Pigs in a blanket has survived every era of American snacking without changing. A cocktail smoky wrapped in crescent dough and baked - that is the whole recipe. Simply Mama Cooks makes hers for her son's birthday, and it works because there are only three ingredients to get wrong.
One can of crescent rolls and one 14-ounce package of smokies makes 24 mini pigs in about 25 minutes.
One thing decides whether it goes smoothly: keep the dough cold. Warm dough gets sticky and tears. Pop the can, work fast, and put it back in the fridge if you get interrupted.
What you need
- 1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 1 package (14 oz) cocktail smokies or mini hot dogs
- 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water, for the wash
- Everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds or flaky salt (optional)
- Pizza cutter, pastry brush, parchment, half sheet pan
How long to cook pigs in a blanket at 350, 375 or 400F
The franks are already cooked, so the dough is the only thing you are baking. They are done when the tops are deep golden and the seam underneath has lost its raw pale look. Times are for cocktail-size franks in crescent dough, one layer, middle rack.
| Oven | Chilled, from the fridge | Frozen, unbaked |
|---|
| 350F | 15-18 min | 20-25 min |
| 375F | 12-15 min | 18-22 min |
| 400F | 10-12 min | 15-18 min |
| Air fryer, 350F | 8-10 min | 11-13 min |
375F is the sweet spot for crescent dough. 350 gives a softer, paler roll and more room for error. 400 crisps faster and suits puff pastry, but the bottoms run ahead of the tops, so look at 9 minutes. In an air fryer keep them in one layer and turn the basket around halfway.
Crescent rolls, puff pastry or biscuit dough
Crescent dough is the default for a reason: pre-perforated triangles, wraps thin, puffs into layers. Puff pastry bakes flakier but wants a hotter oven and a short thaw - 20 minutes on the counter, no longer, or it goes limp. Biscuit dough makes a heavier, bready pig; cut biscuits into quarters rather than strips.
Which sausage goes inside
Cocktail smokies are standard, and one 14-ounce package matches one can of crescents. Full-size hot dogs cut into thirds work too - pat them dry, they carry more moisture and steam the dough from inside. Breakfast sausage has to be cooked and cooled before wrapping. Cheese-filled smokies leak, so leave a little dough overhang at both ends.
Making them ahead for a party
Wrap them, arrange them on the sheet, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours, then bake from cold at the times above. For longer, freeze the wrapped unbaked pigs on the sheet until solid and bag them - three months, into the oven frozen, no thawing. Egg wash goes on right before baking either way.
What to serve alongside
Yellow mustard is traditional and hard to beat, and homemade honey mustard takes four minutes. For a full spread these sit well next to deviled eggs, a warm bowl of queso and a charcuterie board. Same franks, bigger plate: chili dogs.
Common mistakes
- Soggy bottoms. Crowded pan, or a dark pan on a low rack. Give each pig an inch of room, middle rack.
- They unroll in the oven. The seam finished on top or on the side. End every wrap with the point tucked under so its own weight holds it shut.
- Burst franks. Oven too hot, or wrapped so tight the steam has nowhere to go. Leave both ends open.
- Torn, sticky dough. It got warm on the counter. Ten minutes back in the fridge and it behaves.
- Pale tops. No egg wash, or it went on too thin. A second light coat at the halfway mark fixes it.
