Mini Corn Dog Recipe
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This Mini Corn Dog Recipe just very well could be a Sonic Corn Dog knockoff! Just as yummy, only smaller and cuter.

Let’s talk about this beautiful thing called the Corn Dog! Once upon a time, there was a girl from Canada who traveled to Idaho for college. While there she was introduced to some wonderful things, including her best friends, her husband and a place called Sonic….lovingly referred to as Mecca. She would make frequent trips there always being sure to order corn dogs and/or onion rings and diet cherry limeade. Happy hour was always a favorite. Then after the first two years of college, this girl needed to reduce her intake because she had gained the freshmen fifteen and then some. So, she did, but still craved Sonic a lot. Then she moved away to Oregon–a land with the closest Sonic 250 miles away. That was a sad day. But sometimes, she will make this recipe and be flooded with memories.
Ha! I like writing in the 3rd person apparently! I tell ya, all the stories I have about food stem back to college. I remember countless times that my two best friends {and roommates} would eat at Sonic and always order the same items- corn dogs, onion rings and diet cherry limeade. Sometimes, we’d go a little crazy and order the tots too. {Anyone having a Napoleon Dynamite moment right now? Just me? Ok.} Yeah. Those were good times. Our sophomore year we got a little smarter and decided to have “Sonic Sundays” and always make a weekly trip. This plus the 2 or 3 other times a week we’d hit up Sonic was probably a big reason I gained so much weight. But, c’mon–happy hour is a college student’s best friend. Where else was I supposed to eat? McDonalds? Burger King? Do they even have corn dogs on their menus? NO.
So in honor of Sonic, and because there isn’t one in my 250 mile vicinity, I made some of my own. I think these are a pretty darn close replica too….from what I can remember how they tasted… it’s been too long! *tear* The thing about their corn dogs is the coating has a sweet taste with a nice balance of crunch and cornmealiness. So that’s what I went for in making this batter. I really enjoyed making these and certainly had my fair share. If you love Sonic, I’d recommend making these and telling me what you think. Even if they don’t end up tasting the same, it’s a pretty darn good corn dog as is.
Try to find a higher quality corn bread mix that is on the sweeter side. I used Marie Callendar’s corn bread mix that I got from Costco–have I mentioned that I LOVE Costco? I could live in that store. Also, when you coat your hot dogs first in corn starch before you dip them in the batter, made sure you dust or wipe off as much as you can with your fingers. Too much corn starch means the batter won’t stick. I think those are the only tips you need.
Have fun frying! Kids go crazy for these! {My 11 year old nephew was over when I made my first batch and he couldn’t get enough. And funny story is he kept saying “this reminds me of something….” over and over. Finally before he left he was like “These taste just like Sonics! Have you ever had a corn dog there?” HA! Have I had a corn dog there?! Puh-lease! We just single handedly kept that Sonic in business for two years.}

Mini Corn Dogs
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz. package Hot Dogs 8 weiners
- 3/4 cup dry cornbread mix I used Marie Callendar’s from Costco
- 4 tbsp corn starch + extra for coating
- 6 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup all purpose unbleached flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 egg
- canola oil or peanut oil, for frying
Instructions
- Pour oil into fryer or pot and heat to 375 degrees.
- Cut hot dogs in half and push small stick 3/4 way into it. {Wooden skewers cut it half or small popsicle sticks work just fine.} Coat hot dogs in corn starch and dust or wipe off with your finger to get a thin, even coating. {Too much cornstarch means the batter won’t stick!} Set aside.
- In large bowl, stir all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Create a well in the middle and pour in egg and milk. Stir slowly until batter is thick and mixed evenly. Slowly dip a prepared hot dog into the batter and hold it there about 5 seconds. Very slowly remove hot dog from batter to keep it coated entirely. If you can start to see parts of the hot dog as you remove it from the bowl, spoon more batter over to coat entirely. Rotate coated hot dog over bowl to remove any excess batter and then slowly and carefully drop into hot oil. Fry 4-6 minutes, rotating occasionally for an even fry until batter is a deep golden color and the hot dog is hot.
- You can fry as many corn dogs as you like per batch as long as the temperature does not drop below 350 degrees.
- Serve immediately with ketchup and mustard.




Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe! So good!
[…] then you know how much I love Sonic and their onion rings, corn dogs and diet cherry limeades. Well, after I posted this recipe, a sweet lady named Deb left a comment telling me how to make my beloved Cherry Limeade. {Hi, […]
It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten a corn dog. When my kids were small I used to buy them in a bulk sized box. The need to buy things in bulk slowly dwindled & so went the corn dog. The other day I accidentally came across this recipe & they have sat in my mind since. Tonight I couldn’t sleep so for the first time I made corn dogs from scratch. It was a perfect late night snack. I never knew they were so easy to make & so good. Thank you.
[…] Did I ever tell you guys about the time I bought a box of Rice Krispie Treats in college and ate them ALL under 12 hours? If you’re stressed and hardly sleep, things like this happen. Just accept it and move on. I ate an entire better than sex cake under 12 hours too. Come to think of it, both events happened in the same semester. World Civ and Bio Chem really got to me, apparently. I think it’s safe to say Rice Krispie Squares are my kryptonite. I love them to pieces and have probably single-handedly kept them in business for years…just like Sonic. […]
I tried this recipe today and loved it , thank you!
Rosa
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