Corn Dog Bites

I did something crazy for lunch the other day.

Like, for totally serious crazy.

My daughter said “Hey, let’s go get some corn dog nuggets from A&W for lunch!”

And, I said “Child, I am not putting a bra on, which means I am not leaving this house. ”

Then she whined a bunch and I went into the kitchen and made her some homemade corn dog bites that pretty much blew my mind.

I have never in my life eaten a corn dog that tasted like this. It was so perfectly crunchy on the outside and the batter was just oh so slightly sweet and the actual hot dog didn’t give me nightmares or anything because I knew I had bought good quality ones that were made from cows and not rats.

Let’s face it. Not all hot dogs are created equal.

My favorites are the new Oscar Mayer Selects Angus dogs. (This isn’t sponsored content, I’m just sharing what I use and love in my own kitchen.) No nitrates or nitrites and 100% beef. Yes, please.

Anyway, these were super simple to make and took the same amount of time it would have for me to put on a bra, brush my hair, and drive to the local fast food joint and back. Not to mention, these were pretty much the yummiest thing I’ve had for lunch in years. I served them with lots of ketchup and mustard and a big, icy glass of root beer.

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Corndog Bites

Ingredients:

1 cup flour, divided
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 cup milk
8 hot dogs, cut into thirds
Vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Directions:

Preheat about 3 inches of oil to 350 degrees over medium heat.
Combine 2/3 cup of flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, garlic powder and onion powder in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the milk.
In a pie plate or other shallow dish, add the remaining flour.
Dredge each hot dog piece in the flour and then dip it into the cornmeal batter. Shake off any excess batter, but be sure that the hot dog is fully covered in batter.
Drop into the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden brown and crispy.
Fry in batches, being careful not to over crowd the pan.
Drain on a paper towel lined plate and keep warm in a 200 degree oven until all of the hot dogs are fried.
Serve immediately with ketchup and mustard, if desired.

recipe from The Cooking Bride

Appetizers, Beef, Buns In My Oven Favorites, Main Dish

52 comments »

52 Responses to “Corn Dog Bites”

Sally @ Spontaneous Hausfrau June 18, 2012 @ 5:38 am (#
1
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These look so crispy and insanely delicious that my head is spinning. I must try these!
- Karly — June 18th, 2012 @ 9:13 am
  
  @Sally @ Spontaneous Hausfrau,
  
  Seriously. You must.
shelly (cookies and cups) June 18, 2012 @ 6:28 am (#
2
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Putting a bra on and rat eating are also not on my list of favorite things…I know, shocker.
BUT these little nuggets might just be one of my new favorite things.
- Karly — June 18th, 2012 @ 9:14 am
  
  @shelly (cookies and cups),
  
  Huh. I totally mistook you for the rat eating type. Glad to know I was mistaken!
DessertForTwo June 18, 2012 @ 6:47 am (#
3
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Hah! I like hot dogs made of beef not rats too. Wait, doesn’t everybody?

Secretly, corn dogs are one of my top 4 favorite foods. I will be making these for sure!
- Karly — June 18th, 2012 @ 9:15 am
  
  @DessertForTwo,
  
  If you already love corn dogs, I think you will probably die when you taste these. Seriously, so delicious!
Cookbook Queen June 18, 2012 @ 6:52 am (#
4
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Glad to know that I’m not the only one who’s child is sometimes exposed to….casual attire.

I want you to cook ME lunch. If I whine a lot, will you? PLEASE?? PLEASE??????
- Karly — June 18th, 2012 @ 9:17 am
  
  @Cookbook Queen,
  
  Heh. My kids are generally all “Are we going somewhere today?” when they see real pants on my person. Casual attire, by which I mean pajamas, is pretty standard around this house.
  
  And I will totally cook you lunch. Have you thought about coming to the St. Louis Food Media Forum? You should be there. I will bring you corn dogs.
The Witch's Kitchen June 18, 2012 @ 7:06 am (#
5
)
These look FABULOUS! I love mini corn dogs & must try these.

