Mini Corn Dog Muffins have all the nostalgic flavor of classic corn dogs in an easy-baked, bite-sized version. Best yet, they are made without deep-frying, using savory homemade cornbread batter and quality all-beef hot dogs. They are perfect for Memorial Day or 4th of July cookouts, game day parties, potlucks, and kid-friendly snacks.
Golden, tender, and perfectly poppable, these mini corn dog muffins are one of those recipes that disappear almost as quickly as they come out of the oven.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Makes: 3 ½ dozen
- Special Equipment: Mini muffin pan and 1 tablespoon scoop
- Difficulty: Easy
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Yes
- Kid-Friendly: Yes
- Small-Batch Friendly: Yes - just cut the ingredients in half
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No deep frying required
- Made with homemade cornbread batter instead of overly sweet Jiffy mix
- Perfect bite-size party food
- Easy to make ahead and reheat
- Great for Memorial Day or 4th of July cookouts and other summer gatherings
The Inspiration Behind These Mini Corn Dog Muffins
I already have a recipe for Easy Mini Corn Dogs on PudgeFactor. However, I wanted to create an easier baked version that would be more practical for parties, cookouts, and casual entertaining. The answer was these Mini Corn Dog Muffins.
Instead of using boxed cornbread mix, I developed a more savory homemade cornbread batter. This easy batter used equal parts of all-purpose flour and cornmeal, slightly sweetened with both honey and sugar.
The result is a mini muffin that tastes nostalgic, comforting, and is incredibly easy to make, and the perfect snack.
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need
- Wet Ingredients: For the wet ingredients, I used melted unsalted butter, buttermilk, honey, and eggs.
- Dry Ingredients: The dry ingredients included all-purpose flour, yellow cornmeal, baking powder, granulated sugar, and fine sea salt.
- The Star of the Show: I used Hebrew National all-beef hot dogs. They are more expensive than other brands, but I wanted the "dog" portion of the recipe to shine. However, feel free to use your favorite brand.
Making the Mini Corn Dog Muffins: Step-by-Step
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray and set it aside. Blot the hot dogs dry with paper towels, and cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Wet Ingredients: Whisk together the melted, slightly cooled butter, buttermilk, honey, and eggs until well combined. The wet ingredients blend better is the buttermilk and eggs are at room temperature. I used a 2-cup measuring cup to make it easier to add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
- Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt.
- Combine: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir with a silicone or wooden spoon just until everything is combined.
- Fill: Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, add one level scoop of batter to each cavity of the mini muffin pan. Then press a hot dog piece gently into the center of each muffin.
- Bake: Bake the mini corn dog muffins in a preheated 400°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring the mini muffins to a wire rack.
Serve the Mini Corn Dog Muffins with ketchup and mustard, or your favorite dipping sauce, and enjoy! Yum!
Chula's Test Kitchen Tips
- Don't overmix the batter.
- A 1-tablespoon scoop is perfect for consistent sizing, and also ensuring that the muffin cavities are not overfilled.
- Store leftover mini corn dog muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
- Reheat leftovers at 350°F for about 8 minutes or until warmed through or in the Air Fryer for about 5 minutes.
- In addition to ketchup and mustard, try honey mustard and ranch dressing. Both are delicious.
- These Mini Corn Dog Muffins make excellent appetizers and are also delicious as a light meal when paired with potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, macaroni salad, watermelon, and summer fruit trays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but this homemade version is less sweet and produces a more balanced flavor.
Use a liberal amount of non-stick spray that contains flour, like my favorite, Bak-Klene ZT All Purpose Release Spray. You can also use Cake Goop - equal parts of room-temperature butter, oil, and flour mixed together and brushed in the cavities.
I wouldn't recommend a regular muffin pan. The size of the muffin will be significantly larger than the hot dog
What to Serve with the Mini Corn Dog Muffins
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Recipe
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Easy Mini Corn Dog Muffins
Equipment
- 2-cup measuring cup
- medium bowl
- whisk
- Silicone or wooden spoon
- Mini-Muffin pan
- Non-stick spray
- 1 tablespoon scoop
Ingredients
- ½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk, room temperature
- ¼ cup (3 ounces) honey
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (5.5 ounces) yellow cornmeal
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 to 8 hot dogs, cut into 1-inch pieces (See Tip 1)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray; set aside. Cut hot dogs into 1-inch pieces. (See Tip 2)
- Whisk together the melted and cooled butter, buttermilk, honey, and eggs until well combined. (See Tip 3)
- Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, add the batter to the prepared mini muffin pan. Place a 1-inch piece of hot dog vertically in the middle of the batter in the mini muffin pan. (See Tip 4)
- Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack.
- Serve warm with your favorite condiments.
- Yield: 3 ½ dozen (42 mini muffins) (See Tip 5)
Video
Tips/Notes
- I used Hebrew National All-Beef hot dogs, but feel free to use your favorite brand. Also, 1 inch is the perfect length for the hot dogs.
- My absolute favorite non-stick spray is Bak-Klene ZT All Purpose Release Spray. Alternatively, you can brush the cavities of the mini muffin pan with cake goop (equal parts room-temperature butter, oil, and flour).
- I. like to use a 2-cup mixing cup for the wet ingredients. This makes it easier to pour the combined wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients.
- The 1-tablespoon scoop holds the perfect amount of batter per cavity of the mini muffin pan.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Reheat at 350°F for about 8 minutes or until warmed through.
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