Herby Pigs In A Blanket Recipe

Whether you're settling in for a movie night, inviting friends over for football, or packing the house with family, you need a good, easy appetizer to snack on. Pigs in a blanket are the unsung hero of the appetizer world, providing both a meaty protein and a fluffy, flaky croissant to dunk into your favorite sauces. The pig, of course, is the mini-sized sausage tucked into its "blanket" of rolled croissant dough. The dough rises to a flaky golden brown in the oven while the sausage browns, making it perfectly crispy and juicy with every bite.

In this recipe shared by developer Michelle McGlinn below, we take the snacking classic and elevate it with a brushing of herby garlic butter and a finish of flaky sea salt. These additions take no more than 5 minutes to do and give the croissants a delicious savory flavor that is perfect with both aioli and ketchup alike. For a recipe all your guests will love (well, except the vegetarians) try these easy and craveable herby pigs in a blanket.

This recipe won't work without croissant dough, so grab a canister of ready-to-bake crescents. Usually found in the refrigerator section near the cream cheese and orange juice (you know, breakfast things), these canisters are sold as packs of eight full-size "crescent" croissants in a variety of flavors and textures. For this recipe we went with original, but feel free to try butter flake or reduced fat as desired. Make sure to grab the regular-sized crescents, which come as perforated triangles, for the easiest prep.

Once you have your dough you'll need your mini sausages, too. These are often referred to as cocktail wieners or little smokies and can be found near the cured meats like bacon and sausage. They'll look cooked because they've been smoked, so you can technically eat them as-is (though they taste much better doctored up a bit). One pack will be enough to make two batches.

From there, you just need butter, garlic powder, sage, rosemary, thyme, and salt. Use fresh herbs where you can, but use dried as needed. Opt for good-quality sea salt for finishing for the best results.

Assuming you've gone name brand, your crescent dough will have come in eight perforated triangle sections. Slice these apart along the perforation, then slice each triangle in half. The easiest way to do this is to start at the tip and draw a line with the knife to the base of the triangle, effectively slicing in half. This doesn't have to be perfect, as the dough puffs up in the oven making any mistakes hardly noticeable.

Grab a mini sausage and place it at the base of one of your sliced triangles. It should fit quite comfortably at the base of the croissant. Press the dough into the sausage and roll it up, curling the tip around the pressing into place. It will look like a spiral of dough, or if you've ever made croissants, a teeny tiny stuffed croissant. This may take some practice, but again, this doesn't have to be perfect. The dough will rise in the oven, erasing any awkward spirals.

Brushing butter on the dough before baking gives it a rich, buttery flavor, and the best way to add to that is to add a sprinkling of herbs and garlic. In this recipe we opt for rosemary, thyme, and sage — our favorite trio of fall and winter herbs — but you can also try parsley, chives, or even tarragon for something a little different. Chop them pretty finely so they stick to the miniature rolls, then brush the herbs on with a pastry brush. If you don't have a pastry brush, try spooning the butter on gently, or spread with a butter knife. Pop the buttered rolls in the oven and bake until golden brown, or about 10 minutes.

Right out of the oven, sprinkle some sea salt on just to add a touch of salty flavor. Don't overdo this, as a little can go a long way. Pile the sausages onto a plate and serve with a dipping sauce. We love a lemony aioli, but you can serve with ranch or ketchup as well. These pigs in a blanket are delicious alongside other snacky appetizers like cheesy flatbreads, pita chips and hummus, and buffalo chicken dip. They also store well, but for best next-day results, reheat in the oven to preserve the flaky croissant.