• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Many Little Joys

  • Parenthood
  • Crafts & Activities
  • Food
  • About
  • Disclosure

Corn dog muffins (kid-sized food is back!)

October 19, 2018 by Meg 7 Comments

These mini corn dog muffins are the perfect weeknight meal for busy families (and picky eaters). Hearty, kid-pleasing, and super fast to make–a winner of a dinner!   These mini corn dog muffins are the perfect weeknight meal for busy families (and picky eaters). Hearty, kid-pleasing, and super fast to make--a winner of a dinner!If you know me in real life at all, you might have done a double take when you saw the title of today’s post.

Yes, my friends, you read that right. Megan just posted a recipe that involves hot dogs.

If you don’t know me in real life, let me give you a little background….

I really don’t like hot dogs.

In fact, I can only think of two times I have eaten a hot dog in the last 20 years. One was because I didn’t want to offend a guy who had planned a really nice campfire date for us. The other was because I was eight months pregnant, ravenous, and hot dogs were the ONLY food we had with us at the beach that day. Desperate times…

Now, I’m not actually morally opposed to hot dogs, they’re just gross to me. In my household, however, I am completely outnumbered in that opinion.

Lucky for me, I plan the meals and buy the food, so I don’t ever have to eat them. My kids and husband just have to get their hot dog fix when we eat at Costco or at other people’s summer barbecues. They’re deprived that way.

A few weeks ago, though, the grocery store had a super good deal on the really high-quality hot dogs–all beef…no nitrates…the works. So I bought some. I can count on one hand the number of times I have purchased hot dogs in my life, so this was a big deal. My husband was shocked. It made me happy to see the look of surprise on his face when he saw them in the refrigerator.

Once I had them in the cart, however, I started getting ideas of how to use them. My son is kind of obsessed with corn dogs, and I remembered seeing once that someone made corn dogs in muffin form. I’m always looking for hearty afternoon snacks, dinners for the babysitter to feed the kids, and easy kid-pleasing meals for when dad is working late, and this one seemed like a winner.

I’m happy to report, it was not only a winner…it was a gold medal, world-record-breaking champion. The first time I made the recipe, I served up 24 mini muffins for dinner. 30 minutes later, my three boys had devoured 21 of them!

In fact, the only reason they didn’t finish them was because I told them we needed to save at least a few so that Daddy could have some leftovers when he got home.

(I’ve since increased the recipe because they eat them SO fast!)These mini corn dog muffins are the perfect weeknight meal for busy families (and picky eaters). Hearty, kid-pleasing, and super fast to make--a winner of a dinner!Now, this meal isn’t going to win an award for being a gourmet masterpiece, but it’s a great weeknight meal that you can make from start to finish in 20 minutes.

I even made them a little healthier by using half wheat flour in the batter. You can use all whole wheat flour, but the muffins will be a little denser. Either way, this kid-sized food is perfect for little hands to gobble up quickly.

Hearty, kid-friendly, and super fast to make. As my kids say, “It’s a winner of a dinner!”

These mini corn dog muffins are the perfect weeknight meal for busy families (and picky eaters). Hearty, kid-pleasing, and super fast to make--a winner of a dinner!

Corn Dog Muffins

Yield: 32 mini muffins, or 18 regular muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes

These mini corn dog muffins are the perfect weeknight meal for busy families (and picky eaters). Hearty, kid-pleasing, and super fast to make–a winner of a dinner!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups flour (I use half white and half wheat)
  • 1/2 cup finely ground cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 2 large eggs slightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 8 beef hot dogs, cut into 4 equal pieces

Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 400°. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
    2. In a large bowl, mix together flour(s), cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
    3. Make a well in the middle and add milk, eggs, oil, and butter. Stir until just mixed and no dry streaks are visible.
    4. Fill mini muffin cups half full of batter, and insert one piece of hot dog into the center of each one.
    5. Bake for 12 minutes, or until muffins start to turn golden on the edges and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
    6. Cool in the pan for five minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack or dish towel.
    7. Serve warm with ketchup and mustard.

    To Freeze: place cooked muffins in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a zip top bag, squeeze out as much air as possible and return to the freezer. To reheat, microwave on high for 30 seconds, or until desired temperature is reached.

    Notes

    If you don’t have mini-muffin pans, you can make these in a regular muffin pan, you’ll just yield 18 instead of 32. If you make the bigger ones, you can cut your hot dog in half or thirds to adjust for the size, or cut them up into chunks and mix into the batter for a more distributed result. Watch the bake time closely…you’ll need to add a few minutes of baking for regular muffin-sized corn dogs.

    Source: Adapted from The Anthony Kitchen. I used my own corn bread recipe, but followed Kelly's method and cooking directions.

    © Meg
    Category: Food

    Want more kid-sized food? Try these…

    • Mini Egg Frittatas
    • Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
    • Meatball Sliders
    • Aardvark Pies
    • Mini German Puff Pancakes

    Share this:

    • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

    related posts:

    Filed Under: Food Tagged With: dinner recipes, easy meals, Kid Sized Food, Recipes

    Previous Post: « 12 must-know blogs for moms that will make your life easier (and more fun!)
    Next Post: DIY Halloween Slime Kit (with free printables!) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jenn

      February 15, 2019 at 12:00 pm

      Hello, I am making these for the kids cooking class I teach! I was wondering if the hots should be boiled before putting them in the muffin tins. Just want to make sure I get this recipe right for the kiddos. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Meg

        February 19, 2019 at 2:45 pm

        Nope! No need to boil. I took them straight from the fridge and put them in the muffin tins. Most (if not all) hot dogs are precooked, so you don’t have to worry about it. Good luck!

        Reply
    2. Tobi

      August 29, 2019 at 12:14 pm

      Hello! First, great recipe! My teen LOVES to cram these into his face. 🙂 You made me a hero.

      Second, I’m making a MASS amount for his football team. Do you think they’d still be good if I make them a day before and then warm in the oven before serving? I fear them getting soggy during transport. Thanks for any tips!

      Reply
      • Meg

        August 29, 2019 at 1:02 pm

        I’m so glad your son loves these! I think they’d be okay to make ahead. We keep extras in the fridge and then reheat in the microwave or toaster oven with good results. If you’re reheating and then transporting them, I’d just be careful not to cover them completely, otherwise you might trap steam and end up with soggy muffins.

        Reply
    3. Suzanne

      October 9, 2019 at 2:35 pm

      These look so good! What a great way grab and go meal for the LOs!

      Reply
    4. Vanessa

      October 9, 2019 at 2:35 pm

      Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long in the refrigerator?

      Reply
      • Meg

        October 9, 2019 at 3:04 pm

        Just like most leftovers, they’ll keep for 3-5 days in the fridge just fine. Glad you like them!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    Let’s be friends…

    Reader Favorites:

    Free Printable Number Flashcards (+ counting cards)
    How to throw a Lego birthday party: a real mom's guide
    Alphabet Kaboom! (a simply brilliant preschool game)
    Best deals at Costco: 16 things I always buy (and a few to skip)
    Free Printable Alphabet Flashcards (upper and lowercase)
    How to throw a Hot Wheels birthday party: A real mom's guide

    Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework