Dolly Madison Zingers (Devil's Food)

Former U.S. President James Madison's wife did not create this baking company, despite the fact that her name is on every carrot cake, crumb cake, and Zinger that comes off the production line. It was instead company founder Roy Nafziger's brainstorm to use the former firstlady's name, since she was notorious for throwing huge shindigs featuring a fine selection of desserts and bakedgoods.

Nafziger said his company would create cakes "fine enough to serve at the White House." While I don't expect you'll be treated to a tray of Zingers on your next stayin the Lincoln Bedroom, I will agree that these little snack cakes are a tasty way to appease a sweet tooth. You can craft a version at home by making little cakepans out of aluminum foil that is wrapped around an empty prescription pill bottle.

The cake batter is easy, since you just use any instant devil's food cake mix. I like Duncan Hines, but you can use whatever you want.As for the frosting, it may not come out as dark brown as the original since the recipe here doesn't include brownfood coloring (caramel coloring). But the taste will be right on. And I think President Clinton would agree that as long as the sweet little treats taste good, appearance is secondary.

Recipe
CakeDuncan Hines

devil's food cake mix1

1/3 cups water

1/2 cup oil

3 large eggs

Filling

2 teaspoons hot water

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups marshmallow creme (one 7-ounce jar)

1/2 cup shortening

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup Hershey's chocolate syrup

2 tablespoons shortening

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

dash salt

Tear off a bunch of foil pieces about this size. These will be your mini cake pans after folding two times and wrapping around a pill bottle.
Empty prescription medicine bottles are actually good for something.
Use a toothpick or skewer to dig three caverns in the cakes where the filling will live. Later you will cleverly hide these holes with frosting.

1. Prepare the cake batter following the directions on the box.

If you use Duncan Hines brand, you will need

1 1/3 cups of water,

1/2 cup of oil, and

three eggs.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. To prepare the cake pans that will make cakes the size of Zingers, tear off 20 pieces of aluminum foil that are each about 8 inches wide. Fold the foil in half and then in half once more so that you have a rectangular piece of foil. Wrap this piece of foil around a small prescription medicine bottle. Tuck in the ends and take the bottle out, leaving the foil open at the top. This will form a little pan. Flatten the bottom so that the mini pan stands up straight. Place this into a baking pan and repeat with the remaining pieces of foil. When you have arranged all of the foil pans in a baking pan, spray the inside of all the pans with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each little pan about halfway with cake batter. Bake cakes for 15 to 17 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely.

3. To make the filling, combine the hot water with the salt in a small bowl and stir until the salt is dissolved. Let this mixture cool.

4. Combine the marshmallow creme, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl and mix well with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add the salt mixture to the bowl and mix.

5. To make the chocolate frosting, combine all the frosting ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well with an electric mixer until smooth.

6. To assemble your snack cakes first poke three holes with a toothpick or skewer in the top of a cake and swirl around inside the holes making little caverns for your filling.

7. Use a pastry bag with a small tip to squeeze some filling into each hole. Careful not to overfill, or your cake will burst open. Sure, it's exciting, but this mess won't make for a good clone.

8. Once the cake is filled, use a butter knife to spread frosting on top of the cake over the holes. Drag a fork lengthwise over the frosting making grooves just like the real thing.

Makes 20 snack cakes.

Dive S'mores

You don't need a campfire, wire hangers or long sticks to make this popular marshmallow, chocolate and graham cracker dessert. Steven Spielberg's Dive! chain of theme restaurants is the inspiration for this week's clone recipe, pulled from the third TSR book,Top Secret Restaurant Recipes (which includes otherclones from the chain as well). You need only four ingredients, an oven with a broiler, and a serious sweet tooth to put together this delicious dessert previously enjoyed only camping trips and at beach parties.

2 whole graham crackers (4 sections, not separated) two

1 1/2-ounce Hershey milk chocolate bars

16 large marshmallows

2 tablespoons Hershey's chocolate syrup, in squirt bottle

1. Preheat the broiler. Arrange the graham crackers side by side on an oven-safe plate (such as ceramic). You can also use a baking sheet.

2. Stack the milk chocolate bars side by side on top of the graham crackers.

3. Arrange the marshmallows on the chcocolate in 4 rows -- 4 across, 4 down.

4. Broil the dessert on the middle rack for 1 to 3 minutes or until the marshmallows turn light brown on top.

5. Remove the dessert from the oven. If you used a baking sheet, carefully slide the dessert onto a serving plate. With the squirt bottle, immediately drizzle the chocolate syrup over the marshmallows in a sweeping back-and-forth motion. Drizzle the chocolate diagonally across the dessert one way, and then the other, creating a cross-hatch pattern. Allow the chocolate to over-shoot the dessert so that it creates a decorative pattern on the serving plate as well.

Serves 2-4.

