Pancake-Battered Corn Dogs Are The Ultimate Breakfast Food Mashup

It's hard to imagine anything more fun than a corn dog. This battered and fried hot dog on a stick is like the savory version of a popsicle, and it's easy to see why it's been a staple of American cuisine for nearly a century. Not only is a corndog a delightful novelty in terms of culinary composition, but it's near perfect. The sweetness of the cornmeal with the savory, salty frank is the stuff of fantasy snacking, and the crisp, fried exterior is an ideal contrast with the fluffy interior that coats the hot dog core.

Usually, these treats are associated with county fairs and carnivals as a salty indulgence served long after the morning hours. But are there ways to adapt the format and flavor supremacy for other meals? The answer is yes, absolutely. Putting breakfast sausage and pancake batter together in the same format is like the morning meal equivalent of a musical supergroup. These two things already live together side-by-side on the breakfast plate, and in the corndog framework, they transform into something that is not only fun to eat and super impressive to your brunch guests but undeniably delicious.

Putting together this pancake-on-a-stick is a cinch. Starting with your batter, you can use a store-bought mix from a box or carton to keep things manageable, or if you're feeling ambitious, you can whip up classic pancake batter from scratch.

From there, cook your favorite sausage links on the stovetop and set aside until it's cool enough to handle. Pat them with a clean paper towel to remove oil — which will help the batter adhere — and thread them with a bamboo skewer or popsicle stick.

Once your pancake batter is prepared, roll your skewered sausage into the mixture (alternately, you can fill a pint glass with batter and dip it instead). Drop your battered links into a pot or saucepan containing 2 inches of oil heated to 350 F (vegetable, canola, coconut, or other frying oils all work here). Remove your piping hot pancake dogs with tongs after about 2 minutes and drain on a plate lined with a clean paper towel. When you're ready to serve, a dusting of powdered sugar is optional but brings both visual flair and flavor.

Making this specialty is a delicious snap with the standard issue ingredients, but this breakfast breakthrough is super customizable, too, and there are many different ways to branch out with your snack-on-a-stick.

Dipping your breakfast dogs in classic maple syrup is an obvious serving suggestion, but there are so many sticky ways to spin this treat. Honey or hot honey complements the combination of pancake and sausage, as do fruit spreads like an apple compote. Butter is a well-known pancake partner, and flavored compound butter like cinnamon sugar or ginger-pear are perfect condiments for your creation, which you can serve melted in ramekins on the side for dipping. For a kick, transform your batter with a bit of cayenne pepper, go for a seasonal take with a pumpkin spice or gingerbread profile, or add cinnamon and then serve with a cream cheese icing like a sweet-savory cinnamon roll. 

Breakfast links come in various flavors, too, and you can pair your pancake accordingly. Try apple pancakes with cider-spiced syrup, and opt for a chicken and apple sausage to complement. Make your dogs about half the size for a mini version ideal for brunch buffets or anytime snacking, or give these dogs a crunch by rolling them in crushed cornflakes. No matter how you make them, mornings will never be the same.