Give Pigs-In-A-Blanket A Flaky, Buttery Upgrade With This Dough Swap

There are not a lot of foods in the world that can hope to be as well-named as pigs in a blanket. While a basic pig in a blanket is just a little frank nestled in a cozy, doughy covering, there's no reason to limit yourself once you've got it mastered. If you want to elevate this party classic and graduate to hogs in a hug, swine in a sanctuary, or boar in a balaclava, ditch the standard dough and try light and flaky phyllo.

Instead of crescent roll dough or cinnamon roll dough, phyllo dough is a next-level option. You can usually find it in the freezer section of a grocery store. This is different from puff pastry and leads to much flakier results. Let it thaw, then take the delicate individual sheets and start layering them on your cutting board. Using a brush, coat each layer with some melted butter before adding another layer, stacking them like paper. You can build these three layers deep for a thinner coating or as many as nine or 10 deep for a thicker crust, depending on how you like them.

How you assemble the pigs in blankets depends on how thick you want the flaky dough and the kinds of wieners you are using. If you want to use smaller cocktail franks, you can cut the phyllo down to strips that are as wide as the frank is long and roll them up. Or you can leave the phyllo whole and line up several full-sized wieners across it, then roll and slice to size.

If you're looking for a quick and basic preparation, simply roll the franks in the phyllo dough and bake them in a preheated oven set to 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the wieners and the dough layers.

You can up your pigs in a blanket game by adding some extras along the way. For your final layer of dough, spread Dijon mustard before adding the hot dogs. You could also use plain yellow mustard, honey mustard, or another favorite hot dog condiment. A thin layer of cream cheese would add texture and flavor that contrast nicely with the flaky dough. This is a good time to add any other kind of cheese, too. Alternate with cut-up cheese strings that are the same length as your franks, or sprinkle grated sharp cheddar across the wieners before rolling. You could also include crispy bacon crumbles, diced jalapeño, or minced onion. Even a spoonful of a meaty chili mixture spread thin would create a great chili dog twist.

Once rolled, brush the exterior with more butter or an egg wash to achieve a nice, crispy brown coating. You could sprinkle sesame seeds or some coarse salt on top as well. Another option is to wait until the last few minutes of cooking and sprinkle some grated cheese on top. Consider this just another elevated pigs in a blanket recipe to add to your party food repertoire.