Mini Corn Dogs (Unfried, to boot!)

By Foodiewife

Ever heard of Ebelskivers? They're a Danish round pancake, that is stuffed with jam, but there are savory fillings as well. Ebelskiver pans are pretty easy to find (I bought mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond) and they're actually fun to make. The corn mix is made from scratch, and super fast and easy to make. I adapted their recipe by cutting up hot dogs, at room temperature and filling each round well with the batter and hot dog. Once I got the hang of flipping over each round pancake, I kept them warm on a baking rack in the oven. Dipped in mustard, they were a total hit with my "men". They'll be perfect for Super Bowl, or any kind of mini-appetizer-- and best of all, they aren't fried! Please click on the recipe source, to see how I made these on my food blog.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup corn oil or vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 3 to 4 hot dogs, cut up into 3/4 pieces

Details

Servings 27
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 45mins
Adapted from foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

You will need an Ebelskiver pan. Mine is a cast-iron stovetop versin, that I bought at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $20.00. You can also find electric versions for about $60.00. Truthfully, I prefer a cast-iron version, any day.

I like to use two wooden skewers to "flip" over each round pancake.

Preheat the oven to WARM, and set a baking rack fitted on top of a baking sheet (to keep the mini corn dogs warm) while making approximately 3 batches.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the milk, melted butter, oil, and egg.

Pour the liquid all at once into the flour mixture, stirring quickly and gently just until combined.

To cook: Grease the wells of your stuffed pancake maker or place an aebelskiver pan over medium-low heat. (I brush melted butter in each well.)

Scoop a heaping tablespoon-sized portion of batter into each well, and press a heaping teaspoon of the filling into the batter (a tablespoon cookie scoop work well here).

Place a cut piece of hot dog on top and push down, gently.

Top with another tablespoon scoop of batter.

It takes a few tries to get the hang of "flipping" over each corn dog. I take two wooden skewers and insert them along side a "muffin", on opposite ends. Start lifting and turning, and use the other skewer to gently flip it over. Cook the dogs for 3 to 5 minutes.

Using a chopstick or small wooden spatula, flip them over, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.

It helps to wipe each skewer with a paper towel, so you can test to make sure that each muffin is cooked through. I like to give them a quarter turn, after cooking on both sides.

Place them on the preheated baking sheet, to keep warm, until all of them are made. This recipe yielded about 27 mini dogs.

Dip them in either mustard or ketchup (I prefer yellow mustard).

Delicious!