Gluten Free Corn Dogs (Wheat and Nut Free)

I love corn dogs. They've always been one of my favorites and I feel like a kid each time I get to enjoy one. Unfortunately, going gluten free put a serious kink in my ability to eat them. Over the past year, I've tried a variety of gluten free cornbread recipes and have yet to come across any that I really love like I loved my Jiffy Corn Bread Mix. This was a major obstacle in my ability to turn a simple cornbread recipe (I also happen to love just cornbread) that we might enjoy on any weeknight into a special treat.


Today though, I needed to come up with something quick and yummy for lunch. Since it's a holiday weekend and the kick off to summer, I also wanted something fun and a bit festive. I added a pin to one of my Pinterest boards a few weeks ago that featured a picture of mini-muffin corn dogs and that picture has been floating around in my head ever since. 


The mini muffin version of this classic appealed to me for a few of reasons. One, the fact that I could bake the corn dogs, rather than deep fry them is so much easier (I love to cook, but admit that frying is beyond my culinary abilities for some unknown reason). Two, baking them is so much healthier, so this once or twice a summer treat can be enjoyed a few times a year. Three, mini muffins are ready made for portion control for adults and are just the right size for little hands. Finally, making these at home is so much more cost effective. I've priced the box of GF corn dogs many times in the GF freezer case and just cannot bring myself to pay what I think of as "the State/County Fair price" per corn dog. 


Well, today was the day. So, I set out to find a cornbread recipe. This time, however, rather than search for a gluten free version, I started with a simple Google search for cornbread that included a reference to my beloved Jiffy Cornbread mix. 


Viola! Success. I quickly came across the Hillbilly Housewife's blog. She had an entire page dedicated to corn and cornmeal recipes, including a terrific recipe for homemade corn dogs that looked like it would be the perfect starter recipe for my gluten free mini muffins. And, I was so right. I tweaked the recipe for my own preferences and pantry ingredients (e.g., I don't keep self-rising corn meal on hand) and to make it gluten free. 


The results were delish. My darling hubby and I loved them and it made me feel like summer is truly here. My GF recipe is below. The only thing I've changed from the way I made them is the placement of the hot dog in the muffin tin. Placing the hot dog on its side, rather than up and down in the middle as I saw on Pinterest, allows you get a better balance of cornbread and hot dog in each bite. Thanks to my darling hubby for recommending this easy change that I think will elevate this old fashioned treat just a few steps higher in your (cook)book!


~Enjoy


Gluten Free Corn Dog Mini Muffins

• 1/2 cup of egg substitute or 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/3 cup Turbinado sugar
• 2 tbsp GF baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt (fine grind)
• 5 good quality hot dogs (I used Vienna Beef)
• 1/2 cup course corn grits or polenta
• 1 cup finely ground corn meal
• 1 cup gluten free flour blend (rice, tapicoa, potato flour and xanthan gum)
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place rack in the middle of the oven. Place the mini muffin tin on a baking sheet and place it on the middle rack. Allow oven to come to full temperature while you mix the ingredients. 


Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl until well mixed. Add corn kernels and stir well. Set wet ingredients aside. 


Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl whisking to ensure baking powder and salt are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.


Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with the whisk until the batter is uniform. Set the batter aside while you prepare the hot dogs.


Cut hot dogs in 1 to 1.5 inch segments. Once you cut the first, use it as a guide to make cutting the rest much faster. This will also ensure that all of your muffins cook at the same rate and that you get a consistent product.


Remove the hot muffin tin and baking sheet from the oven. Using two spoons from your silverware drawer (I used a tablespoon and a teaspoon), scoop a enough batter on the tablespoon to cover the bottom third of the well. Add the batter to the first well of the mini muffin tin, using the smaller spoon to push the batter off the tablespoon into the well. Lay 1 hot dog segment sideways across the muffin tin. Top with enough cornbread batter to finish filling the well. The hot dog should be fully encased in the cornbread. Repeat to fill the rest of the wells in the tin.


Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve with traditional yellow mustard, or if you must, ketchup. 


1 Serving = 3 mini muffins