And btw….Bra on or off has always been my indicator of whether or not I’m leaving the house again TOO!!
- Karly — June 18th, 2012 @ 9:16 am
  
  @The Witch’s Kitchen,
  
  It’s like, why do people even bother ASKING. If my bra is off, just don’t bother. You’d think they’d have all learned this by now, right?
northern cottage June 18, 2012 @ 7:21 am (#
6
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YUM! this is like SUMMER all wrapped up in a little brown crunchy ball – well done! Hope you enjoyed your not going out day!! xo
Lissa June 18, 2012 @ 9:47 am (#
7
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These look yum. I mean, YUMMMMM. However, it’s Monday and I’m feeling lazy. Kinda like every day that ends in -y. So my version of these would be made with a box of corn muffin mix. More power to you for doing the from scratch thing, though!
- Karly — June 18th, 2012 @ 12:09 pm
  
  @Lissa,
  
  Corn muffin mix would work just fine, but um…this really wasn’t anything elaborate. Flour and some spices, dude. I’m lazy too, but I can handle that.
Lydia June 18, 2012 @ 10:19 am (#
8
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Do you think I could bake these little suckers in a min muffin tin instead of frying them? My litlte mini munchkins dont handle grease well which means I dont like changing 50 dirty diapers or cleaning up poop skids in undies! (sorry for the graphics)

Anyways do yo think the batter would do alright in a min muffin tin?
- Karly — June 18th, 2012 @ 12:08 pm
  
  @Lydia,
  
  Hmm, you know I don’t know. There is an awful lot of milk in these and no eggs, so I’m not sure it would bake properly. You could try halving the recipe and giving it a go, but if you don’t want to risk it, try just mixing up a Jiffy box mix and using that. That’d work for sure!
sally @ sallys baking addiction June 18, 2012 @ 11:35 am (#
9
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OMG Karly these are the CUTEST little things I’ve ever seen! My inner child is DYING to come out and eat an entire basket of these! Can’t believe how EASY they are to make!!
- Karly — June 18th, 2012 @ 12:03 pm
  
  @sally @ sallys baking addiction,
  
  Come on over. I’ll fry you a big ol’ plateful of them.
Michelle June 18, 2012 @ 12:00 pm (#
10
)
Karly,
Love the story! I am not a hot dog eater (I know, gasp) but they tend to repeat all day BUT I do love hot links and have no problem with them (weird, I know) so I will be trying this delicious sounding recipe with hot links! Can’t wait to try it.
Thanks for sharing
- Karly — June 18th, 2012 @ 12:03 pm
  
  @Michelle,
  
  I’m not much of a hot dog person either and I never ever eat them unless I buy them (too scared of the rat meat hot dogs ), but I loved these! I bet they’d be great with hot links too! Let me know how it works out for you!
  - Michelle — June 22nd, 2012 @ 9:51 am
    
    Karly,
    The hot links turned out great! Such an easy and yummy recipe. I posted the recipe today with a shout out to you and your wonderful blog Stop by if you get a minute and take a peek. Have a wonderful day.
    Michelle
Lisa @ The Cooking Bride June 18, 2012 @ 3:20 pm (#
11
)

Hey, thanks for featuring my recipe! These look great and your pictures are wonderful!
Maggie June 18, 2012 @ 4:41 pm (#
12
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After the last time I deep-fried something, I swore I would never do it again because it felt like so much work and I didn’t know what to do with the oil afterwards but my god, you have changed my mind. I straight-up LOVE mini corndogs. Love them! These are happening at my house this week for sure!
- Karly — June 18th, 2012 @ 5:45 pm
  
  @Maggie,
  
  I don’t fry often, because I hate the clean up, but yeah. These are totally worth the hassle! You can pour the used grease into an empty coffee container or back into the oil container (if it’s empty). Then just stick it in your garbage can on garbage day.
  - Maggie — June 24th, 2012 @ 11:16 am
    
    I made them on Friday night and they were awesome! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
    
    Maggie — June 24th, 2012 @ 11:17 am
    
    haha just reread my comment and saw I used awesome twice. They were that good!
    
    Karly — June 24th, 2012 @ 7:18 pm
    
    @Maggie,
    
    Yay! Glad they were awesome awesome!
Debra June 18, 2012 @ 6:56 pm (#
13
)
A&W in Canada (at least where I live in Canada) doesn’t have hot dog nuggets. Do y’all have a different menu down there??? Interesting… Maybe theirs are made with rats! Look what refusing to put on a bra got you!!
- Karly — June 18th, 2012 @ 10:02 pm
  
  @Debra,
  
  Hmm, I dunno! Our A&W is attached to a Long John Silvers, so maybe the menu is a bit different! The corn dog nuggets are on the A&W menu though, so that’s weird you don’t have them!
Bryn June 18, 2012 @ 7:40 pm (#
14
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Quick question. What type of cornmeal did you use? Coarse, regular, or finely ground? My daughter would love these!
- Karly — June 18th, 2012 @ 10:01 pm
  
