Muffins

Bran Muffins

Yield: 30 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups buttermilk
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups Bran flakes - slightly crush
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

Put first ingredients through blender on high speed 20 seconds. Pour into bowl and beat in remaining ingredients at low speed of mixer until completely mixed. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Fill greased muffin well almost full and bake at 400º for 20 to 25 minutes or until cracked on top and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 1 tablespoon plumped raisins can be added to each well of batter before baking.

McDonald's Apple McMuffins

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup skimmed or reconstituted - non-fat dry milk
• 1/2 small Carton Egg Beaters (= 1egg)
• 4 teaspoon non-fat plain yogurt*
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup apple; peel - grate
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup self-rising flour

*Can use 1 teaspoon yogurt and 2 teaspoon applesauce for more moist muffins. Grease 12 muffin wells. Preheat oven to 400°. Combine all ingredients in medium mixing bowl using mixer on medium speed. When completely combined, stir in self-rising flour only until flour is completely moistened and dissolved. Do not over mix. You don't want to beat this like a cake batter or muffins will be heavy and maybe dry after baked. Divide batter equally among the 12 prepared muffin wells. Bake about 18-20 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Cool a few minutes before loosening and removing from muffin tins

McDonald's Apple McMuffins (simplified)

Yield: 24 servings

Ingredients

• 21 ounces apple pie filling
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons apple pie spice
• 18 ounces yellow cake mix

Beat all together with electric mixer on medium-speed. Divide batter equally between 24 paper-lined cupcake wells. Bake at 350º 25 to 30 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Cool before peeling off paper liners

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Yield: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup flour
• 12 cups dry milk powder
• 3 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
• 1 teaspoon dry minced onion
• black pepper
• 5 ounces frozen chopped broccoli - cook
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 slice Kraft Singles Cheddar

Into blender put first 6 ingredients. Blend on high until smooth. Pick out larger pieces of broccoli and put in blender. Blend those until tiny bits. Put aside 3/4 cup cooking water from broccoli and discard rest of water. Pour blender mixture into top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth and thickened. Stir in cooking water and broccoli, diced fine. Add remaining ingredients.

Hotcakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cup Bisquick® Original Pancake mix (the instant kind)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup Sprite®

Cooking Directions

Pre-heat an electric griddle to 375°. Mix hotcake ingredients with a wire whisk until smooth.

Apply about 1 teaspoon of Crisco® shortening to the griddle, spreading evenly with a paper towel. (Be careful not to burn your fingers) Pour the hotcake batter on the greased, pre-heated griddle, forming 5 inch hotcakes. Cook until dry around the edges, (about a minute) then turn. Allow to cook about 40-50 seconds after flipping, and remove. Place the cooked hotcakes on an oven safe plate, and warm in your oven for 5-8 minutes. (This helps give the hotcakes that tough texture McDonald’s is famous for) Serve with Aunt Jemima® original maple syrup. (It is the closest ingredient match to McDonald’s hotcake syrup)

*Note: The Bisquick® pancake mix is available in their "Shake & Pour®" variety. Use the 7 ounce size, and follow the package directions… using 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup Sprite® in place of the 1 cup of water stated on the package.

McDonald’s Hotcake Big Breakfast

Serve 2 cooked hotcakes with a McDonald’s sausage patty.

Important Note: McDonald's doesn't really use Sprite® in their hotcake batter. This is a clone recipe that closely matches the flavor of McDonald’s Hotcakes. They have their own dry mix that requires only adding water.

Scrambled Eggs and Hash Browns

Ingredients

The Eggs

• 8 large grade A eggs

The Hash Browns

• 4 Ore-Ida® Golden Patties® frozen potatoes*
• 4-6 cups vegetable oil (McDonald's uses soybean oil)

*(the McDonald’s "factory" has special equipment for machine tooling these hash brown patties. They are nearly impossible to duplicate at home)

Special Tools

10 inch non-stick skillet

rubber spatula (like Rubbermaid®)

deep fryer

Cooking the Eggs

1. Pre-heat the skillet to low heat. Be careful not to make it too hot. It is better to have it too cool than too hot.
2. Scramble the eggs using the McDonald’s method.
3. Spray the cooking surface with a small amount of non-stick spray, and pour in the eggs. Stir with the rubber spatula in a circular motion. If, after a time, nothing seems to be happening, turn up the burner slightly.
4. As the eggs begin to firm up, begin "chopping" them with the rubber spatula. Make sure to fold them over a few times so the eggs cook evenly. Once the eggs are fairly firm with very little liquid, stop folding, but continue chopping.
5. The eggs will get more and more firm, and you will continue the chopping motion while they do. You want to eliminate any "big chunks".
6. When the eggs are finally done, use a regular metal spatula to cut them into 4 equal sized pieces, using two crosscuts. (You'll have 4 egg wedges)
7. Remove the cooked eggs from the skillet using the metal spatula and serve immediately with hash browns. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4

Cooking McDonald’s Hash Browns

1. Pre-heat your deep fryer to 350°-375° range.
2. Place 4 still frozen Ore-Ida® hash brown patties in the fry basket.
3. Lower the basket into the hot oil, and cook 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
4. Remove the hash brown patties, and place on a paper towel lined plate. Add a dash of salt immediately to each side, and allow to cool a few minutes before serving.
5. Serve with McDonald's scrambled eggs.

