Skip The Deep-Frying And Add Hot Dogs To Your Cornbread

For many comfort food lovers, the corndog is even better than the hot dog. After all, the corndog has everything that we love about the hot dog, but in a delicious, deep-fried vessel. However, not everyone wants to deal with deep frying at home — and luckily, there's a way to get around this and still enjoy all the benefits of homemade corn dogs: Add hot dog pieces to your homemade cornbread.

Unlike deep frying, which can get messy and be a hassle, this method couldn't be easier. Simply fill a muffin tin with cornbread batter, then place a piece of hot dog — one-quarter or one-third of a hot dog should be the perfect size — and bake as normal. The result is mini hot dogs surrounded by soft, savory cornbread. In other words, it's just like a corndog — and you may even prefer the cornbread version to traditional corn dogs.

There's also another, similar method you can try if you prefer to bake a full cornbread. Instead of cornbread muffins. Simply place as many hot dog pieces throughout the batter as you please, then bake.

If you love the idea of adding hot dog pieces to cornbread, then you'll want to be aware of various ways to customize it. First things first, you don't have to stick to traditional, pork-based hot dogs — you can switch to a chicken variation or even use a vegetarian hot dog.

Additionally, there are other ingredients you can add to the mix to upgrade the hot dog-infused cornbread even further. For example, fresh herbs will add a burst of fresh flavor to the bread — sage, rosemary, and thyme, or basil and chives. Really, any herb will complement the cornbread flavors. Or, you could make things a bit easier by adding in shredded cheese — cheddar or, for a little kick of spice, pepperjack. And, if you want to add some heat, there's always jalapeños.

Finally, you can change the type of cornbread that you add the hot dogs to. To bring in a little bit of sweetness to contrast the savory hot dogs, you can try out a recipe for honey sweet potato cornbread. Or, if you like the idea of a spicy variation, you can try green chile and tomatillo cornbread.