This summer when our city was having the fair, our small group from church was scheduled to have our monthly dinner together. My husband suggested that we fix “Fair food” for our meal. We all jumped on that idea like… mustard on a corn dog!
I was anxious to try my hand at making at home!
As it turns out, they were very easy to make and we loved them!
I cut my hot dogs in half and made mini dogs. They were easier for me to fry in my pot this way, plus we had lots of food choices, so it was nice to have a smaller portion.
I found it made it easier to set up a little frying station, if you will. I cut the hot dogs and inserted the sticks. It’s important to dry the hot dogs so the batter will stick. I put the batter into a 2-cup measuring cup so it would be easy to coat the hot dog.
I got the oil hot and then fried a few at a time, then allowed them to drain on paper towel to catch any extra oil.
The good thing about these is that they warm up beautifully. I had a few extra, so I froze them. The next week I pulled them out of the freezer and popped them into the oven for a very short amount of time. What a nice lunch! I wouldn’t eat these often, but they were a delicious “fair” treat!
Here’s the recipe I used. It came from Just a Taste. Be sure to check out her site for lots of tips about making these.
Corn dogs
- 1 (12-oz.) package hot dogs
- ▢1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
- ▢1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- ▢2 Tablespoons sugar
- ▢2 teaspoons baking powder
- ▢1/8 teaspoon salt
- ▢1 large egg
- ▢1/2 cup whole milk
- ▢Vegetable oil, for frying
- Cut each hot dog in half then insert a lollipop stick into the cutoff end of each hot dog. Thoroughly dry off the hot dogs with paper towels.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the egg and milk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined using a spoon or spatula.
- Add 4 inches of oil to a large, heavy-bottomed stock pot. Attach the deep-fry thermometer then heat the oil over medium-high heat until the thermometer reaches 360ºF. Line a plate with paper towels.
- Dip each hot dog in the batter until it’s completely coated, lightly shake off the excess then lower it into the hot oil. Fry the corn dog until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes, then transfer it to the paper towel-lined plate. Repeat the breading and frying process with the remaining hot dogs. Serve immediately.
This would be a great appetizer or fun lunch! Don’t wait for an excuse to make these mini corn dogs…they’re too good to put off ’til later! If you don’t want to fry corn dogs, you could also make this simple modified version I used to make for my girls when they were home.
If you could make a “Fair Food,” what would you want to try?
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