Hot Apple and Cherry Pies

McDonald’s had a really tasty thing going for several years with their hot apple and cherry pies. They were deep fried, and awesome. But because the trend for consumers has been "healthier" and "less-fat", the classic recipe was replaced with the current baked product. Now you can have those greasy, volcano hot pies again!

Special Tools

Deep fryer, spray gun with fresh water, zip-lock bags, and an extra fry basket.

Ingredients

4-6 cups vegetable oil (in fryer)

1 package Pillsbury® apple or cherry turnovers (Find them in the refrigerated section)

Preparation

1. Unroll the Pillsbury® turnover dough. You will have six 3"x3" pieces. You will use four of them. Stretch them out to about 4"x5" rectangles. Do this on waxed paper.
2. Spread 1/2 of the pie filling on one dough, and the other half on another, leaving about 1/2 inch of dough around edges. Clear a 3/4 inch space lengthwise down the middle of both.
3. Place the remaining two doughs on top of the two with the filling. Crimp the edges. You'll have what looks like two giant pop-tarts.
4. Cut both of them precisely down the middle, in that 3/4 inch space you created. Crimp those two edges.
5. Manipulate as needed to form an attractive, uniform shaped pie. They should look like small burritos, only crimped around the edges.
6. Place all four, flat on waxed paper, in the freezer. After about 45 minutes, spray all sides of each pie with water mist. Return to the freezer for at least another hour.
7. Place in a freezer bag and seal for future use, or get ready to deep-fry them.

Cooking Your Pies

1. Pre-heat your deep fryer to 375°. Also pre-heat your oven to warm.
2. Quickly dip a frozen pie in cold water, making sure to immerse it entirely.
3. Drop the pie into the hot oil. Be careful - it will most likely splatter. After the pies are in the fryer, place your spare fryer basket over the top. ("Sandwiching" the pies between the two baskets) This ensures the pies are fully submerged. It is important that the pies are fully submerged or a good portion of it won't cook correctly.
4. Cook 5-7 minutes. Check after 5 minutes - the color should be a golden brown. The older the oil, the sooner it will turn brown, and that may give you a false reading. 6 minutes is generally right on.
5. After deep-frying, carefully remove the cooked pies and drain for 1 minute on paper towels. Then place directly on the oven rack in your warmed oven. Warm for at least 10 minutes, and as long as 30 minutes.
6. Enjoy your McDonald’s hot apple/cherry pie, but caution… it will be hot.

Important Notes

1. The pies will not look exactly the same as the old McDonald’s hot pies. They will also be smaller. The taste, however, will be the same. As you eat it, you'll actually be able to feel the fat pulsating in your veins on the way to clog your arteries!
2. The pies may stick to the fry basket. If this happens, carefully remove using a knife. You don't want to rip the dough.
3. If the filling oozes out during cooking, remember to crimp the dough edges better next time. If you wonder why these pies have to be frozen, it is to get a crispy crust. Spraying with water beforehand gives a little ice glaze that helps the outer crust attain the correct texture. Finally, dipping in water just before placing in the oil helps form a flaky, crispier layer on the outside, and the famous "doughy" crust on the inside.

Biscuits

Ingredients (per sandwich)

• 1 Prepared Pillsbury® Grands™ biscuit (Or… make them from scratch)
• 1 Smithfield® Restaurant-Style sausage patty (or similar)
• 2 teaspoons McDonald’s biscuit dressing (see below)

Sausage and Egg Biscuit

Same as above, plus one grade A large egg

Sausage McMuffin

• 1 Thomas's® English muffin
• 2 teaspoons melted butter
• 1 slice real American cheese

Sausage McMuffin with Egg

Same as above, plus one grade A large egg

The Sausage

The type of sausage patty used at McDonald's is pre-cooked and frozen. On the east coast there is a near perfect clone available at your supermarket: Smithfield® Brand Restaurant-Style sausage patties. The ingredients match up almost perfectly. I'm sure there are other "regional" brands that match up, just check the label and compare with the ingredients listed for the McDonald’s sausage patty

McDonald’s Sausage Ingredients: Pork, water, salt, sage, spices, corn syrup solids, dextrose, sugar, pepper, monosodium glutamate, flavorings, BHA propyl gallate, citric acid.

