How to Make Your Own Choco Taco (and Other Fan Favorites)

Klondike slammed the freezer door on a longtime fan favorite when it announced it was discontinuing its Choco Taco earlier this year.

But you can make your own Choco Taco at home.

In fact, there are many recipes on the Internet for other signature dishes from restaurants and fast-food places. We’ve compiled some of the best to show you how to save money making your own favorites at home for less.

10 Restaurant Favorites to Make at Home for Less

Choco Taco

The first on the list is more of an ice cream truck favorite than a restaurant staple, and Klondike broke hearts around the world when it announced this summer it would discontinue the beloved treat.

Luckily, the Internet did its thing, and recipes abound.

Shoutout to Stroopwafels! They are the integral ingredient in your homemade Choco Taco. Never heard of them? The caramel-filled waffle cookie easily takes the shape of a taco shell once it’s warmed. They may be a new item on your grocery list, but well worth the $5 cost for eight cookies at Target. Amazon ships bigger orders for a variety of prices.

This recipe comes courtesy of kitchn.com.

Ingredients

Ice cream of your choice

One eight-count box of Stroopwafels

4 ounces dark chocolate

6 ounces heavy cream

1 tablespoon coconut oil

⅓ cup chopped nuts

Directions

Combine the chocolate and coconut oil.

Bring heavy cream to a boil, put on top of chocolate mix.

Let sit for a minute or two then stir thoroughly. Fold in the chopped nuts.

Heat the stroopwafels on medium for 15 to 20 seconds on each side. Shape the stroopwafels and let them cool.

Fill with ice cream and freeze for an hour.

Dip your taco in the chocolate dip. Freeze again.

Chick-fil-A Chicken

The Internet has numerous sites deciphering the ingredients and measurements of this wildly popular chicken.

Here’s the recipe from Mashed.com. Along with saving money when you make this savory sandwich at home, you also avoid the long lines and multi-lane drive-thru meandering.

Ingredients

4 thin boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 2 breasts, butterflied

½ cup milk

1 egg

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 cup oil for frying

Directions

Pound the chicken breasts thin.

Combine flour, sugar, salt, pepper and paprika until blended and place on a plate.

Combine egg and milk in a bowl for an egg wash and dip in the chicken.

Coat fully in the spice mixture.

Dredge the chicken again in the egg mixture and coat in the mix.

Heat the oil and fry the chicken for three minutes on each side.

Assemble sandwich, adding tomato, lettuce and cheese on a bun.

Orange Julius

No need to go to the mall for this iconic, cold orange treat that’s been a hallmark of shopping centers for decades.

Here’s a recipe from Thecountrycook.com. 

Ingredients

1 12-oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate

1 cup milk

1 cup water

⅓ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 ice cubes

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in a blender until the concoction is frothy. Pour into four glasses and serve with an orange slice.

Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice

Chipotle’s cilantro lime rice goes with chicken, fish or beef and is especially good inside a taco, burrito or with a quesadilla.

Here’s the recipe according to tasteofhome.com.

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked jasmine rice

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine rice and broth; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, then simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Add lime juice, cilantro and nutmeg then fluff with a fork.

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Whether you’re a regular at Red Lobster or you just like seafood, the chain’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits are a mouthwatering treat to accompany your at-home seafood feast.

Here’s a recipe from DamnDelicious.com.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

For the topping:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper.

In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk and butter. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist. Gently fold in the cheese.

Use a 1/4-cup measuring cup to scoop the batter evenly onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

For the topping, whisk together butter, parsley and garlic powder in a small bowl. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the butter mixture. Serve immediately.

Starbucks Eggwhite Bites

Somehow a coffee empire managed to make egg whites yummy and hip.

Starbucks’ Egg White Bites are a favorite healthy option for everyone — from professionals who skipped breakfast to parents grabbing toddlers a healthy snack to dieters watching those carbs.

