Sweet And Spicy Corn Dogs Recipe

Corn dogs are a classic example of the "food on sticks" genre of carnival and state/county fair fame, one that may date back to the 1940s. While they're not the healthiest of foods, they do make for a fun summertime treat. If you use this recipe, though, developer Jessica Morone says, "You don't have to wait to go to a carnival to get corn dogs, you can easily make them at home." That way, you can enjoy them even in wintertime when fairs, festivals, and outdoor fun are but a distant memory.

In their simplest form, corn dogs are nothing more than hot dogs dipped in plain cornbread batter and then fried. Here, however, Morone is lending them a sweet and spicy element with the addition of honey and sriracha to the basic recipe. Sriracha, she says, is her "special ingredient," one she feels "adds a bit of spice to the corn dogs and balances out the sweetness" that comes from the honey.

Just about any kind of hot dogs will work for these corn dogs — in fact, it's a pretty good bet that many fairs and festivals are opting for the cheapest ones available. For the batter, you'll be using cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, buttermilk, an egg, honey, and sriracha. You'll need some oil to fry the corn dogs in, and you'll also need one non-food ingredient: the sticks.

"You can really use any wooden sticks you want," says Morone, suggesting skewers, chopsticks, or popsicle sticks as possible options. She tells us that she cut her skewers in order to make them short enough to fit into her cooking pot, but says this isn't really necessary as you can always just have the sticks poking out of the pan while the corn dogs fry. In this case, though, the corn dogs won't be free-floating so you may need to turn them in order to have them cook evenly on all sides.

Mix all of the dry ingredients for the batter (cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt), then stir in the buttermilk, egg, honey, and sriracha. Once the batter ingredients are well-combined, pour the mixture into a glass, cup, or narrow pitcher that is over 6 inches tall. This is the length of the average hot dog, and you'll need to have the hot dogs submerged in batter as you dip them.

Take a paper towel and pat the hot dogs to dry them off a bit since this will help the batter to stick. Next, take the skewers and push them all the way through each hot dog so there's some stick sticking out of each end. Dip each hot dog into the batter and turn it around a few times until it's entirely coated. As you pull it out of the batter, give it a few more twirls so the excess batter drips back into the container.

Pour the oil into a large, heavy pot until it's about 2-3 inches deep. As Morone notes, "I used about 2 quarts of oil, but how much you need really depends on the size of the pot you use." Heat the oil to a temperature of 350 F, using a fry thermometer to check, then add the first corn dog. Hold onto it for 5 seconds, then release it. Repeat the process with 1 or 2 more corn dogs, then fry this batch for 3 to 5 minutes until each one is golden brown on all sides. Repeat with the second, third, and (if necessary) fourth batches, draining the cooked corn dogs on paper towels.

As Morone points out, "Like other fried items, these [corn dogs] are best right after you fry them." She does say, though, that leftovers can be reheated in the microwave for 30 seconds or oven-baked or air-fried at a temperature of 400 F. In the oven they may take up to 10 minutes to be hot enough, but in an air fryer they'll only need 3 to 5 minutes. The cooked corn dogs can also be frozen, and there's no need to thaw them. Instead, Morone says, you can simply double the cooking time.