McDonald’s Biscuits

From Scratch:

• Yield: 8 biscuits
• 2 tablespoons margarine, melted and divided
• 2 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 2/3 cups buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine the baking mix, buttermilk, sugar, salt, and half of the melted margarine in a medium bowl. Mix until well-blended.
3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 30 seconds, or until dough becomes elastic.
4. Roll dough to about 3/4 inch thick and punch out biscuits using a 3 inch cutter. Arrange the punched-out dough on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the biscuits are golden on top and have doubled in height.
5. Remove the biscuits from the oven and immediately brush each one with a light coating of the remaining melted margarine. Serve warm.

From a Box

I suggest using Pillsbury® Grands™ ready to bake biscuits. Find them in the refrigerated section at your favorite supermarket. You could make them from scratch, but the whole idea of fast food is convenience. That applies at home too, and these are close enough.

Bake the biscuits in advance according to the package directions. With one exception: Half way through baking, brush each biscuit with a small amount of melted butter.

Depending upon how many biscuits you'll need, you can bake them all at once (8) or just do half, and refrigerate the rest.

The subtle flavoring comes from the biscuit dressing and the way it blends with the other ingredients.

McDonald’s Biscuit Dressing

• Soybean oil based cooking spray (like Pam®)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/16 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/16 teaspoon Jolly-Time® buttery seasoning (look near the popcorn at the supermarket)
• 5-6 drops lemon juice from concentrate

In a very small container, spray the cooking spray for 10-12 seconds. (you'll get about 2 teaspoons after the froth dies down) Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Set aside until biscuit time. (this amount of biscuit dressing is enough for only one sandwich, so you might want to double or quadruple it if you're making 2-4 biscuit sandwiches)

Preparing your Sausage Biscuit

1. Bake the biscuits according to package directions.
2. Pre-heat an electric griddle to 400°. When it is ready, place the desired number of frozen patties on the surface. After 20 seconds, sear each of them thoroughly. (They should squeak, almost squealing like a pig when you do this)
3. After 2 minutes, turn the patty(s) over. Cook another 2-3 minutes.
4. Cut or break your baked biscuit(s) evenly down the middle, and put 1 teaspoon of your McDonald’s biscuit dressing on each half - evenly dispersed.
5. When the sausage is done, put it on the bottom biscuit, add the top, and wrap tightly in a 12"x16" sheet of waxed paper.
6. Let stand 5 minutes, then microwave (still wrapped) for 15-20 seconds.

Sausage Biscuit with Egg

Simply prepare everything the same as above, and follow the Egg McMuffin cooking instructions for the egg.

Sausage McMuffin and Sausage McMuffin with Egg

For a plain Sausage McMuffin®, toast the English muffin as described in the Egg McMuffin® recipe. Add a teaspoon of melted butter to each toasted half instead of biscuit dressing. For a sausage McMuffin® with Egg, follow the Egg McMuffin® cooking directions, and use the sausage patty in place of the Canadian bacon.

Egg McMuffin

Ingredients (per sandwich)

• 1 large grade A egg
• 1 English muffin
• butter (REAL butter)
• 1 slice American cheese (real… not processed cheese food)
• 1 slice Canadian bacon
• 1 12”x12" sheet of wax paper
• non stick cooking spray

Special Tools

You need an egg ring. Find one at you're favorite cooking specialty store.

Cooking Your Egg McMuffin

1. Pre-heat an electric griddle to 275 degrees. Toast your English muffin by laying both sides face down on the griddle and applying pressure. This takes about 1 to 1.5 minutes. (they should be medium brown) Set aside.
2. Lay your egg ring on the pre-heated grill. Spray with Pam to prevent sticking. Crack the egg and pour into egg ring on the grill. Poke the yolk with a sharp instrument so it flows.
3. Butter both toasted halves of the English muffin liberally with melted butter. Put a slice of American cheese on the bottom half.
4. About 2 1/2 minutes after you started cooking the egg, the whites should firm up, and the yolk should still be a bit "liquidy". Carefully remove the ring, leaving the egg on the griddle. (you may have to "slice" around the edges if it sticks)
5. Very carefully turn the egg over, and lay one slice of Canadian bacon on the griddle.
6. After about 30-45 seconds, "flip" the Canadian bacon, and remove the egg, placing it on the bottom half (cheesed half) of the English muffin.
7. Put the Canadian bacon on top, and cover with the top of the English muffin.
8. Wrap in pre-cut wax paper just like the hamburger recipes. Let stand 5 minutes, then microwave 12 second on high, and eat.