recipe for mediocre cookies that
tasted nothing like the brand-name version. The
chain letter recipe was so widely shared across
the country that the company was forced to
post signs in all Mrs. Fields stores debunking the
letters claims. It was a big problem for the company since people who tried the recipe, without
ever tasting the original cookies, thought the real Mrs. Fields Cookies must be as ordinary as those
made with the recipe. The uproar over this "secret"
letter made me realize how much home cooks
hunger for famous copycat recipes, and that's when
my ongoing adventure in food hacking began. This
was the first recipe I made for the Top Secret Recipes
series of books.
Since then I have learned a lot about
reverse-engineering famous foods. When I had
the opportunity to visit Mrs. Fields headquarters
in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2011 for my CMT show
Top Secret Recipe, I was allowed to witness the
company's cookie-making process in their own test
kitchen, where I picked up several important tips and tricks to help me produce this improved
clone version of the famous cookie. For the most accurate clone youll want to track down some
Madagascar vanilla, high-quality chocolate chips (I like Guittard), and a 2-inch ring mold or a can
with both ends cut out for forming the dough into disks to be frozen.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

5 ounces ( cup) dark brown sugar, packed
5 ounces ( cup) granulated sugar
1 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons Madagascar vanilla extract

14 ounces (2 cups) all-purpose

bleached flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
teaspoon baking powder
1 12-ounce bag (about 2 cups) premium
semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 Combine butter with sugars and salt in a large bowl using an electric mixer on high speed

until its the consistency of peanut butter.

2

1616

Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

3 In a separate large bowl combine the flour

with the baking soda and the baking powder.

Pour this dry mix into the wet stuff and mix
until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Use an ice cream scoop (or cup measure)

to scoop out cup portions 2 to 3 inches apart
on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
4

Place a 2-inch ring mold (or biscuit cutter,

or empty 2-inch diameter can with the ends
cut out) over each portion of dough and press
down on the dough with your fingers so that it
is formed into a disk. Remove the mold while
holding the dough down with the fingers of
your other hand. Place the dough disks into
your freezer for 1 hour or until the dough is
frozen.
5

Preheat a convection oven to 300 degrees F

(or a conventional oven to 325 degrees F).
6

When you are ready to make the cookies,

flip over each of the frozen dough pucks onto
the parchment paper-lined baking sheet (so
that the smooth side of the pucks is on top) and
bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until a couple of
the cookies show slight browning around the
edges. If using a conventional oven, rotate the
sheet of cookies halfway through the cooking
time.
7

When you take the cookies out of the oven

immediately slide the parchment paper with
the cookies on it off of the baking sheet onto
your counter top to prevent further cooking.
Allow the cookies to cool there for 5 to 10
minutes before handling.
8

1717

McDONALDS
BIG MAC

(from Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step)

Improved Hack
Active Prep: 20 min.
Inactive Prep: 1 hr.

Difficulty: Medium
Yield: 4 burgers

In a cooking demonstration posted to YouTube in the summer of 2012, McDonalds Canada, Inc.

Executive Chef Dan Coudreaut shows us exactly how a Big Mac is made. Well, not exactly. He does
make it clear that the recipe he is demonstrating in his home kitchen isnt made with the exact same
stuff McDonalds uses. He says the ingredients in the Big Mac are similar to the type of items you
could buy at your local grocery store. And Dan doesnt give us any measurements. Oh what a tease
you are, Dan. So, while this video did provide many clues as to how I could improve my twenty-fiveyear-old clone recipe for a Big Mac, there was still plenty of work to do. One thing I had to figure out
was how to easily form the patties into the perfect size each time without having to track down a
specialty baking ring. As I was looking at other objects that could do the trick I noticed that a large
tuna can is the perfect size to shape the pattyand even better, we dont need to open the can to use
it! Just press the ground beef onto the top of the can to form perfect circles. In addition to this tip, the
special sauce formula has been entirely re-hacked for the best Big Mac sauce clone ever published.

SAUCE

23 cup mayonnaise
13 cup sweet pickle relish
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
teaspoon white vinegar
teaspoon paprika
teaspoon garlic powder
teaspoon onion powder
14 ounces ground beef (20 percent fat)
Salt
Pepper
4 sesame seed hamburger buns, plus 4 additional heels
(bottom bun)
8 teaspoons finely minced white onion
2 cups coarsely chopped iceberg lettuce
4 slices American cheese
8 to 12 dill pickle hamburger slices

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:

12-ounce can of tuna (or other can with 4-inch diameter)

1818

1 Mix together the sauce ingredients in a

small bowl, then cover and chill the sauce

until its needed.

to 3 minutes per side. Lightly sprinkle salt

and pepper on each patty as they cook.
While the beef is cooking prepare each
sandwich by spreading a couple teaspoons
of sauce on the face of the bottom bun and
on one side of the club bun.
7

Use a kitchen scale to measure out

1-ounce portions of the ground beef and
form it into balls (or estimate making balls
that are slightly bigger than golf balls). Press
each ball of ground beef down flat onto the
top of a 12-ounce tuna can with a 4-inch
diameter. Invert the can to peel away the
patties and arrange them on a wax paperlined sheet pan. Cover the patties and place
them into your freezer for one hour.
2

Pre-heat a griddle or large skillet to

medium/low heat.
Slice a thin layer off of the bottom of
each of the extra bun heels. These will be
your center buns, or clubs.
4

5 Lightly brown the faces of all of the buns

(both sides of the club) on the hot griddle or
pan.

When the buns are browned, cook the

beef patties on the hot griddle or pan for 2
6

Sprinkle about a teaspoon of onion on

top of the sauce on each bun, followed by
about cup of chopped lettuce.
8

9 Lay a slice of American cheese on the

lettuce on the bottom bun, and 2 to 3
pickles on the lettuce on the club bun.
10

Arrange a beef patty on the cheese, and

another one on the pickles, then place the
club bun onto the bottom bun and top off
the sandwich with the crown. Microwave on
high for 15 seconds to warm and soften the
buns as if the burger had been packed in a
box.
TIDBITS The burgers McDonalds uses for
Big Macs are called 10-to-1 patties, which
means that there are 10 patties in a pound,
or 1.6 ounces each. For the purpose of this

1919

recipe Ive rounded the weight up to a measurement that is more likely to register on
all kitchen scales (1 ounces). If your sesame seed buns are large (McDonalds buns are
relatively small) you may even want to make your patties 2 ounces each and press down
on them on the wax paper with your fingers after molding them to make the diameter
even larger to fit your buns.

2020