Cinnabon Strawberry Lemonade & Mochalatta Chill

Cinnabon gives lemonade a twist by adding strawberry syrup. It's a simple clone when you snag some Hershey's strawberry syrup (near the chocolate syrup in your supermarket), and a few juicy lemons.

But if it's a bit of a caffeine buzz you're looking for -- enhanced by a killer chocolaterush -- it's the Mochalatta Chill you'll want to whip up. Brew some double-strength coffee (see Tidbits) and let it cool off, then get out the half & half and chocolate syrup. Man, these sippers recipe are just too dang easy!

Strawberry Lemonade

1/2 cup lemon juice (from 3-4 fresh lemons)

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups water

2 tablespoons Hershey strawberry syrup

1. Mix ingredients together in a pitcher. Serve over ice.

Makes 2 drinks.

Mochalatta Chill

1 cup double strength coffee, cold (see Tidbits)

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup Hershey's chocolate syrup

Topping

whipped cream

1. Combine all ingredients in a small pitcher. Stir well or cover and shake. Pour over ice in two 16 ounce glasses, and top with whipped cream.

Makes 2 large drinks.

Tidbits

Make double-strength coffee in your coffee maker by adding half the water suggested by the manufacturer. Allow coffee to chill in the refrigerator before using it in this recipe.

Cinnabon Icescape

In a blender, Cinnabon adds concentrated flavoring, some ice and a curious secret ingredient referred toonly as a "dairy product." When blended smooth, out comes these thick, refreshing drinks that look and taste like they were made with ice cream.

For this clone we just need a little half-and-half (that's half cream and half milk for those of you across the pond). It gives this version the exact same creamy consistency as the original with its custom"dairy" ingredient. Strawberry is the most popular ofthe flavors, but the other two are tasty as well.

The Mochalatta version recipe uses the TSR clone of the Mochalatta Chill from last week and produces as thicker blended version of the drink, similar to Starbuck's popular blended Frappuccino.

Strawberry

1 cup water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 cups crushed ice

1/3 cup frozen whole strawberries (about 4 large strawberries)

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup Hershey strawberry syrup

1. Combine the water and sugar in a cup and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Add this sugar syrup to other ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed until the drink is smooth. Serve in two 16-ounce glasses.

Makes 2 large drinks.

Orange

3 cups crushed ice

1 cup water

2/3 cup orange juice

1/2 cup half-and-half

3 tablespoons Tang orange drink mix

1. Mix all ingredients in a blender set on high speed until smooth and creamy. Serve in two 16-ounce glasses.

Makes 2 large drinks.

Mochalatta

3 cups crushed ice

1 1/2 cups TSR version of Mochalatta Chill

1/2 cup half-and-half

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

1. Mix all ingredients in a blender set on high speed until smooth and creamy. Serve in two 16-ounce glasses.

Makes 2 large drinks.

Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie

What makes this dessert so special is the way it comes to your table sizzling in a cast iron skillet, just like fajitas. The chocolate chip cookie and graham cracker crust "pie" is topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and then drizzled with chocolate and caramel syrup.

It's all served up in a hot skillet of cinnamon butter. Yum! If you want to prepare this one just like they do at the restaurant, you'll need one of those skillets for each serving. Small iron skillets work the best, but any 6 or 8-inch frying pan will do fine.You just have to be sure your pan is super hot to getthat authentic Chili's "sizzle." If you don't have enough of the right pans for each serving, you can slide it all onto a plate. It may not have the sizzle of the real thing, but it'll still taste awesome!

Recipe
Cookie Layer

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Crust Layer

6 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cinnamon Butter

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

9 scoops vanilla ice cream

chocolate syrup

caramel syrup

6 tablespoons chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl.

3. In a separate large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Continue beating for about 30 seconds or until mixture turns lighter in color. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until smooth.

4. Slowly mix the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Beat until well-combined and then mix in the coconut flakes. Set this cookie dough aside for now.

5. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a medium bowl in the microwave on high temperature for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and stir well for 30 seconds. Add the graham cracker crumbs and stir. Press this mixture into the bottom of a 9x9-inch baking dish or pan.

6. Sprinkle the cup of chocolate chips evenly over the graham cracker crust.

7. Press the cookie dough into the dish, covering the chocolate chips. Use flour on your fingers to keep the soft dough from sticking.

8. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the dough. Use your fingers to press the nuts into the dough.

9. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the edges of the pie become light brown.

10. Prepare the cinnamon butter by creaming together the butter, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl with an electric mixer on high speed.

11. When you are ready to make your dessert, heat up a small skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, remove it from the heat then add about 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon butter to the pan. It should quickly melt and sizzle. Slice the pie into 9 pieces and place one into the hot skillet. If the pie has cooled, you can reheat each slice by zapping it in the microwave for 30-40 seconds.

12. Place a scoop of ice cream on top of the pie.Drizzle chocolate and caramel syrup over the dessert and then sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of chopped walnuts over the top. Repeat for the remaining ingredients and serve sizzling in the skillet.

Makes 9 desserts.