Here’s how to make your own, courtesy of themodernnonna.com.

Ingredients

½ cup egg-whites

Pinch of salt

⅓ cup cottage cheese

½ cup grated mozzarella cheese or any you like

Finely diced bell pepper

Finely chopped spinach

Boiling water

Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a blender, add the egg whites, salt, cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese. Mix for 20 to 30 seconds. Place a silicone muffin tin on top of a baking dish and spray your muffin tin with cooking spray.

Add bell peppers and spinach to the bottom of every muffin cup, then add your egg mixture.

Place the baking dish with the muffin tin on top in the oven on a lower rack. Add boiling hot water up to the halfway mark of the baking tray. Close the door and bake until set for at least 25 minutes without opening it.

These can be stored in the fridge for up to three days and microwaved if needed. You can also let them cool and store them in the freezer for up to two months.

Bojangles Chicken

Talk about easy. You don’t even have to mix up any special ingredients to give your chicken the same flavor as Bojangles chicken. The store, which has more than 300 locations throughout the Southeast, now sells a 2-pack of Bo’s Famous Seasoning for $5.99 to add to your poultry, grilled or fried.

Snag them from the online Bojangles store here.

Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty

This recipe from OneSweetAppetite.com makes eight generous servings of the favorite drive-through delight.

Dipping fries not included.

Ingredients

½ gallon chocolate milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 container Cool Whip, the original flavor

Directions

Combine the ingredients into a blender. Pulse until smooth.

Pour the mixture into an airtight container and place into the freezer.

Whisk every 20 minutes for one to two hours, or until you reach the perfect frosty consistency.

Dairy Queen Blizzard

This knockoff from TheBakerMama is so legit, you can even test it with Dairy Queen’s signature move: Turning the Blizzard upside down without losing any of the treat, or the spoon.

Here’s the recipe for an Oreo Blizzard, but you can use your favorite cookie, candy or fruit to customize the frozen treat. The key tip is to use a mixer, not a blender, to concoct your creation.

Ingredients

6 scoops vanilla (or any other flavor) ice cream or frozen yogurt

⅓ cup crushed Oreos (or M&M’s, Butterfinger, Snickers, Reese’s Pieces, peanut butter cups, Nutter Butters, granola, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, cake, etc.)

Directions

Place an electric stand mixer bowl in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before using.

Scoop ice cream into the bowl. Using a paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until ice cream is creamy. This should take about a minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.

Add mix-ins and beat on low speed just a few times until they’re mixed evenly throughout the ice cream.

Scoop mixture into four serving cups and dig in!

McDonald’s apple pies

This treat counts as breakfast and is also a family favorite for road trips. But you can make the handheld pies yourself — and for cheaper — at home with this recipe from BiggerBolderBaking.com.

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter

4 apples peeled, cored and diced small

⅔ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

Juice of one lemon

3 teaspoons cornflour

1 tablespoon water

Puff pastry sheets

Egg wash

Cinnamon sugar for dusting

Directions

Combine butter, apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and lemon juice in a shallow saucepan over medium heat. Cook this mixture until most of the liquid reduces, and the apples have softened.

In a small bowl, mix the cornflour and water to make a “slurry.” Stir this into your cooked apples and cook for 2 minutes to allow the filling to thicken.

Take the apple filling off of the stove and allow it to cool completely.

Roll out the puff pastry onto a floured surface, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut into eight 4.5×6-inch rectangles and place them on two parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

Scoop about 1-2 heaped teaspoons of apple filling and lay it in the center of the pastry.

Brush the pastry’s edges with a little egg wash, fold over, and press and seal using the tines of a fork.

Cut three slits onto the top of the pastry to vent. Brush the tops with egg wash, or a little milk,  and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.

Bake in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for about 25-30 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden.

Katherine Snow Smith is a freelance writer and editor in Chapel Hill, N.C., and author of Rules for the Southern Rulebreaker: Missteps & Lessons Learned.

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