By Florence Fabricant
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus 2 hours’ chilling
- Rating
- 4(387)
- Notes
- Read community notes
For decades, pigs in a blanket have been a staple on the co*cktail-party circuit. The little sausages are the easy part. It’s the pastry which, at its finest, should approximate buttery, flaky French puff pastry or pâte feuilletée. Suppose you could make decently flaky puff pastry in minutes? Christian Leue, the manager of La Boîte, a spice emporium in New York, has developed just such a marvel. And it works.
Featured in: A Sophisticated Update for a Party Favorite
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Ingredients
Yield:48 pieces
- 2sticks salted butter, frozen
- 1½cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
- ½cup full-fat sour cream
- 48co*cktail franks
- Flour, for rolling
- Mustard, for dipping
For the Puff Pastry
For the Pigs in a Blanket
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (48 servings)
192 calories; 17 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 409 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
For the Puff Pastry
Step
1
Make the pastry: Cut each stick of frozen butter into four pieces and grate using a shredding disc in a food processor. Change to the regular blade. Add the 1½ cups flour and pulse 15 or 20 times, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the sour cream and pulse until the dough comes together. (This can also be done by hand, using a box grater to shred the butter, working the flour into it with your fingertips or a fork, then mixing in the sour cream.)
Step
2
Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead briefly to form a smooth ball. Divide the dough in half and flatten each piece. Place each in a zipper-top sandwich bag, press out any air, seal the bag and use a rolling pin to roll the dough until it fills the bag, forming a square. Refrigerate two hours or overnight.
For the Pigs in a Blanket
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3
Make the pigs in a blanket: Heat a 10-inch skillet, preferably cast-iron, on medium. If your co*cktail franks came in a plastic package, pat them dry on paper towels. Place the franks in the pan and cook, turning, frequently, until they’re lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Let cool to room temperature.
Step
4
Remove dough from sandwich bags by cutting the bags and peeling them off. Roll each square of dough on a lightly floured board into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle that is about ⅛-inch thick. Cut each into four 9-by-3-inch strips, then cut each strip crosswise into six 1½-inch sections. You should have 48 rectangles that are each 1½ by 3 inches.
Step
5
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Step
6
Place a co*cktail frank on each piece of dough, across the rectangle so the longer side can be wrapped around the frank. Roll the dough around the frank, moisten the edge with water and press closed. Place each wrapped frank seam side down on the baking sheet.
Step
7
Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Serve at once or let cool and refrigerate or freeze, then let come to room temperature and warm at 250 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve with mustard alongside for dipping.
Ratings
4
out of 5
387
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Cooking Notes
dave dw
I cook so many fancy apps for our parties and inevitably my wife’s pigs in a blanket get devoured first. They’re low brow and awesome, which is why we’ll stick with the Pillsbury crescent rolls.You can put lipstick on a pig...
Victoria
You could save yourself a lot of time by buying the puff pastry. :-)
Kathi Hellerbach, Berlin Germany.
Try using Merguez and ready made puff pastry.
Tija Spitsberg
Would this work with ready made puff pastry just as well?
MDM
Fine, as far as it goes. But it seems like cheating to not also make your own co*cktail franks...
nora
Thanks for the great, simple puff pastry recipe. I use Fork in the Road Little Goodies which are already cooked mini hot dogs so I didn’t need to cook them first. These are truly superior pigs
Muffy Duffy
These are terrific. I made them with Hillshire Farms “little smokies” and we dipped them in yellow mustard and it was a super tasty throwback 70s moment. Made the pastry just as recipe called for it was light, flaky and buttery delicious (and easy) - the pastry made the piggies kinda elegant. I’ll definitely be making them when we can have a real party again.
plumeria
Mine are the best! Pillsbury round crescents with Hillshire Farms Lil Smokies. Fifteen minutes from start to finish.
Sue L
Absolutely scrumptious! Can only suggest:•There's really no need to switch food-processor discs--the regular one pulses the frozen butter just fine.•If there's anywhere in the USA that still sells mini-brats (Schaller & Weber in NYC has discontinued theirs, alas), use those instead of co*cktail franks--better flavor & texture!
Podi
I add sauerkraut and mustard then bake.
PatC
Hillshire Farms brand “Lil Smokies” sausages can’t be beat for the pigs. Much more tasty than franks.
Bea from Philly
I often use a smattering of caraway seeds pressed into the outside of the dough. Also, a thin layer of well-pressed sauerkraut (to reduce liquid) on the inside of the dough is nice.
JennyB
Must try these. Our “pigs in blankets” are mini pork sausages wrapped in streaky bacon, roasted in the oven and served with Christmas Dinner. Yummy!
Meg McAlister
Beef brats, small spear of sweet pickle, small piece of cheese, strips of crescent rolls or puff pastry brushed inside with Dijon mustard, roll up, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds. Bake 375 till brown on top. Serve with honey mustard dip and/or ketchup dip. People love them.
Meg
A significant upgrade from using prepackaged dough. It is a bit more work, but that's why it's a special occasion treat for me. I will say, I don't bother cooking the franks before rolling them and popping them in the oven.
Becky
SO MUCH better than Pillsbury!
feeshaw
Trader Joe’s French puff pastry works great. Or the tried and true Pillsbury crescents.
plumeria
Mine are the best! Pillsbury round crescents with Hillshire Farms Lil Smokies. Fifteen minutes from start to finish.
Julie
Totally agree! If it's not broken!
Muffy Duffy
These are terrific. I made them with Hillshire Farms “little smokies” and we dipped them in yellow mustard and it was a super tasty throwback 70s moment. Made the pastry just as recipe called for it was light, flaky and buttery delicious (and easy) - the pastry made the piggies kinda elegant. I’ll definitely be making them when we can have a real party again.
kate
I love the puff pastry and it feels a little more fun to make and serve than using crescent rolls. I served with some dijon mustard for dipping sauce and it was the first appetizer to be eaten.
BLC
These were good. Made a mustard sauce with dijon, honey, soy sauce and hot sauce, stirred over med-low heat until blended.
PatC
Hillshire Farms brand “Lil Smokies” sausages can’t be beat for the pigs. Much more tasty than franks.
Podi
I add sauerkraut and mustard then bake.
kh
I only get 24 strips of pastry!
Christina McKinney
could the dough be put in the freezer and saved for a later time?
Mudd
I would think so. Commercially made puff pastry, even all butter Dufours (sp?) is sold frozen. Defrost in refrigerator.
nora
Thanks for the great, simple puff pastry recipe. I use Fork in the Road Little Goodies which are already cooked mini hot dogs so I didn’t need to cook them first. These are truly superior pigs
Amrie
All hot dogs are already cooked. The cooking stage here is to caramelize the franks for flavor, not because they're raw.
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