  @Bryn,
  
  Um, I had no idea there were so many types of cornmeal! I just used Quaker Yellow Cornmeal. http://www.amazon.com/Quaker-Yellow-Cornmeal-1-8-lb/dp/B0002IMTEK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1340078377&sr=8-4&keywords=corn+meal
  
  Hope that helps!
  - Bryn — June 19th, 2012 @ 5:25 am
    
    Thanks so much! I had no idea there were so many varieties either until I ran out while making cornbread and sent my husband to the store. He got confused and brought home all 3!
OrlyK June 19, 2012 @ 2:45 am (#
15
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Hi,
Can the milk be substituted with something else? Soy milk? Some other liquid that is non dairy?
Thanks
- Karly — June 19th, 2012 @ 8:36 am
  
  @OrlyK,
  
  Haven’t tried it, but I think beer would be a fab solution! Beer battered corn dogs. Yes, please! Someone else left a comment saying she uses root beer.
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel June 20, 2012 @ 9:30 am (#
16
)

For shizzle, these rule. I love corn dogs SOMUCH and they’re SOPERFECTLYCRISPY and whoever suggested beer battering them became my new BFF (though you’re my new BFF too and you don’t even know it yet). Also, I totally laughed at the “no bra, no dice” comment because my mom’s the same way (and uh, so am I). Whenever she has real clothes on (okay, it’s not like she runs around naked and insists we pretend she’s wearing clothes or anything; that’d be weird–I mean like, jeans or a nice top or flats or A BRA), we automatically know she’s going somewhere and hound her to know where. Great moms think and act alike, I suppose
Stephanie @ Macaroni and Cheesecake June 20, 2012 @ 12:49 pm (#
17
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These are so cute and such a fabulous idea! I hate frying but I am tempted to break out the oil and try these bad boys because they look so amazing!
Julia June 21, 2012 @ 12:31 pm (#
18
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Haaaaahaha: “Child, I am not putting a bra on, which means I am not leaving this house. ” That’s rad! And these little bitty corndogs are rad too!
Riley June 21, 2012 @ 4:34 pm (#
19
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I always look forward to corn dogs during the summer! These look so fun!
Amber June 25, 2012 @ 11:25 am (#
20
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These look delicious! One question.. when I tried to make corn dogs before I had a lot of problems with the batter sticking to my hands and not sticking to the hot dogs. Any suggestions?
- Karly — June 25th, 2012 @ 11:41 am
  
  @Amber,
  
  I just used my tongs to dip them in the batter and toss them around to coat, then I lifted them out with the tongs and carefully dropped them in the oil. I didn’t get my hands dirty at all.
Jenny @ Savour the Senses June 26, 2012 @ 3:04 am (#
21
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I can’t even remember the last time I had a corn dog, but I DO remember them being my favorite elementary school lunch item! I have to try these!
Susie July 3, 2012 @ 9:53 am (#
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Karly-

If it’s ok with your hubby can I marry you too? I made these for my husband last night and I think I feel in love with you. (He with me of course and wanted more…) but you are as amazing as these lil dogs. Yum. I’m going to see how they reheat and possibly take them to a 4th of July party, where all we serve is fried food. It’s the biggest cheat day of the year, and my friends are drooling at the pictures and mentions of small corn dog bites. Thanks!
- Karly — July 3rd, 2012 @ 12:05 pm
  
  @Susie,
  
  We can totally get married if that means I’m invited to your fried food party!
  
  I bet these would reheat fine in the oven! I’ve considered making a big batch and freezing them, but I haven’t done it yet!
Susie July 3, 2012 @ 1:06 pm (#
23
)

Red Fried and Brew is July 14th, in SE Michigan *road trip!*

We fry up a turkey, home made lumpias (yes you should look them up, they are Filipino egg rolls and you’ll never go back), and this year I’ll bring your corn dog bites.

Last year I brought out my deep fryer and we tried deep fried twinkies, snicker bars, and oreos. (I used pancake batter). Soooo good. If you’ve never done it the trick it to put them in the freezer first.

I’m going to have the leftover bites for dinner and I was gonna warm them in the oven and see how they did, I really hope they do well because everyone keeps asking me if I’m bringing them. Thanks Again.
Julie November 13, 2012 @ 6:48 pm (#
24
)

Hi! I was searching the Internet for a good corn dog bite recipe and came across yours. I made them tonight and I gotta tell you, these things are amazing!
Thank you so much for sharing. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Kelly C from Bville March 10, 2013 @ 4:52 pm (#
25
)

Karly…just made these tonight. I have two boys 18 and 15 and they both absolutely LOVED these! That batter was to die for!! Definitely gonna be following you girl! You crack me up =)