Corn Dog Muffin Bites take this classic American food and make it even more fun!
PinOne of the original meals-on-a-stick, corn dogs are something I associate with childhood, mall shopping, and summertime. I have a lot of nostalgia surrounding corn dogs, but they’re one of the foods I was hesitant to introduce to my own kids.
Putting a big pot of sizzling oil on the stove to deep fry hot dogs in batter while I have little ones running around the kitchen was enough to make me dare not try a homemade version. I don’t exactly love deep-frying anything, but I do love sharing my childhood favorites with my kids.
PinSpooning the cornbread batter into mini muffin cups, adding a slice of hot dog, and baking them is a great way to share the nostalgia with your kid! Make your own basic cornbread batter as I do in the recipe below or use your favorite mix.
Any hot dogs or sausage will work here, so choose your own adventure! You can easily find healthier hot dogs in any grocery these days, even vegetarian options. Serve with an array of dips to add to the fun of this childhood classic!
PinCorn Dog Muffin Bites are a fun change of pace for school lunch or even a quick dinner! Tag me @weelicious on social media so I can see your kiddos enjoying this recipe.
Corn Dog Muffin Bites
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups cornmeal
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 veggie hot dogs, c ut into 1/2-inch coins (you can also use turkey or beef)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F degrees.
- Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey, buttermilk, eggs and oil.
- Pour the dry cornmeal mixture into the wet ingredients and thoroughly combine with a whisk.*
- Grease muffin cups with cooking spray, softened butter or oil on a paper towel and then pour one tablespoon batter into greased mini muffin cups. I use two 24-cup mini muffins pans!
- Lay hot dog slices cut-side down in the center of each batter-filled muffin cup.
- Top with an additional tablespoon of batter.
- Bake until starting to turn golden, about 14 minutes.
- Add popsicle sticks after baked and serve.
Notes
- * Boxed cornbread mix also works great in this recipe. Follow the directions of the boxed mix, prepare enough batter to yield at least 40 mini muffins and skip to step 5 to continue making the bites.
I don’t have mini muffin tins. Can I use a regular size pan?
made these with turkey dogs, chopped them up tiny and threw the pieces in the batter..my almost 3 year old loves them! My 1 year old is napping but I’m sure she’ll be happy to eat them when she wakes up 🙂
My little boy and I made these and added chopped spinach and a few spoonfuls of brown spicy mustard. Even my husband likes them and he’s my hardest customer!
Love these! I loved corn dogs at the amusement park as a kid.
Also just wanted to add….brands that say “nitrate/nitrite free” actually do have these exact compounds but they are derived from celery powder instead of synthetic sources.
The New York Times ran an article stating that they were basically the same substance.
“For Hot Dogs, A Push for Truthful Labels”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/02/business/02hotdog.html?_r=1
However the Applegate Farms website claims there is a difference between natural and synthetic curing products:
http://www.applegatefarms.com/resources/nitrates_and_nitrites.aspx
It’s all so confusing, so I buy Hebrew National at Trader Joe’s because they just taste the best. And my kids eat hot dogs pretty rarely, so might as well have the real thing.
Hi would polenta work for cornmeal? Not sure I can find cornmeal in Belgium. I love your website, your simple recipes have really increased my confidence in the kitchen x
OMG this is genius Catherine, GENIUS!
Yeah that is a fun one! http://b12.ba4.myftpupload.com/2011/12/12/pancake-sausage-muffins-on-a-stick-2/
Yes, there’s a recipe on here for them! 350, 14 min. Add a bit of pancake batter place your sausage on top then cover with a little more batter! They’re yummy!
Thinking of trying the same concept with pancake mix and cut up/ chopped sausage links. Any thoughts?
You can use agave at a 1:1 ratio for honey!
We may have recently discovered a honey allergy for my son. So we are avoiding it until further testing can be done. Any alternatives to using honey?
Yes, that would work. If it needs to be cooked make sure to do that before placing them in the muffins!
Would a natural casing weiner or Sausage chunk work?
Sometimes, I get a craving for those gross little corn dog bites of my youth. Disgusting, I know. As a grown up and parent, I tend to stay away from most hot dogs because now I know what’s in them but a good veggie dog made into corn dog bites sounds so delicious!!
How cute are these..my boys would love them.
I make these as a treat for my kids. Like Shari, I cut the hot dogs into small pieces, the size of peas, so that every bite gets some hot dog.
For the hot dogs, I use 100% organic grass-fed and nitrate free ones from Trader Joe’s. The brand is Applegate and it is called The Great Organic Uncured Beef Hot Dog.