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I love cooking, and I especially love finding ways to make my favorite restaurant food at home. I feel like I have somehow outsmarted the system. I can make a great, restaurant quality meal at home for my whole family for the price of one entree and tip at the restaurant.

This week, my focus is on Applebee’s. In graduate school, my friends and I went to Applebee’s frequently for their half price appetizers during happy hour (perfect for broke college students!) and their desserts.

The guys, especially my then boyfriend and now husband, loved the chicken wings.

Applebee’s Chicken Wings

You’ll see in the photos that we kept the wings intact. You can do that or you can chop them at the joints, it’s all a matter of personal preference and doesn’t change the recipe much.

Ingredients:

• 28 to 34 chicken wings
• 12 ounces Louisiana Hot Sauce
• 6 TBSP butter
• 3 TBSP white vinegar
• 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1.5 TBSP flour

Instructions:

1. Cook the wings at 350 degrees in a covered pan for approximately 45 minutes until cooked through.
2. Mix all remaining ingredients except flour in a saucepan on the stove over medium low heat.
3. When hot, gradually whisk in the flour and stir constantly so there are no lumps.
4. When sauce has thickened, pour half in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.
5. Coat the baked chicken with the remaining sauce and place all in the pan.
6. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes until warm

Eat!

Walnut Blondie with Maple Butter Sauce

I have a giant sweet tooth, and my favorite restaurant dessert, hands down, is Applebee’s Walnut Blondie. This is seriously sweet, succulent perfection. What is better than a chewy, rich brownie topped with vanilla ice cream and rich maple butter sauce? Nothing. The answer is absolutely nothing.

Try it at home for your family for dessert or even for a birthday party. Best of all, I have lightened the recipe just a bit, so you aren’t being quite so unhealthy when you eat it at home, though it would still never pass for health food.

Walnut Brownie

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add walnut pieces and stir again.
4. Set aside.
5. Melt butter in the microwave for about 30 to 40 seconds until just melted.
6. Stir in the brown sugar.
7. Add egg and vanilla extract and stir.
8. Add flour slowly and mix.
9. Stir in the white chocolate chips.
10. a 9 x 9 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and pat the mixture into the pan.
11. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, just until edges begin to lightly brown.

Maple Butter Sauce
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (Optional, makes for a very rich sauce)

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter in the maple syrup over medium-low heat.
2. Add the brown sugar and white chocolate chips, if desired.
3. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
4. Serve with the brownie on the bottom, a scoop of ice cream on top and the maple butter sauce drizzled over it.

Serves 8. It’s delicious.

Source: Recipe Goldmine ^[3]