The Elegant Pastry Swap That Will Elevate Your Pigs In A Blanket

Pigs in a blanket is a delicious appetizer recipe that is easy to make and fun for both adults and kids to eat. It's the perfect choice for a children's birthday party because it's yummy and requires no utensils. Traditionally, this treat is made by making a soft dough that is rolled out and cut into squares. Little cooked sausages are added to the squares, which are then rolled up, sealed, brushed with egg, and baked until crisp and golden brown.

There are so many different varieties of pigs in a blanket. You can make them with premade pie crust or crescent dough (via Pillsbury), with puff pastry for a flakier and more sophisticated take (via Pepperidge Farm), or with your own homemade dough, rich with cheese or herbs or plain. You can vary the sausage or add condiments like mustard or relish. But there is one elegant pastry swap that will elevate your pigs in a blanket. And you probably never thought of it.

Pigs in a blanket are found in almost all cultures around the world, from Hong Kong (cheng jai baau) to the Netherlands (worstenbroodje), according to The Pioneer Woman. The universal love for savory and spicy meat in tender and rich pastry cannot be denied.

But to elevate your pigs in a blanket, try using choux pastry, per Life Hacker. Now don't be scared — choux pastry is the same dough used to make cream puffs. If you can scramble eggs, you can make choux pastry.

Because choux pastry is a droppable soft dough, rather than one that can be rolled, this variation on pigs in a blanket is made a little differently. Make the choux pastry by boiling milk, water, and butter together until it reaches a rolling boil. Then you stir in flour all at once until the mixture forms a dough and cleans the sides of the pan (this really happens!). Then you beat in eggs until the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Now drop the dough onto a greased or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet in about the same shape and size as your little sausages. Or you could pipe the dough into ovals (see step-by-step instructions at Meilleur du Chef). You don't have to be super accurate because this dough really puffs up as it bakes. Bake until crisp and golden. 

Let the little puffs cool a bit, then slit one open; you'll find a nice hollow in the center. The last step is to insert a warmed sausage. What kind of sausage should you use? You can use Vienna sausages (via Armour), cocktail wieners (often called Lit'l Smokies via Hillshire Farm), cook breakfast sausages, or cut-up and warm hot dogs. You'll instantly have an elegant update to the classic recipe.

But don't stop there! Sprinkle the little pastry ovals with everything seasoning before you bake them. Or you could make a pigs in the blanket bar (use a warming tray like this one from Amazon to keep things nice and toasty), including mustards, ketchup, relishes, mayo, sriracha, veggies, or cheese, and let your guests assemble their own. Or you could choose to put out meatballs, cooked shrimp, or chicken for your guests to choose from. The sky is the limit!