Pigs in a Blanket Wreath is a festive way to celebrate the holiday season. If you can make pigs in a blanket, you can make this decorative appetizer. Serve it with Cranberry Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce for a memorable appetizer.
What better way to celebrate the busy holiday season than with a showstopping appetizer?
All it takes to make this impressive appetizer is forming the pigs in a blanket into a circle before baking.
Finish it off with an amazing cranberry honey mustard dipping sauce and you have a masterpiece to serve your friends and family.
It’s easy and fun to put together and can be made ahead of time!
Ingredients for Pigs in a Blanket
There really nothing new regarding the ingredients for pigs in a blanket:
- Little Smokies or Cocktail Smokies are always a crowd pleaser regardless of how they are prepared.
- Refrigerated Crescent Rolls have so many uses and are key to the easy preparation of pigs in a blanket.
- Dijon Mustard adds a subtle contrast to the taste of the little smokies and the crescent rolls.
- Parmesan Cheese adds a nice surprise atop the pigs in a blanket.
Making the Pigs in a Blanket
Making the Pigs in a BlanketIf you’re like I am, you need a template for the circle for making the wreath. I’ve found that a 10-inch circle is the perfect diameter.
Therefore, to start I used a 10-inch cake pan to draw the circle on a piece of parchment paper. Then, I turned the parchment paper upside down on a baking sheet so that the circle was on the bottom.
Perhaps the hardest part of making these cute little pigs in a blanket was opening the crescent roll container! Once that was done, I unrolled the crescent roll dough onto floured surface.
I separated the 8 triangles, and cut each of the triangles into 3 smaller triangles lengthwise using my pizza cutter (Photo 1). Then, I spread about ¼ teaspoon of the Dijon mustard on each of the smaller triangles (Photo 2).
After that, I placed a little smokie across the thick end of the triangle and rolled it up (Photo 3). I placed the rolled up little smokie, seam-side down on the inside edge of the parchment paper circle. I repeated this with with the remaining crescent roll dough and little smokies, making sure that they were touching (Photo 4).
Once all of the pigs in a blanket had been formed, I brushed them with an egg wash (Photo 5). I finished the wreath off with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese on the pigs in a blanket (Photo 6).
I popped the Pigs in a Blanket Wreath into a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, the pigs in a blanket were golden brown and perfectly cooked.
I let them cool for about 10 minutes before transferring the wreath to a serving dish.
However, it was a bit tricky transferring them. I lifted up the parchment paper slid the wreath onto the serving dish. When I did this, some of the pigs in a blanket came loose. Not a problem! I just reformed the wreath!
Making the Cranberry Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
To continue my festive holiday theme, I wanted a red dipping sauce. I thought about different ideas, and decided to use jellied cranberry sauce as a base. To jazz it up, I paired the cranberry sauce with honey and Dijon mustard!
Making the sauce was super simple. I added the cranberry sauce, honey and Dijon mustard to a bowl (Photo 7). Then, I whisked the ingredients together until they were smooth (Photo 8).
What Can Be Done in Advance?
The Pigs in a Blanket Wreath can be baked, cooled to room temperature, covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, uncover and heat at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes or until hot. Do not reheat in microwave.
The Cranberry Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce can be made ahead of time, covered and refrigerated for up to a week. It should come to room temperature or be heated before serving.
What if I Have Leftover Cocktail Smokies and Dipping Sauce?
It’s very likely that you won’t use all of the Cocktail smokies that come in the package or all of the dipping sauce. If this is the case, add the remaining smokies and dipping sauce to a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until hot, about 10 minutes. Serve with toothpicks for a perfect appetizer!
Assembling the Pigs in a Blanket Wreath
At this point, the Pigs in a Blanket Wreath had been transferred to a serving dish and the dipping sauce was ready.
I wanted the wreath to look festive, so I lined the inside of it with some curly parsley. Then, I placed a white dish in the center and added the dipping sauce. I finished the sauce off with a sprinkling of some minced parsley.
The Pigs in a Blanket Wreath with Cranberry Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce was as delicious as it was festive. Yum!
If you’d like other ideas for festive appetizers, check out my:
- Spinach Artichoke Bread Ring Dip
- Bacon Jalapeño Popper Dip
- Fromage Fort
- Layered Shrimp Cocktail Spread
- Marinated Cheese
Recipe
Pigs in a Blanket with Cranberry Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Pigs in a Blanket
- 8 ounce refrigerated crescent rolls
- 3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 24 Cocktail smokies
- egg wash
- 1 Tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese (See Tip 1)
- Curly parsley for decoration
Cranberry Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
- 14 ounce can jellied Cranberry sauce (See Tip 2)
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup Dijon Mustard
Instructions
Pigs in a Blanket
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Trace a 10-inch circle on parchment paper. Place circle side down on baking sheet.
- Separate crescent roll dough into 8 pieces. Cut each piece lengthwise into thirds. Brush each piece with about ¼ teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Place a Cocktail smokie on the thick end of each triangle and roll up. Arrange the pigs in a blanket seam side down, sided by side in the circle on prepared baking sheet making sure that they are touching. (See Tip 3)
- Brush with egg wash; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in preheated 375°F oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully transfer wreath to serving dish. (See Tip 4)
- Place a small bowl in center of wreath; fill with Cranberry Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce. Place curly parsley around inside of wreath. Sprinkle minced parsley on dippig sauce.
Cranberry Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
- Whisk together the cranberry sauce, honey and mustard until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. (See Tip 5)
- Serve with Pigs in a Blanket Wreath. Yield: 1 ¾ cups.
Chula's Expert Tips
- You could also use sesame seeds or poppy seeds instead of the grated Parmesan cheese.
- Be sure to use the jellied Cranberry sauce.
- I used a pizza cutter to cut the crescent roll dough into thirds.
- Invariably, the wreath somewhat breaks apart when I transfer it to the serving dish. Not a problem - I just reform the circle!
- The Cranberry Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce can be served either warm or at room temperature.
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